Esquire Magazine editor-at-large and bestselling author A.J. Jacobs joins the show to discuss his experimental approach to life. Jacobs, whose TED Talks have been viewed more than 3 million times, shares best practices around motivation, habits, confidence, boosting happiness, and optimizing creativity. In this episode: -- Discover the benefits that come from frequently changing your habits -- Learn why "fake it 'til you become it" is A.J.'s secret weapon for habit development. -- Explore how extreme gratitude can transform your mindset. -- Hear a cautionary tale of healthy living gone wrong. -- Learn how to make any career or business connection by unearthing the way in which you're distant cousins (as everyone on earth is, at most, roughly 70th cousins) Plus, hear a hilarious story about Jacobs revealing his entire sexual history to actress Scarlett Johansson. This episode originally aired in 2017. We're sharing this as part of GREATEST HITS WEEK, a 5-day series in which we're sharing 5 episodes, across 5 days, that we produced during the earliest years of the Afford Anything podcast. You may have missed it then; enjoy it now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices