Aaron Olson

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About Aaron Olson
I am an author, blogger, YouTuber and podcaster. I write about science, health, philosophy, stoicism, and self-improvement.
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Blog postIn past posts, I gave you 5 reasons to start a blog and showed you how to start your blog for free. Today I’m going to show you how I create a blog post.
Screenshare of how I create a blog post. I start by writing down some thoughts on my phone in Google Keep. I do this when reading or listening to books, or if I have something on my mind that I want to expand into something longer.
Expand your thoughts with headings I take each thought and make it into a heading. Then I add s13 hours ago Read more -
Blog postI came across a book written by a 14-year-old kid while scrolling on Twitter. Intrigued, I downloaded it. It’s an excellent read. I read it one sitting.
My #book about my #homeschool life as an #entrepreneur is on #kindle! How I started my farm @ 7 y/o, grew that to a 350 acre ranch, bought & sold a , & all the work & disasters I dealt w/. I hope it encourages kids to do more than adults think we can.https://t.co/AVnMDIYQxX
— Cole Summers | Don't Tell Me I Can't (@thecoYesterday Read more -
Blog postWhoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Discover what makes you happy. Get what you want out of life. Don’t try to change others. This is the advice of author Harry Browne in his book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. He maintains that we often enslave ourselves in a prison of our own making. He thinks that most people could have more freedom than they realize. If we recognize the prisons we are forcing ourselves into, we can grab the key and unlock the3 days ago Read more -
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Blog postThe Problem with Statistics Episode of Forward Tilt Podcast Most books don’t sell, so don’t write one.
Most people won’t read your blog, so don’t start one.
Most podcasts don’t make it, so don’t start one.
Most jobs you pitch won’t hire you, so don’t bother.
This is terrible advice.
The probability of you reading this post is infinitesimally small. But here you are. Your existence is a statistical anomaly.
You are not an aggregate. Life isn’t a4 days ago Read more -
Blog postWhen I asked caddy-turned-ghostwriter, Mark Eglington, what I could do to write better, he told me to read On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. I’d read it about ten years ago, but I took Eglington’s advice and reread it.
Zinsser’s advice on writing well is simple: Be clear. Be concise. Be human.
Simple advice.
Simple, but not easy.
Be clear. Be simple. Be brief. But overall be true to yourself. Make that your credo. If you’re true to your humanity, there’s no6 days ago Read more -
Blog postSome words of inspiration from T.K. Colman Act without permission.
Write a book without permission.
Start a blog without permission.
Send a pitch without permission.
Create a course without permission.
Follow a dream without permission.
Express an unconventional opinion without permission.
Why do we wait for permission? We want to know what other people think before we act.
Why not start something instead of waiting for others t1 week ago Read more -
Blog postRock star Gene Simons’ book, Me, Inc. is filled with inspiration for those who seek to take a self-directed approach to life.
Simons grew up in poverty but was determined to build a better life for himself and his mother.
Simons has no time for those who won’t help themselves. He has a ton of enthusiasm for life and it shows in his writing. Here are the lessons I learned from his book.
You Can Learn from Many Sources As a kid, Simons hated school. He learned most of hi1 week ago Read more -
Blog postReading is one of the best ways to learn more about the world. You’ve got experts who’ve poured hours of their life into writing a book. You’ve got autobiographies and biographies of some of the most amazing people who’ve ever lived on the planet who share their life with you.
Listen While Doing Mundane Tasks But, there isn’t enough time to read! That’s where audiobooks come in. You can listen to audiobooks while driving, doing dishes, exercising, and on walks.
Listen Like a King1 week ago Read more -
Blog postIn a previous post, I told you about the 5 reasons why you should start a blog. Today, I’m going to show you how to start your own blog/website in under 7 minutes, for free!
Check out the screencast I made below. It shows you how to quickly get started with a free blog/website at WordPress.com (referral link).
Screencast showing you how to start your own blog/website with wordpress.com Here are the steps you should follow:
Sign up for a free account at WordPress.com.Name y1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHans-Hermann Hoppe on the Problem of Social Order Every once in a while I come across a new thinker who causes me to reconsider my prior assumptions about the world. One of those people is Hans-Hermann Hoppe.
With clarity and precision, Hoppe attacks the existing social order found in Western democracies and proposes a new way of structuring society. He calls his preferred vision of society a natural law society. In his view, the government has a monopoly on the use of force and is t1 week ago Read more -
Blog postLast year, I found myself drinking a lot of coffee. Sometimes up to the equivalent of 6-8 cups per day.
I’d discovered the most delicious way to make coffee using an AeroPress and was taking advantage of it. The AeroPress really does deliver on its inventor’s promise to make a delightful cup of coffee without bitterness.
I became rather enthusiastic about AeroPress. I even spent over an hour of my time watching a documentary about the invention and obsession of AeroPress.
1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJames Altucher is an entrepreneur, author, and podcaster. Every day he flexes his creative muscle by forcing himself to come up with 10 new ideas. He says that most of his ideas are bad, but some of them have merit.
James Altucher on Becoming an Idea Machine If you stop working out for a period of time, your muscles get soft. Altucher says the same thing happens with our ability to generate ideas.
This is something I’m going to start practicing.
Here are a few ide2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postWhen you think of a salesman, you might think of the pushy loudmouth, trying to hoodwink you into buying something you don’t need. But, according to author Harry Browne, that is the exact opposite of what a salesman should be. In the book, The Secret of Selling Anything, Browne says that the secret to selling is to listen to the motivations of the customer.
According to Browne, a person will never buy something unless he feels it will make his life better. As a seller, you’ll be2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postIt’s easy to be a critic. It’s a cheap existential trick! We can easily raise our self-esteem by putting others down. Instead of creating something, we take a shortcut and criticize.
It’s so easy to critique.
When we criticize, in effect we say: “Haha, look at that fool trying to create something of value. What a stupid idea. It will never go anywhere.”
It’s hard to create!
Not all creative work is great. Most of the time, it’s just okay. But sometimes it’s glo2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postI started my own Discord server to discuss books, ideas, and to host future book discussions. Discord is an app that includes chat, audio and video for clubs and meet-ups.
Here’s my Discord invite link https://discord.gg/VrgZXDXm
2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postRose Wilder Lane’s biography of Henry Ford paints a picture of an ever-curious man, who was always seeking to improve himself.
Henry Ford’s Own Story By Rose Wilder Lane Always Curious Wilder tells a story about how as a boy, Henry Ford was fascinated with his friend’s new pocket watch. The boys skipped Sunday school to take it apart and see how it worked. They spent the day excitedly disassembling and reassembling the various springs and gears.
Ford’s curiosity eventually dr3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postHave you ever wanted to change careers, but didn’t know where to start? Ken Coleman’s book, From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love, offers a route to getting off your butt and doing something about your aspirations.
Isaac Morehouse talks about growing your career on The Ken Coleman Show Coleman was running a small business but hated it. He wanted to do something more in line with his skills and personality. But he felt stuck. He had two kids, a marriage, and a3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postI didn’t know much about Gene Simmons prior to reading his book, Me, Inc. Simmons is a relentless entrepreneur, with an incredible amount of enthusiasm for life and business. He is constantly looking for ways to make more money by satisfying his customer’s demands for more Kiss and more of him. He’s even patented his face with all that makeup. Reading his book, I truly felt that he wanted to impart some of his knowledge and enthusiasm for life and business to the reader.
A Humble Begining3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog post“Make Sh*t Happen.” – Mark Eglinton Writer Mark Eglinton doesn’t wait around, hoping for work to come his way. He hustles. He goes out of his way to find work. In my interview with him, he said:
“I don’t sit around waiting for life to happen to me. I want to make sh*t happen.”
Mark Eglinton After Mark’s father passed away and his marriage fell apart, he decided it was time to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He always liked writing. He remembered the words of one3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postImproves Your Writing Skills Writing is a superskill that most of us wish we were better at. In the book, The Last Safe Investment, the authors say improving your writing is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. By blogging regularly, you can improve your writing and begin expressing your ideas better to others.
Improves Your Thinking Skills By forcing yourself to blog, you force yourself to connect disparate ideas. As you are writing about one topic, you’ll be re
3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postJoin me tonight to discuss the book, Crash You Career, by Isaac Morehouse. Bring questions, takeaways, or just listen. You can join the meeting through the CareerHackers.com Slack channel. I’ll be starting the slack huddle at 8pm CT/9pm ET. If you haven’t had a chance to read the book, check out the Career Hacker Manifesto by Morehouse instead.
Hope to see you there.
3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postTwelve Years a Slave is the incredible story of a northern free black man, Solomon Northup, who was drugged, kidnapped, beaten, and sold into slavery in the deep south of Louisiana. It is a story about man’s inhumanity to man, but also about an indefatigable human spirit. It is an incredible book, that I am sorry as to not have read until now.
Solomon made his living as a violinist and carpenter in New York. He was married and had three kids. He was approached by some traveling circus3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postIn a previous post, I wrote about Bitcoin, its promise, and its vision.
In this post, I’m going to focus on the actual real-world applications of Bitcoin.
Please note, that I’m not talking about the scam coin known by the ticker symbol BTC. I’m talking about BitcoinSV (BSV) which can be used today to send fractions of a cent to anyone around the world. If you don’t believe me, sign-up for the Handcash wallet, and try it out for yourself.
Twetch Twetch is kind of like a4 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postChristopher Alexander was an architect who was concerned with the state of our modern buildings. He saw modern architecture as hideous and anti-human. In previous times, simple people who knew the area made beautiful buildings to work in sync with the people who used them. He thought something had gone horribly wrong with modern architecture. … Continue reading Christopher Alexander – Spaces for the Soul →4 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postIn, Surprised by Joy: The shape of my early life, C.S. Lewis attempts to tell the story of his conversion from atheism to Christianity. I wanted to read this book because I was interested in understanding Lewis’s reasons for accepting Christianity.
You can read the book online for free, or listen at archive.org for free if you’d rather.
I couldn’t make sense of Surprised by Joy. So, I immediately read it again.
Lewis warns the reader of this in the first chapter. He te1 month ago Read more -
Blog postStarting a podcast is like having a secret weapon that few people wield. By starting a podcast, you can gain insight from the leading experts in your area of interest just by asking to talk with them!
If you were to ask the top experts in your field if you can pick their brain for an hour, you probably won’t get a reply. But, if you ask them to come on your podcast to discuss their latest book, podcast, or Tweet, chances are they’ll say yes!
When you ask someone to come on you1 month ago Read more -
Blog postDo you remember sitting in class, listening to another boring lecture thinking: “What’s the point of this?” For Isaac Morehouse, the point of school is not so much to learn, but to get a stamp on your forehead that says: “Passed Basic Inspection”.
If you graduated college, you have a signal that shows you can do some monotonous work and follow orders.
In his book, Crash Your Career: Ditch the Gatekeepers and Be Your Own Credential, Morehouse says that college is dead, most peo1 month ago Read more -
Blog postOver the weekend I drove to a farm that sold raw unpasteurized unhomogenized milk. It was the most delicious milk and cream I’ve ever had! The milk was creamy and the cream was almost as thick as butter. You can’t get this kind of milk from the store. When you homogenize and pasteurize, you lose something. Of course, you gain something as well, but when we standardize and homogenize too much, we lose something important.
The woman who sold the milk takes great care of her animals. The1 month ago Read more -
Blog postBryan Caplan Answers Questions about His Provocative Ideas. Bryan Caplan is a provocative thinker who is always willing to teach. His book, Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Parent is More Fun and Less Work Than You Think, convinced me that it was a good idea to have kids. I talked with him about that book on my podcast 9 years ago!
In this video with philosopher Agnes Callard, he talks about his latest book, The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Was1 month ago Read more -
Blog postI came across the book, Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. It was an inspiring read. The author encourages us to put our work out there for other people to see. By showing your work, you’ll gain friends, a following, and the potential to sell your work.
I think he makes some excellent points. I don’t believe that everyone will gain a following or the ability to sell their work, but you can learn a lot through the process of documenting your work and sharing it with others.
If you1 month ago Read more -
Blog postSo you have an idea for a new business? Great! You have something you think will make other people’s lives better.
Or maybe you are considering going into a new profession. Nice! What should you do next?
Should you spend hundreds of dollars and months of work building a beautiful website? Maybe you should enroll in a graduate program costing thousands of dollars?
Wong!
Find a way to test your idea first! Experiment. Test the marketplace. Interview others alread1 month ago Read more -
Blog post“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
Pericles The above quote is a favorite line that Robert Kennedy shared with his son Robert Kennedy Junior. Robert Kennedy saw himself as a man on a mission to spread democracy and look out for the less fortunate in society. RFK tried to spread this message to his eleven children and ended up getting shot in the process. In the book, American Values: Lessons I Learned from My1 month ago Read more -
Blog postI came across this podcast today. It is a discussion with a previous guest on my podcast, Isaac Morehouse. They discuss entrepreneurship, getting started on your career hacking, creating vs consuming, how to get out of a bad relationship with your work, and creating more opportunities in life.
The interview was hosted by a graduate of Praxis, Micaela Richmond. Praxis is a year-long program that trains people to get a job they love without going to college.
Check it out.
1 month ago Read more -
Blog postThere are a ton of different services that will help you host a blog where you can write, podcast, and share your thoughts and ideas. I encourage you all to do it!
I write on WordPress.com (affiliate link) because I don’t like to worry about technical stuff. It makes hosting your blog very simple. You don’t have to worry about updating plugins or behind the scene stuff. WordPress.com does all the background stuff for you, including hosting your domain name. They even give you an optio1 month ago Read more -
Blog postI hosted my first virtual book club last Friday. We discussed the book, Liberation by Oppression: A Comparative Study of Slavery and Psychiatry. It was fun to meet new people and discuss the ideas in the book.
When I started the book club, I had no idea if anyone was interested in these virtual discussions about obscure books, but happily, several people were. One person who came to the meeting had not read the book, but simply wanted to listen and learn more about the ideas in the bo1 month ago Read more -
Blog postWhen I read book a that isn’t very good, I’m conflicted about whether or not to write a bad review. Should I let other people know not to waste their time on the book? Usually, I just move on to the next book and forget about it. But, I sometimes find writing negative reviews helpful because they allow me to clarify my thinking about what the author got wrong.
The book, The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively, was one of those books that I felt compelled to wri1 month ago Read more -
Blog postBitcoin continues to fascinate me.
I’ve been reading, Satoshi’s Vision: The Art of Bitcoin by Dr. Craig Wright. Dr. Wright claims to have invented Bitcoin using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. While many people find Dr. Wright to be a rather prickly person, I find his honesty to be refreshing. He is part philosopher, part perpetual academic, part computer forensic scientist, and part entrepreneur. He holds many advanced degrees. He has something like 30+ masters, PhDs, and other certi2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI talk with author Mark Eglinton about his book, No Domain: The John McAfee Tapes. Mark spent many hours talking with McAfee in the twilight of McAfee’s existence on this planet. Mark regaled me with many a story about the enigmatic character of John McAfee. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or anywhere else you get podcasts.
Mark Eglinton on writing and John McAfee Chapters:
00:00:00 Mark Eglinton https://twitter.com/MarkEglinton
00:00:33 How did Mark become a writer?
00:01:2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI recently listened to the book, What are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO. It is the story of Mike Lindell’s insane journey through life. Mike Lindell was how a smart guy who did terrible in school, had a ton of insecurities, addicted himself to crack and gambling, and yet was able to overcome those vices and find a way to provide something of value to the world through the marketplace with his invention of My Pillow.
It’s an inspiring story. It’s is a story that makes me wonder if2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI decided to give away my book, Low-Mileage Running: A Short Guide to Running Faster, Injury Free, on my website! Pick up the audiobook, PDF, or eBook for free if you’d like. Low-Mileage Running is a short guide to running faster, injury free. It focuses on avoiding injury while optimizing your training. The book provides … Continue reading Free Download; Low-Mileage Running: A Short Guide to Running Faster, Injury Free →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postIn this podcast interview, I talk with David Gornoski about René Girard’s ideas on the role of scapegoating in society. David says that Jesus turned the traditional role of scapegoating on it’s head. He maintains that Christ changed the course of society by destroying the pagan use of scapegoating.
Chapters:
00:00:00 David Gornoski https://aneighborschoice.com/
00:01:00 Jeff Diest https://mises.org/profile/jeff-deist
00:01:40 Science and U Show https://aneighbors2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI talk with Dr. Staton Peele about the nature of addiction. Dr. Peele is a psychologist who believes that addiction is a life problem, not a brain disease. We talk about the ideas that he has been writing about for many years. You can listen on YouTube or on my podcast. Also, my podcast now has video on Spotify.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Stanton Peele https://peele.net/
00:02:43 Failure is redefined as success in addition science
00:05:05 Life Process Program https://lifeproce2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI talk with Joel Bein about music, writing, creativity, and taking action. Joel is a conductor, author, director of growth at Crash, and writer of The Daily Job Hunt. He recently released his book, Do It Now on Amazon. Listen on YouTube below, or on my podcast.
Here is a clip of one of the highlights:
Chapters:
00:00:00 Joel Bein https://joelbein.com/
00:00:27 Crash https://crash.co/
00:03:13 Unleashing creative power
00:04:58 The Daily Job Hunt
00:062 months ago Read more -
Blog postI talk with Dr. Kevin Conners about natural, supplementary, and alternative options for cancer.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Dr. Kevin Conners https://www.connersclinic.com/
00:03:10 Rife and Electromedicine https://amzn.to/3pZwpcM
00:04:25 Frequencies and electromedicine
00:08:25 Immune system and cancer
00:10:25 The Truth About Cancer https://amzn.to/37s8yfB
00:13:30 Frequencies for different types of cancers
00:16:25 Quality of life
00:17:00 Success ra2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI created a screencast to show you how to create an audiobook version of your book for Audible and iTunes. You can view it below.
There are multiple ways to do this process. You could save each chapter as an audio file and audacity project, but I like to keep the whole audiobook in one single audacity project and .wav file and then chop it up with Auphonic.com at the end.
I use the labels function in Audacity to mark the chapters. At the beginning of each chapter, use a label2 months ago Read more -
Blog postBitcoin enables freedom to the extent that it allows others to use their skills and creativity in the marketplace.
Bitcoin doesn’t stop the Fed, it is not censorship-resistant. It is a tool to enable frictionless cash-like payments on the internet.
It’s amazing, but it is not the talisman of freedom that so many have been bamboozled into thinking it is.
Bitcoin helps people get paid for their imagination. It won’t stop crooked politicians or end the leviathan.
2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI had a chance to talk with Kerry McDonald about her book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (https://amzn.to/3w3hIcN).
Listen on YouTube below, subscribe to the podcast, or listen to the audio file below.
Kerry McDonald on Homeschooling and Unschooling Full Interview with Kerry Here is one of the highlights:
"It was completley encaptivating for me, I was able to see an entirely different way of learning."2 months ago Read more -
Blog postI had the opportunity to interview Isaac Morehouse on my podcast! Isaac is the founder and CEO of Crash, and founder of Praxis. He promotes a vision of a more free world where people can use their talents in the marketplace to enhance the lives of themselves and others. He is a visionary thinker who is always pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Isaac shares with me his thoughts on job hunting, being honest, and prioritizing his time. You can find chapter marks in the descripti2 months ago Read more
Titles By Aaron Olson
When we experience intense emotions such as anger, depression, or anxiety, we assume that something outside of ourselves caused our feelings. But, according to REBT, it is our underlying beliefs about our circumstances that control our emotions. By changing our underlying beliefs, we can change how we feel.
The ideas presented in this book are based on the ancient wisdom of Stoicism and the more contemporary Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). By putting the advice into practice, you will be able to more easily overcome adversity and better control your emotions.
By putting the advice into practice, you may be able to get better control of your emotions. By following a simple, common-sense approach to confronting your unwanted beliefs, which influence your emotions, you may begin to get a hold of the underlying cause of your unwanted feelings. At its core, REBT is the idea we make ourselves miserable, most of the time. We are the cause of our unwanted feelings, and we can change our feelings by changing the underlying philosophy behind our feelings.
REBT is based on some of the philosophy of the Stoics, especially Epictetus, who said: ”Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them." For Ellis, achieving tranquility of mind was not about changing what was going on in the external world, but rather, changing our underlying philosophy of life. Events themselves don't cause us to be miserable, it is our beliefs about the events that control our emotions. By changing our underlying beliefs, we can change how we feel.