Jay Dixit

Cindy Chupack on Failure

Cindy Chupack had been married two years when her husband told her he was gay. Though she felt like a failure at the time, the years of loneliness and dating that followed provided the material that led her to become a writer and producer for Sex and the City. "It felt like a huge curse and it was lonely," says Chupack. "But what I'm most proud of in my life was Sex and the City, and it never would have happened had I stayed married, and had he not been gay, and had that not been my backstory."

Cindy Chupack had been married two years when her husband told her he was gay. Though she felt like a failure at the time, the years of loneliness and dating that followed provided the material that led her to become a writer and producer for Sex and the City. "It felt like a huge curse and it was lonely," says Chupack. "But what I'm most proud of in my life was Sex and the City, and it never would have happened had I stayed married, and had he not been gay, and had that not been my backstory."

Nastia Liukin on Failure

"If you're going through hell," said Winston Churchill, "keep going." After American gymnast Nastia Liukin suffered a severe ankle injury a year before the Olympics, many thought she'd never compete again. But Nastia,daughter of two Soviet champions, was born to win. Her father Valeri, the first man to do a triple backflip, competed in the 1988 Olympics and lost the gold medal by less than 1/10th of a point. He spent the next two decades as his daughter's coach, teaching her everything he knew about gymnastics and determination. Injuring herself doubled her resolve to win, says Nastia. She came back stronger than she'd ever been and went on to win the All-Around Gold—the same event her father had lost exactly 20 years before. —Jay Dixit

"If you're going through hell," said Winston Churchill, "keep going." After American gymnast Nastia Liukin suffered a severe ankle injury a year before the Olympics, many thought she'd never compete again. But Nastia,daughter of two Soviet champions, was born to win. Her father Valeri, the first man to do a triple backflip, competed in the 1988 Olympics and lost the gold medal by less than 1/10th of a point. He spent the next two decades as his daughter's coach, teaching her everything he knew about gymnastics and determination. Injuring herself doubled her resolve to win, says Nastia. She came back stronger than she'd ever been and went on to win the All-Around Gold—the same event her father had lost exactly 20 years before. —Jay Dixit

Greg Giraldo on Failure

Despite great success as a standup comedian and former host of Comedy Central's Standup Nation, Greg Giraldo is tortured by a constant sense of failure. "I feel like I'm ‘the piece of shit at the center of the universe,' he told me. "The reality is I'm not a 'get knocked down and come back harder' kind of guy. I'm a complete fuckup... I feel like quitting all the time."

Despite great success as a standup comedian and former host of Comedy Central's Standup Nation, Greg Giraldo is tortured by a constant sense of failure. "I feel like I'm ‘the piece of shit at the center of the universe,' he told me. "The reality is I'm not a 'get knocked down and come back harder' kind of guy. I'm a complete fuckup... I feel like quitting all the time."

David Servan-Schreiber on Cheating Death

David Servan-Schrieber was 31 when his world imploded. Ambitious and arrogant, he was a rising star in neuropsychiatry. When a volunteer for a brain scan experiment didn’t show up, he slid into the scanner himself—and discovered a malignant tumor nestled deep in his brain. After surgery and chemotherapy, he continued his life as before, eating a diet high in red meat and sugar, exercising little, and abandoning an earlier interest in meditation. When the tumor returned, he used his medical training to investigate how best to prevent cancer. The result was remission—and a bestselling book called Anticancer.

David Servan-Schrieber was 31 when his world imploded. Ambitious and arrogant, he was a rising star in neuropsychiatry. When a volunteer for a brain scan experiment didn’t show up, he slid into the scanner himself—and discovered a malignant tumor nestled deep in his brain. After surgery and chemotherapy, he continued his life as before, eating a diet high in red meat and sugar, exercising little, and abandoning an earlier interest in meditation. When the tumor returned, he used his medical training to investigate how best to prevent cancer. The result was remission—and a bestselling book called Anticancer.

Ask the Mercenary

As a British commando in the Special Air Service, John Geddes fought combat missions in the Falkland Islands and ran undercover ops in Northern Ireland and Bosnia. When he left the military, he became a commando-for-hire, protecting American and British media crews from hostile insurgents in Iraq. I reached him at his home in England.

As a British commando in the Special Air Service, John Geddes fought combat missions in the Falkland Islands and ran undercover ops in Northern Ireland and Bosnia. When he left the military, he became a commando-for-hire, protecting American and British media crews from hostile insurgents in Iraq. I reached him at his home in England.

Back to the Present: How to Live in the Moment

Life happens in the present, but so often, we let the moment slip away, letting time rush past unobserved and unseized. We're so focused on what's next that we neglect what's now. Here are some practical tips to help you get mindful now.

Life happens in the present, but so often, we let the moment slip away, letting time rush past unobserved and unseized. We're so focused on what's next that we neglect what's now. Here are some practical tips to help you get mindful now.

Ten days ago, on a rainy Friday evening, I had the extraordinary privilege of talking to George Carlin. As far as I know it was the last in-depth interview he gave before he passed away yesterday at age 71.

Being and Nothingness

There are two kinds of vacations: the kind where you’re trying to actually do something—explore a foreign country, see the sights, climb the mountain, learn to scuba dive/ski/blow glass, and the kind where you do nothing at all—you lie out on a beach, read the paper by the pool, or simply slowly decompose in front of the TV. In the movie Office Space, when asked what he would do if he had a million dollars, the antihero replies, “Nothing. I would relax, I would sit on my ass all day… I would do nothing.”

There are two kinds of vacations: the kind where you’re trying to actually do something—explore a foreign country, see the sights, climb the mountain, learn to scuba dive/ski/blow glass, and the kind where you do nothing at all—you lie out on a beach, read the paper by the pool, or simply slowly decompose in front of the TV. In the movie Office Space, when asked what he would do if he had a million dollars, the antihero replies, “Nothing. I would relax, I would sit on my ass all day… I would do nothing.”

Is a $5000 Prostitute Worth the Price?

Last week I wrote about how the placebo effect can have a potent effect on medical symptoms. The reason: the power of expectations. We expect to get better and so we do. Here’s a related thought experiment. Suppose I’m a sommelier and someone orders a $20 bottle of wine and I serve it to them. Then another customer orders a $100 bottle of wine. Is it unethical for me to serve them the $20 bottle and tell them it’s the $100 bottle? What if they can’t tell the difference?

Last week I wrote about how the placebo effect can have a potent effect on medical symptoms. The reason: the power of expectations. We expect to get better and so we do. Here’s a related thought experiment. Suppose I’m a sommelier and someone orders a $20 bottle of wine and I serve it to them. Then another customer orders a $100 bottle of wine. Is it unethical for me to serve them the $20 bottle and tell them it’s the $100 bottle? What if they can’t tell the difference?