I spoke with a writer the other day. He said mean things about himself—that he was a bad writer. (Not true.) That he didn’t make time to write. (True.) That no one would want to read his articles. (Definitely not true.) Sometimes, we give ourselves too much leeway for our mistakes—we are too kind to […]
When Are You Kind to Yourself and When Are You Not? Read More »
I spoke with a job-seeker the other day. He needs a new job. He feels as if he made some bad choices for previous positions. Those (bad) choices weigh him down. He’s not sure he has anything to offer a new company. Here’s what he told me about his experience: Several years of experience as
How Do You Work to Increase Your Self-Esteem? Read More »
I’ve been speaking a ton this year, primarily around the Modern Management Made Easy books. Some meeting facilitators have a little trouble with the idea I wrote 18 books. Some people can’t believe it. (Literally. They say, “I can’t believe it!” I laugh.) Some facilitators ask how many more I plan to write. (Many!) One
Are You Competing With Others or Modeling Yourself After Their Accomplishments? Read More »
Have you ever received feedback that said you could do so much better? In school, many of my teachers decided I underperformed. I could do more and better. I never quite understood how those people could see inside my head. How could they read my mind? (You might like Secrets to Catch Yourself Mind-Reading.) I
How Can You Be the Best Version of Yourself? Read More »
You made a decision yesterday, last week, even a month ago, and you’re happy about it. Now, you uncover more data. That data threatens your decision. What should you do? Stick with the original decision? Change that decision? Can you even rethink that decision? Sometimes, we use the sunk cost fallacy to stick with old
When Can You Rethink A Decision? Read More »
2020 has challenged all of us. We’ve learned to work at home and live where we work. Some of us have learned to teach and parent and work. All of us have learned the art of social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-washing. So why am I asking about how we might challenge ourselves in the future?
Where Will You Challenge Yourself? Read More »
You might have seen the infamous article about ‘Why I hope to die at 75,‘ revisited. If not, I suggest you read it. Emmanuel’s proposition is that Americans live “too long” after 75. They burden the health care system, their families, and who knows what else. He’s claiming to make this decision for himself. However,
Who Decides on the Value of My Life? Read More »
I often find I want to create more choices in my life. I want to avoid just a binary choice: “this” or “that.” I use personal reflections, a personal retrospective, to create new options. I often use a form called “What, So what, Now what?” Here’s what that looks like: What: Gather relevant data. My personal
Want to Choose Again? Reflect to Create New Options Read More »
I chatted with a talented coach a few days ago. He’s between clients. He felt as if he was stagnating, not learning anything. He said, “This is one of those days, where I wonder if I have Imposter Syndrome (where you doubt your value). Do you ever feel that way?” Of course, I do. Not
How Do You Manage Imposter Syndrome? Read More »
At a business workshop last year, I had a sort-of revelation. Everyone there struggled to answer this question: Where do we spend our time? Everyone I know, consultants, my clients, my writer friends—all of us share this concern. We all have too many possibilities for where we could spend our energy and time. We need
Where Do We Choose to Spend Our Time? Read More »