While there are many definitions of success, if you examine the lives of various people considered successful in their respective industries or fields of endeavor, you will find that they do these things each day. If you take the time to cultivate these habits (customizing them for your own interests), I can promise that you will become successful as you define it. It is a guarantee. 1. Silly: Be silly. Learn to laugh. Do something each day that helps you…..
We optimists sometimes get a bad rap, usually accused of being naïve, stupid, or most commonly, “unrealistic.” On the contrary; I would say that optimists are extremely realistic. They see things as they are — as they exist. • I know what it’s like to be fired. • …have a spouse cheat on me. • What it’s like to be betrayed in public—blindsided by those who I thought I could trust. There have been some seriously dark nights of the…..
Today, I’m sharing a chapter from my book Circuit Train Your Brain: Daily Habits That Develop Resilience. Resilience isn’t an action, per se; it’s a state of being — a state which can be cultivated and developed by investing in small habits, practiced consistently. When you spend just a small amount of time each day on positive habits, the cumulative effect provides you with a reservoir or capacity to withstand greater stressors. Taking ownership of our thoughts and actions is…..
The picture above is of me at approximately 29 years old. Two of my daughters are with me outside the daily newspaper where I worked—my oldest daughter is probably inside the building, chatting up the reporters in the newsroom. My youngest daughter recently posted it on her Instagram (she’s the baby in the picture). She is currently 29; her older sisters 30 and 34, respectively. What follows is a bit of introspection and work-in-progress exposition for my next book. I…..
Who occupies the driver’s seat in your life? Are you the pilot? Or are your outcomes determined by ceding power to others? When I consider possible mentors and role models, a cartoon character like the comic strip scamp Calvin seems like an unlikely choice. But should it be? “From now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way.” — Calvin In a rare reference to the number, quantity, interactivity with or any other reference to my social media accounts, faithful…..
Every day, I log at least five miles of walking. In addition to helping with stress relief, I also mentally compose a lot of posts in my head during my daily constitutional. From this, as I sat down to peck out today’s post, two ideas kept filtering to the top of my consciousness: “To thine own self be true.” — Wm. Shakespeare from Hamlet and “I wanna tell you a little secret; being ‘The One’ is just like being in…..
[ALT TEXT: Did you know: The first poor grade I ever received was from Mrs. Ring in the fourth grade. It was for my penmanship, which she deemed, “borderline illegible.” I vowed to improve my technique. A lesson I took away from that experience is that even the best message is useless unless it can be effectively communicated]. I lived in Iowa when Barack Obama was running for president (both terms). As someone with over three decades of media experience,…..
For most of us, we’ve experienced over two years of some version of lockdown. It has been a period of trauma and uncertainty. Even with the vaccine rollouts, there will be months, if not years of recalibration ahead of us. Early on during Quarantine Life, I sent out a message in response to a “hustle porn” tweet that essentially said if you don’t emerge from lockdown without having mastered a second language, launching your next company etc., you were a…..
If you’re an entrepreneur, or have an entrepreneurial spirit, you are probably driven by your vision. Even if it’s not fully formed, this vision is your focus, inspiration and fuel. But how do you transition from the imagination to the real? “First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down.” —Ray Bradbury This sounds crazy, right? Conventional wisdom says that you should look before you leap, but if you have an iota of entrepreneurial essence…..
Take a look at the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with—are there people from your childhood who no longer align with your goals or beliefs? Do you spend time with work colleagues who stifle your spirit? Is your circle of friends supportive and encouraging? There’s an extremely effective sorting statement you can apply to your relationships that will begin to shift the energy of the individuals in your orbit: “If someone is not nourishing you, they are draining you.”…..