This post covers the first of several non-Method methods. People often try to improve their lives by changing or getting rid of something in their environment. By environment I don’t mean trees and lakes and streams, but anything that affects your emotional system, as described in my posts on the environment as part of the Model. Typically that thing is their house, car, job, or significant other, but could be[…] Keep reading →

I’ll get in trouble for this post in two ways, but people who get it will appreciate it. The first is how I view death. I’m overwhelmingly swayed by this passage from the ancient book called the Zuangzi (spelled Chuang Tzu in the translation below) on the death of a loved one. Chuang Tzu’s wife died. When Hui Tzu went to convey his condolences, he found Chuang Tzu sitting with[…] Keep reading →

If you’ve thought about business school or noticed unexpected changes in people you know who went there, this interview may interest you. I cover how I found and learned in business school different subjects than I expected — like leadership, general management, negotiation, and so-called “soft skills.” They began a process of increasing emotional awareness, self-awareness, and focus on emotions, motivations, and relationships. The result has been more reward overall,[…] Keep reading →

People improve their lives in many ways. To give context to the Method, in my next few posts I’ll describe several common non-Method methods you’re familiar with. Then I’ll describe how the Method differs from them and why I believe it improves your life better and is more rewarding to do. So far I’ve only described the Method broadly: to choose the elements in your emotional cycles you can control voluntarily[…] Keep reading →

The Method is based on the Model. Keeping in mind that like any model, the Model simplifies what it represents for its purpose. The Model’s purpose is to improve our lives by helping us understand our motivations, emotions, and emotional systems. As with any model, it can’t be absolutely right or true. Neither can any alternative. I mention the above for context because the discussion on the Method will all[…] Keep reading →

I’ve written about the Model, my foundation for understanding value, meaning, purpose, importance, etc in life, based on understanding yourself, particularly your motivations, emotions, and emotional system. I’ll now start on the Method, which covers how to implement the Model. I developed the Model on my own, without intending to create something meaningful or helpful, though I think I ended up doing so. The Method, however, came from applying the[…] Keep reading →

[I replaced this post with a series on The Model. Click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] For the past six weeks I’ve posted on the Model, my model for human motivations and emotions. The Model forms the foundation of what I consider the best way to view and live life. For those who have been reading along, I recognize it[…] Keep reading →