My Why’s
My Why, my Internal Motivation; from whence does it come? Hard to truly know what drives me; humans have a habit of making up explanations…
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.” —…
Night Guy v. Morning Guy by Jerry Seinfield
I never get enough sleep. I stay up late at night, ’cause I’m Night Guy. Night Guy wants to stay up late. “What about getting…
Reference Levels: Invisible Rules that Govern Your Behavior
Aware of it or not, we all have “Reference Levels” for all areas of our lives. Our Reference Levels powerfully impact our behavior, our actions…
The System Secret
I’ve long believed that a certain system —which almost any intelligent person can learn— works way better than the systems most people use [to understand…
Thinking is a Skill…Many are Unskilled and Don’t Know It
Simply because they have thoughts (i.e. words form) in their heads, most folks believe they know how to think. But if you define thinking as…
The Difference that Makes The Difference
A very smart investor (Howard Marks of Oaktree) once wrote a book titled “The Most Important Thing” which contained 17 chapters, each chapter titled… “The…
What is Your Belief System About Yourself?
What do you believe about yourself? Of what do you think you are capable? Who do you see yourself as? How do you see yourself…
There is This Place
And then it happens… A morning dawns and you realize that all is good. All is as it should be. Your mind is calm. Your…
Big Windshield, Small Rearview Mirror
There is a reason your car has a BIG windshield and a small rearview mirror: You are going forward, not backward! Where you are headed…
“…does no wrong hereafter.”
In the context of forgiveness and redemption, Abe Lincoln once said, “I think it is enough if the man does no wrong hereafter.” In this internet…
Homophily
Homophily is “love of the same” and refers to the tendency of people to connect with others who are similar to them in status, values,…
Relationshopping
“Relationshopping” refers to the online shopping cart approach to dating, seeking love with the same mindset you shop for a car or new laptop: assessing…
The Downside of the Pursuit of Perfect Safety
Safety is a wonderful thing. I want to be safe, I want my family and loved ones to be safe. Heck, I’d love for the…
Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got
Too often we focus on our lacks, our weaknesses, on barriers that are in our way and thus flirt with creating a victim identity. If…
What is Your VUCA Tolerance Score?
VUCA stands for “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity”. The term was introduced by the U.S. Army War College in the early 1990’s to refer to…
4 Ways You Hold Yourself Back
1. Self-doubt. We tend to judge ourselves by our rough-hewn insides and others by their polished exteriors. You are greater than you know; you have…
Three Things That Stand Between You and Greatness
1. Unfocused Desire The #1 reason people do not become their best self/do not live their greatest life is a Lack of Desire or more…
Unfulfilled Expectations: Landmines or Clues?
We spend most of our lives in Plan B; life is full of surprises, good and bad. As the saying goes, life turns out best…
Seven Ways to Sabotage Yourself
Sometimes looking at opposites brings things into greater clarity… Be Reactive: Give away your personal power; hold others responsible for your emotions and reactions. See…
Energy Management Trumps Time Management
What you focus on expands, thoughts held in mind attract in kind. Stop managing your time; start managing your focus, your thoughts, and your energy.…
Most Ideas About Leadership are Wrong
Leadership is NOT a position; rather leadership is a frame of mind, an attitude. Most think that leadership flows from positional power yet in an…
The Seduction of Role Suction
Role suction refers to the tendency to drop back into familiar roles either from childhood, or previous relationships or jobs. Common roles are the joker,…
News Flash: You Don’t Have to ACT the way you FEEL
Feelings are more transitory than we sometimes realize. Emotions are frequently like the rain and the sun; they come and they go. And just as…
Who holds your strings?
As in puppet strings; as in who is in control? The only good answer is “I do!” Yet even in the 7th decade of my…
Three Ways to Make Stress Your Ally
The impact of stress tends to follow an “Inverted U”: Some level is motivational and helpful however past a certain point, some folks experience the…