The Healthy Upside and Potential Downside of Amour Proper
Amour proper is French and means literally “self-love”. As a philosophical concept, it is found in the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Blaise Pascal, La Rochefoucauld…
A Faster Horse
“If I had asked people what they wanted they would have said a faster horse.” – Henry Ford 1863-1947 We don’t always fully understand what…
The Stories We Tell
Take a moment and reflect back upon the life stories you return to, that repeat in your mind, that define you. These “root stories” create…
Six Decision Traps that have Killed
The following are six decision mistakes (traps) that smart people have made that lead to avalanche deaths: Social Facilitation: Once a behavior is established as…
Use “DEADS” to add Life to Your Life
How do your modify your behavior? Especially deep-seated habits and patterns that seem to operate of their own volition? Well, first, awareness both around the…
Accepting Help
This blog is in many respects a mea culpa, an acknowledgement of a personal growth opportunity. In the past, I’ve frequently been challenged to accept…
Forget New Year’s Resolutions
Better a small promise kept than a larger one broken. Most New Year’s Resolutions fail because they are lofty goals with insufficient foundation. If it…
Breaking out of Ego Jail
Do you see ego as a reflection of yourself, something you need to defend and protect? Or do you see ego as a tool? A…
Silly Mental Mistake Smart, Sophisticated Folk Fall For
The smarter you are, the more likely you are to turn your nose up at success techniques that seem too simple or too straightforward. The…
Hard Goals/Soft Goals
Are your hard goals aligned with your soft goals? A hard goal is a desire for a promotion, a new car or house, a new…
31,557,600 Seconds
There are 31,557,600 seconds in a year or 525,960 minutes or 8,766 hours. We are all granted the exact same amount of seconds, minutes, and…
Backstage Behaviors
“Back stage” and “front stage” are terms coined by the late (1922-1982) sociologist Erving Goffman in his 1959 book, “The Presentation of Self in Everyday…
A DAY OF THANKS, A MOMENT OF PERSPECTIVE
“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” —…
When Have You NOT Had a Problem?
Have you ever had a time when you had absolutely NO problems? No challenges to be solved, no quandaries in search of solutions? And if…
Your Story, Your Life
Stay aware of the stories you tell yourself, how you interpret events, how you label your feelings, for this is how you program yourself, write…
It All Starts With A Belief
What is your belief? What is at your core? We all believe in something even if it is that there is nothing. Whatever is the…
You Attract Who You Are
How do you feel about that? Are you ok with what you are attracting? The world around you will begin to change as you begin…
Live Intentionally
Intentionally means by choice, by design, deliberately, on purpose, in contrast to accidentally or without thought. We all have the ability to exercise power over ourselves,…
Live Ready
Opportunity: op·por·tu·ni·ty | \ ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nə-tē , -ˈtyü-\ : A time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. When opportunity knocks, will you be ready?…
Be Wary of Accumulating Random Content
Just as our bodies are what we eat, so our minds are what we allow in, what we pay attention to, what we focus on.…
What Makes You You?
What makes you you? Different from everyone else? What are your unique skills, interests, and talents? Your fears, your hopes? Your strengths, your weaknesses? What…
Catch, Acknowledge, Release and Relax
We humans are capable of amazing feats, we are creative, and we can accomplish astounding things. Yet none of us can change the past; we…
If Your Life is Your Message, What Are You Saying?
What legacy are you creating? Are you kind? Patient? Grateful? Considerate? Our close relationships speak volumes about our true selves; what does your conduct say…
Are Your Stories Blinding You?
We tend to create stories about people and places. These stories come with expectations, scripts, and pre-conceptions based upon our past experiences, both specific to…
Putting the Safety on Your Triggers
Doing as well as we know is an ongoing challenge for us humans. We over-eat, sit when we should move, lose our cool, give in…
Default Mode v. Choice
What do you think about when you think about nothing? What do you do when you have nothing to do? What do you do when…