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The economic news of the last couple of years has been quite the challenge for a lot of people, all over the world. Let's spend some time talking about these challenges and what we can do, as individuals and communities.
 
One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught in is looking at our economic and financial situations as happening "to" us. We see things from an external perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything. If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the wind, you get a pretty good picture of… >>>

Happy New Year! We hope your holidays were good ones and that you are looking forward to this new year with anticipation.  Let's jump right into it with the first subject of the new year: How important are your relationships to you? Does your behavior support your answer?
 
Most of us spend a majority of our lives living with other people or otherwise involved in close relationships. But have you ever had any formal schooling in relationships or even thought much about how they work? Most people would say not.
 
And most people, when you ask them if… >>>

In this last of a series of comments on the recent book review/article from the Wall Street Journal, let's talk a little bit about goals and a balanced life.
 
The author rightfully chooses the challenge of focusing on one goal at the expense of everything else. When we do this, because of the tremendous power of our minds, we shut out all other distractions - and some of those "distractions" become our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, relaxation time, and other interests that get in the way of goal attainment.
 
This is why, for over 40… >>>

Carrying on with yesterday's commentary about a recent book review in the Wall Street Journal, the article's author (who also happens to be the book's author) takes on the matter of organizational goal-setting, and what he refers to as "the cult of positivity" in American corporations and setting big, audacious goals.
 
In the article, the author writes that "the pro-goal consensus is starting to crumble," because rigid goals may encourage employees to cut ethical corners in order to achieve these big, audacious goals. Ethical corner-cutting would seem to have more to do with the internal culture of an organization,… >>>

The author of a recent book review in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the holiday season poses a challenge. In a season of joy, it is "hard to be happy in overcrowded airport lounges" or when we are "trying to stay civil for days on end" when it comes to spending time with relatives "who try our patience."
 
He then goes on to state that "think positive" advice, and "peppy affirmations" to change one's mood and visualizations of success "often achieve the opposite of their desired effect." There may be some merit in what this person has to… >>>

When you find yourself navigating your way through a crisis, what can you do to come out on the other side, stronger for the experience?
 
Every crisis involves risk. By definition, a crisis is fraught with danger, but also an opportunity for tremendous learning and growth. Crisis is a time of testing, but it's also a time of renewal. Many people, when faced with a crisis, tell themselves that they have failed and convince themselves that there's no point in trying any longer.
 
For example, if a young woman tries to become a professional singer and fails, it… >>>

When you're taking family pictures, you want to have a clear, sharp focus. Today, let's talk about the importance of focusing in everyday life.
 
Most of us live in a culture that presents us with a bewildering array of options. The confusion of too many options will largely disappear once you know how to focus. In this sense, focusing means concentrating all your attention on one particular thing, much as we do with a camera, bringing a situation into sharp relief in order to clarify your relationship with it.
 
When we concentrate our attention on a particular endeavor,… >>>

If you were to hear the sentence, "Old people are...." and then be asked to finish the sentence, how would you fill in the blank? Think about it for a moment.
 
"Old people are...." What? Fragile? Senile? At death's door? What do you believe about old people? What if the statement was, "Old people are bright, energetic, active and interesting"?
 
You see, it's really impossible to generalize about so-called old people, any more than we can safely generalize about teenagers or 50-year-olds. And exactly what is "old"? Your answer to this question is particularly revealing of your attitudes.… >>>

Most people have heard of the captain of a ship or the captain of a team. But have you ever heard of Captain of the World? Have you ever worked for someone or lived with someone who acted like the Captain of the World? Maybe you, yourself, are holding down that job right now. 
 
If you are the Captain of the World, you are very big on rules and on maintaining your particular brand of order. Words like "should," "have to," "ought to," and "must," show up often in your speech. For instance, on your way home tonight or… >>>

What happens to us when the culture in which we grow up doesn't value our personal attributes? 
 
Much, if not most, of our feelings of self-worth or self-esteem have to do with the messages we get from our culture. Some of those messages are overt and up front. We know without question that, currently, our culture values affluence, power, efficacy, youthfulness and health. So can you imagine how it might feel to be poor, relatively powerless, or chronically ill or disabled in this society - or for that matter any way that society sees as different or not like… >>>