Once I was waiting for a bus in Queens. I had work to do, but no way to do it while waiting, and I didn’t know how long I’d have to wait. People typically feel frustrated or bored in situations like that. I did. But I noticed people on vacation sit around doing nothing too. So I thought to myself “what’s the difference between doing nothing while waiting for a[…] Keep reading →

We use the same word to describe emotional and physical tension for a reason. They go together. I tend to think of them almost as the same thing. I haven’t done any scientific studies, but I’ve found any time someone has emotional tension, it will manifest itself physically. Any time you have physical tension, it will constrain you physically. When I see someone who walks and moves stiffly, I find[…] Keep reading →

Here’s an old story that comes in many versions (here are seven), but I learned from Srikumar Rao‘s book Are You Ready to Succeed (text from this blog). An old man lived in a valley with his son, a handsome and dutiful youth. They lived a peaceful life despite a lack of material possessions. They were very happy. So much so, that neighbors began to get envious. One day, the[…] Keep reading →

Everybody agrees nobody is perfect. We all have our faults. Yet some emerge as leaders and outstanding successes. I’ve come to believe leaders lead and successes succeed not in spite of their faults or weaknesses, but because of them. The things themselves don’t matter as much as the emotions we attach to them. Attach shame to something inherent about you and people will see a part of you as shameful.[…] Keep reading →

Today’s post was supposed to be silly. I’ve been meaning to write it for a while. Once I started writing it it got more interesting, at least to me. Some people make a big deal about grammar. They don’t like when sentences end in prepositions or you use words like irregardless. I call people like that annoying. I don’t think they realize the main point of communication is to convey[…] Keep reading →

Gyms having big mirrors helps a lot and you should use them if you want to get in better shape. I used to think they had them to help you with your form while exercising. They do help for that, but I realized a better reason. Some background: I’ve been in shape most of my life, mostly since I started running cross country in high school. My family got me[…] Keep reading →

Here’s an exercise that helps you recognize why and when you get angry sometimes. You can use it to help prevent yourself from getting angry or not blaming others. It applies for any other emotion than anger, so you can use it to prevent any emotion you don’t want and to create any emotion you do want. Step 1: Think of a time you got angry. Step 2: What did[…] Keep reading →