Monthly Archives: December 2015

Another reason to say no to a lot of good things to have a great life

on December 24, 2015 in Awareness, Choosing/Decision-Making, Tips

Think of your heroes and role models. How many of them reached their greatness by doing many things in many areas at once? All the ones I can think of reached greatness by excelling in one area. After greatness they may have branched into other areas, but they all focused with discipline at first. Most people I know spread themselves thin on many projects. They don’t say no to good[…] Keep reading →

Four years of burpees!

on December 23, 2015 in Exercises, Fitness, Habits, SIDCHAs

Yesterday began my fifth year of daily burpees, never missing one! I love the fitness they create. More importantly, the practice of integrity they create leads to me not skimping in other areas. My routine has expanded from ten burpees total to include stretching, back exercises, and ab exercises—one set in the morning, another set in the evening. I’ve also started other SIDCHAs. I’ve written before about their benefits, which[…] Keep reading →

My beliefs from a week of writing them

on December 22, 2015 in Awareness, Exercises, Models

Here are the results of doing the exercise from this post, “An exercise in knowing your beliefs; so you can change them.” for a week. I wrote beliefs down each day, then put them on a file on my computer. I didn’t keep track of what order I wrote them in, so the numbers don’t mean anything. I just use them for reference. I’m including my word-for-word results to show[…] Keep reading →

The value of dramatic theater

on December 21, 2015 in Art, Awareness, Creativity

Theater has been around forever even though people don’t attend performances that much. Most people I know see more paintings and read more books than they see performances on stage. Have you ever wondered … why theater has stood the test of time as an art so much? … why so many cultures have theater of some sort? … why Shakespeare ranks so highly among cultural icons? … why we[…] Keep reading →

Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Must I Pretend to Like My Artist Friend’s Work?

on December 20, 2015 in Ethicist, Nonjudgment

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “Must I Pretend to Like My Artist Friend’s Work?” A good friend of ours is an aspiring painter. Recently she held an exhibition at her studio of her latest efforts. We love her, but we’re not[…] Keep reading →

When someone says “America is losing ground to China or India,” watch your wallet

on December 19, 2015 in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Models, Perception, Relationships

Politicians tell you America is “losing ground” to other countries all the time. A search on “America is losing ground to China India” returns tons of results, many fear-mongering. This language comes from a misguided belief that business and trade are zero-sum competitions, that if someone elsewhere gets a deal then you lost it. If you want votes and don’t mind sowing fear, anxiety, and xenophobia, great. But people succeeding[…] Keep reading →

Caring what others think about you

on December 18, 2015 in Nonjudgment, Relationships

A reader asked: Have you written about ‘people caring or worrying about what others think of them’? Years ago I used to very arrogantly assert that I didn’t care what others thought of me but then I realized that it did matter to me. Half my anxiety comes from it. And a lot of satisfaction too when I learn they think highly of me. So I don’t outrightly make that[…] Keep reading →

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