Jerry Seinfeld's Intense Dedication to His Craft

Some people make their craft look easy, but there are often years of discipline and practice behind their craft. Consider the comedian Jerry Seinfeld. ...

The Man Who Saved the World by Thinking Small

There are a handful of "hinge" moments in world history. June 6, 1944, or D-Day, was one of those moments. On that day hung the balance of power in World ...

Founder of Amazon Planned Decades Ahead

If you own stock in Amazon, you get a letter from founder Jeff Bezos each year, reminding you of Amazon's commitment to think long-term. In his 2015 letter ...

Blacksmith's Ancient Swords Illustrate Excellence

In his book Deep Work, author Cal Newport provides an example of excellence—a blacksmith from Wisconsin named Ric Furrer. Furrer specializes in ...

What Actors Have Done to Prepare for a Role

For her role in Black Swan, Natalie Portman trained with New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers for eight hours a day, six days a week for the ...

Mozart Worked Hard to Be Creative

In 1815, Germany's General Music Journal published a letter in which allegedly Mozart described his creative process:

When I am, as it were, completely ...

A Survival Guide Vows to Save Your Life

If you were ever affected by a natural disaster, in the middle of an emergency situation, or stranded in the wilderness, would you know what to do to ...

Ill-Equipped Ships Run into Disaster

In May 1845, two Royal Navy ships, HMS Terror and Erebus, embarked from London on a voyage with ambitious aims. The mission would forge a passage through ...

The Most-Highlighted Passage in 'The Hunger Games'

According to Amazon, the most highlighted passage in all books read on Kindle (as of November 2014)—highlighted almost twice as often as any other ...

Pit Crew Works as a Team

In 1950, Indy car pit crews consisted of four men—including the driver! No one was allowed to get near the car except this small crew of specialists. ...