The way we frame things mentally determines how powerfully we'll be able to handle them. I auditioned for Spamalot at a local theater last night. After checking in, they informed me that I was in the very last audition slot. That gave me the "opportunity" to listen to...
Psychology
Here are articles on Psychology
Don’t be a victim in or out of the workplace.
I have said many times in my podcast and out of it that if you can take some measure of internal ownership for bad things that happen in your life—even ownership of very small parts of the situation—it can lead to a feeling of deep control and...
Engaged employees perform best.
Gallup Organization has been looking at employee engagement for many years. They've famously found that only a small percentage of our workforce is actively engaged at their jobs. Often, company discussions about people policies center around employee well-being as an...
An apology: 8 Secrets of Success
In my post about Richard St. John's TED talk, I critiqued his research methodology and spent the entire post pointing out flaws. I was wrong. He has since contacted me and pointed out that my assumptions about his research were incorrect. Indeed, he did his research...
How do you find real community in a wired world?
I really enjoyed Marina Keegan's article "The Opposite of Loneliness." The word I'd use as the opposite of loneliness is "community." Community has been shown to be an important part of a happy, fulfilling life. Of course, there's no economic model attached to...
Perfectionism. Sucks.
How much of your life is controlled by perfectionism? Every time I think I have finally reached a balance, I manage to put myself in a situation where nothing less than perfect will satisfy me. Last week and this I have been holding myself to impossibly high standards...
Meritocracy: A Fine, But Mythological, Idea
I love the idea of a meritocracy! It's a glorious myth that makes a wonderful story. But if you look at how resources, wealth, prestige, etc. get distributed, it's very hard to make a case for meritocracy. It's no surprise we believe in meritocracy. We spend our...
Income Inquality
I just watched this TED talk on income inequality. It speaks for itself. Very powerful result. On a whole host of general measurements of social well-being, it is income inequality, not average levels of income that drive social problems. Wow. This has huge public...
What is dark matter, anyway?
Last week, I suggested that we could use dark matter to organize our own cult and meet angels. I was joking. But it got me thinking... what is dark matter, anyway? I've long held that human beings ignore a fundamental truth about how we perceive the world: we do it...
You have to want to succeed as much as you want to breathe. Really?
“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” That’s great if it’s your only option, but there are other ways.