Growth experiences—those forays into the difficult and unfamiliar—are often challenging and sometimes painful. This is why many people choose to avoid them—they prefer to stay within the friendly confines of their “comfort zone.” Successfully navigating these growth experiences is how we learn and how we strengthen our self-confidence. Once you have succeeded at something that…
I have a friend named Paul who has been in and out of the hospital numerous times during the past several years. When Paul returned home from his last trip to the hospital, he had no appetite and was eating very little. After a while, his daughter who is a nurse, became concerned that if…
Every now and then, you’ll come across someone who is struggling while trying to solve a problem that you already know how to solve. The temptation is to offer this person advice and thus put an end to his or her struggle—after all, offering a helping hand seems like the right thing to do. Well,…
We’ve all heard the expression, “Pride goes before the fall,” but what exactly does it mean? Prideful people are very taken with themselves in that they have an inordinately high opinion of their importance or worth. In other words, they have very large egos. The problem is that in addition to being large, these egos…
Someone posted the following quote on Facebook; “Kindness is the most tender and powerful way of leaving a memory inside people’s hearts.” People appreciate being on the receiving end of kind acts and they remember the people who perform them. For example, I always try to extend some form of kindness to people in retail…
I came across an article written by author, and senior science writer for the Boston Globe, Sharon Begley. The article took a close look at which vitamins, foods, drugs, and mental exercises might enhance the effectiveness of our brains. Ms. Begley concluded her article by saying that there are two additional things that really make…
I saw a cartoon on Facebook where Big Panda asked Tiny Dragon the above question. Tiny Dragon’s answer was, “The Company.” Tiny Dragon’s answer is simple, profound, and true because good friends are what make our journey through life enjoyable. An article by Peggy Drexler, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal, cited an 80-year-long…
A subscriber sent me an article written by author and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith which appeared on LinkedIn. In the article, Mr. Goldsmith asked a CEO of a large company this question, “…in your role as a CEO you have had to make some tough decisions. You have had to lay people off, fire people…
I recently read a collection of Mr. Rogers quotes. The one that grabbed my attention was, “Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given.” As I read this, I thought, “Why is goodness, which is another word for kindness, such a tough sell?” Nearly everyone knows…
The above is a quote from a sermon I heard. When you think about it, it’s pretty scary–our thoughts determine what we become. This means that we need to choose our thoughts very carefully or we run the risk of becoming something we don’t want to be. As we choose our thoughts, it’s important to…