Self-Made v. Self-Sculpted
I am NOT a self-made man. Anyone with an ounce of humility and self-awareness knows, appreciates, and is deeply grateful for the help they have…
Seven Habits of Happy People
They monitor their self-talk; keep it positive, solution oriented. They choose companions in life that challenge them to be their best. They Release. They focus…
Upgrade Yourself: 3 High Leverage Ways
Taming the Monkey Mind One of the highest leverage points to upgrading yourself is to monitor your mind chatter, your internal self-talk, the constant ongoing…
Three Kinds of Intelligence and Why You Need All Three
IQ IQ is the most basic kind of intelligence and generally refers to math/verbal skills. While pretty much set at birth and first few years…
Safetyism
The term Safetyism comes from “The Coddling of the American Mind” and speaks to a culture unwilling to make ANY risk tradeoffs whatsoever i.e., not…
Acquire the Skillset to Make a Real Difference: Embrace Systems Thinking
A system is any group of things or people that interact or are interrelated or interdependent and thus form a much more complex whole. Systems…
Vivre Sans Temps Mort
“Vivre Sans Temps Mort” is French for “to live without wasted time.” The way we choose to spend our time defines who we are, how our…
Our Lives, Our Fortunes, And Our Sacred Honor
This July 4th, as we celebrate the 245th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we would do well to pause and reflect on the extraordinary…
The Subtle Weakness of Smart Groups
Interestingly, in the absence of a well-organized structure, effective processes, policies, and procedures and competent leadership, the IQ of any group, the more so with…
Success is Never On Sale
You always have to pay full price for success. Success is never half-price, never on discount. You won’t find success in the bargain bin or at…
The Talent Myth Mind Trap
All too many believe that talent is the key to success. WRONG! While certainly helpful, talent as an innate gift is not the primary driver…
Believe in Your Inner Hero
There is a hero inside of all of us. Yes, inside you and yes, inside me. There is a hero dormant within all of us, just waiting…
Critical Thinking Skills Career Hints
Targeted Activities v. Desired Results Targeted Activities are the WHAT and HOW of what you do to get to your Desired Result. Your Desired Result…
Tikkun Olam
Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that is often translated as “repair the world”. In traditional Jewish teachings it is usually thought of as properly…
Beware Blur Words
Blur words or phrases are wording that is open to multiple meanings. Often blur words reflect the user’s interpretation of behavior that might have other…
Motivation is a Myth
Characterizing “motivation as a myth” is only a partial truth but it illustrates an important point. Too often folks describe their failure to do what…
Destitutus Ventis, Remos Adhibe
“Destitutus ventis, remos adhibe” is a Latin proverb that translates as “If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.” The most successful people…
5 Learnable Traits of Mentally Strong People
The discipline to master emotions ere they become your master. Harness and direct your emotions and they will be an incredible source of energy. Unchained,…
The Discipline of Essentialism
Essentialism is the discipline, the skill, the ability to sort out the vital few from the trivial many, casting aside all but the essential, saving, hoarding…
Bad gets worse when you try to ignore it
While it may be appropriate to be deliberate in your approach, to observe or monitor a problem for a while, one should rarely, if ever,…
Details Create Success
“I believe in the basics: Attention to and perfection of, tiny details that might be commonly over-looked. They may seem trivial, even laughable, but they…
Many a False Step Is Made by Standing Still
Even when you are on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Doing nothing (aka Decision by Indecision) is still…
You Can’t Hide You
Just like you cannot not communicate, you can’t hide you either. Your daily behavior teaches your values; every action reveals the belief system that motivates…
Hard Work Alone is Never Enough
Much has been made of the theory that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. The idea was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell…
Learned Helplessness, Learned Effectiveness
Learned Helplessness is a mental belief that you are unable change a situation and a resulting unwillingness to continue trying; a sense of powerlessness that…
Dreams are Easy
Anyone can have a dream and anyone can daydream their life away. But are you willing to commit to a viable action plan to make…