Archive for January, 2008
Who else wants to get more out of life?
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Why telling yourself to “Lighten Up!” will help you grow and lessen your stress
Most of us take our lives far too seriously. We fret and fume over every setback, lash ourselves with harsh words when we screw up, and [...]
The first steps in creating the “future you”
How to get started on successful self-development
The goal of self-improvement is always to create a better future, whether you state that as your target or not. That’s why many of the approaches on offer focus solely on the link between behavior and results. They tell you to act in a certain way and imply that [...]
See how easily you can boost your potential
To boost your enjoyment of life — and your growth — try saying “Yes” more often
Have you noticed how often you say “No?” Not just to things that merit refusal, but to fresh ideas, new possibilities, and the chance to experience new things and make unexpected discoveries? Whenever you say “No” to life, you miss [...]
You don’t have to be intolerant to be passionate
Tolerance has become an unfashionable virtue, pushed aside by the notion that being passionate matters more than being open-minded.
Tolerance is not a fashionable virtue. It’s been pushed aside by more assertive ways of dealing with the world. But people need to stand up for tolerance. It’s essential to our freedom and way of life. If [...]
The secret to living well that too few people know
Giving up resentment and revenge are the keys to a better (and happier) life
Resentment is a form of reciprocal behavior: I’ll do to you what you did to me. It’s nursing a grudge and waiting until an opportunity occurs to pay the other person back in kind. During that time, the real or imagined [...]
Are you afraid to live as you want?
Overcoming Self-doubt will alter your life dramatically
Do you hate how you are, yet treat yourself as helpless to change? Do you see yourself as less than competent, yet believe you are incapable of learning new skills? Do you long to do something meaningful or exciting, yet stay in the shadows because you fear making [...]
How to build relationships that work
Other people are not broken . . . and nor are you
It’s tempting to think that your life would be better if only the people to deal with weren’t such a bunch of dysfunctional jerks. Tempting, but wrong. Other people aren’t broken and most aren’t dysfunctional either.
The reality is that it’s the way [...]
Why you cannot learn much from past success
Failure isn’t as bad as you fear
When you do something for the first time and it works, you’ve learned something useful. When you do it again, and it works again, you haven’t learned anything. All you have done is to confirm what you already knew. When you do it for the 20th time, and [...]
Some common mistakes in self-development
What to avoid if you really want to improve your abilities and outlook
This isn’t a complete or exhaustive list by any means. It’s just some of those that occur to me most easily (mostly because they’re mistakes I’ve made — sometimes several times). I hope they’ll help you avoid wasted time and frustration.
Don’t waste effort [...]
Is it worth seeking out a formula for happiness?
Beware of one-size-fits-all prescriptions for happiness
“Different strokes for different folks” is a good thought to keep in your mind. What makes one person happy might do virtually noting for many others. Much of the current writing on finding happiness seems to me to get dangerously close — maybe even fall into — the trap of [...]
