Expectations, no matter how well-meaning, create pressure on others. Some, like Dr. David Hawkins, call expectations emotional blackmail. When most people are met with pressure, their natural response is to resist. To ensure your relationships not only start strong but remain strong, consider dropping any [...]
If you find that someone is constantly nagging you or saying the same things over and over again, your best bet to break the cycle is to: Acknowledge the positive contribution they are making in your life and make them feel heard It's often easier [...]
My second book, Selling Your Expertise, just launched last month (April 2022), and to date, completing this book project has been one of my most challenging ordeals. As with all tough experiences, it pushed me to grow and be better than I was before. I [...]
In any relationship, personal or professional, whenever you hear yourself saying or thinking, "What's the big deal?" pause and take whatever you've just dismissed seriously. Something that's not a big deal to you is likely a big deal to the other person. That's why they're [...]
consider ... getting more sleep? But of course, your hesitancy to start your day is likely more involved than getting more sleep. I've been re-reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (free MIT version) and the following passage struck me: "In the morning, when you rise unwillingly, [...]
At the start of this year, I began reading Leo Tolstoy's daily devotional, A Calendar of Wisdom. I found today's entry particularly apt for these trying times: "We would think a man insane who, instead of covering his house with a roof and putting windows [...]
As I was eating breakfast this morning, I watched my son, Jake, drag the kitchen chair across our wooden floor from our dining table to the counter. “Stop dragging the chair Jake!!” He's been doing this on a regular basis for over a year and [...]
With schools closed in my area because of the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I suddenly find ourselves becoming ad-hoc teachers to our kids. Despite training and coaching others for a living and rarely losing my patience, I found it interesting that I quickly lose [...]
Recently, I’ve been on a steady diet of books, podcasts, and documentaries related to happiness. This topic piqued my interest ever since I read about the field of positive psychology in Flourish by Martin Seligman (Check out this article based on his ideas). Here’s what [...]
Trust is the backbone of our society. We trust streetlights and drivers when we cross the street. We trust banks and other financial institutions when we give them our money. We trust doctors when we take the medicine they prescribe for us. Trust is also [...]
Why We Seek Validation We Don’t Need — And What To Do Instead
Warren Buffett’s Final Letter: Lessons Learned from a Rewarding Life
The Best Investments Pay Life Dividends
Have Things. Be With People. (The Simple Shift That Changes Everything)
The Unintended Consequences of Overprotection: When Helping Hurts
