AJ Jacobs: What Puzzzles Can Teach Us About Life

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative, I had the pleasure of speaking with AJ Jacobs, a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and public speaker. In this interview we discuss AJ’s book The Puzzler and his journey as an author, his views on education, and his advice for young people in the 21st century.

AJ’s parents were both educators and instilled in him the love of learning. He was also a bit of a nomad in high school, floating between different social groups and tribes. This gave him an anthropological perspective on the world and he learned to take from different groups to make his own life better.

When he told his parents he wanted to be a writer and journalist, they were encouraging but also concerned. They wanted him to experiment with it for a couple of years and then pursue a more “respectable” career if it didn’t work out. Luckily, AJ was able to get a job early on out of college, and he’s been able to make a living ever since.

Conduct Lots of Experiments

Conducting experiments is a great way to explore the world and find out what works for you. It’s essential to not get too attached to any one idea or belief, and to be open to new evidence that may challenge that belief. Taking this approach allows us to find solutions we may not have…