My professor cursed: “You’re too fucking cheap to buy my book?!” This was an Ivy League business school. I was stunned. Class just ended and I was asking him a question, as students do. Other students probably heard as they packed their bags and left the room. He had assigned his own book for the class. A couple weeks before, the bookstore clerk told me the book would come out[…] Keep reading →

Following up yesterday’s post on how one simple change in perspective can dramatically change how you view things, which then changes how you react to them, here are a few other examples. Note that I’m not writing about right or wrong, just different beliefs and following how small changes in beliefs can lead to big changes in behavior and mood. My goal is to promote flexibility in beliefs. Running shoes[…] Keep reading →

I wrote before about “One of the best books I’ve read on the environment, our impact on it, and what we can do about it” as well as two videos based on it. The book is called Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air. There several books in the “Without Hot Air” series. If the others are half as informative and useful as the environment one, I’ll love them. An[…] Keep reading →

Today’s world presents leaders leading a group of people like a king or glorious leader, like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. It inspires people to seek that glorious position where they feel people look up to them. We misunderstand that view, the more I think about it. When armies went into battle then, the first person charging took the biggest risk. He made himself most vulnerable to attack, risking his life.[…] Keep reading →

“I’m stuck because I can’t find a job in pharmacology.” “I don’t like law but what else can I do?” “I wish I could get out of engineering.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people talk this way. People about to graduate looking for jobs and people in the workforce alike. Even people from elite universities. They believe you have to make a living in what they[…] Keep reading →

Every system of leadership, professional development, and personal development I’ve heard of has some concept of raising your self-awareness. “Know thyself.” “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Acting on the advice isn’t easy for many. Today I’ll post some tips. Generally knowing yourself means knowing your motivations, values, what you find meaningful, and so on. I find all these things are rooted in your emotions. The more you understand[…] Keep reading →

As far as enjoying life goes, I see it like running a marathon, though you can substitute any challenging activity with a specific goal. You might think the glory is in the step across the finish line, but every step is as important as every other, be it the first step, number 1,234, number 2,341, or whatever. Realizing every step is as important as any other lets you enjoy every[…] Keep reading →

Any performance-based skill development follows a similar pattern. I’ll describe it for playing guitar, but it follows for leading, acting, sports, any other musical instrument, singing, etc. The instrument: First you have to learn the instrument. If you don’t know its parts and how it’s assembled, you can’t do anything with it. Your skill: Next you have to learn how to move your fingers. You can’t play music until you[…] Keep reading →

A reader asked Have you ever worked with someone who found something they loved but weren’t good at? What did they do? Is it better to try to get better at something you love, or better to start loving something you’re good at? Passions tend to be for challenging things. I don’t think of people having passions for eating ice cream and cookies. I think you have to put in[…] Keep reading →