Many of us find the words meaning and fulfillment esoteric and highfalutin and decide to worry about it when we retire from life’s obligations —work, raising and overseeing our kids, pets, and plants—and have little else to do. Apparently, that’s not what we’re supposed to do. In 1946, Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl chronicled his experiences … Read more
Steven Wright aptly described the word progress when he said, “I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.” Progress journeys From the time we’re born until we die, life, for most of us, is an incessant search for progress. The details vary. As toddlers, walking a few feet without falling flat on our … Read more
People, especially the rich and famous, often get asked what they regret most. Their answers vary. Some are truthful. Others makeup stuff that sounds erudite but, in reality, is quite banal. And then there are those who say they never look back and have no regrets. Good for them, I guess. A lot of self-help … Read more
It’s actually pretty easy to be contrarian. It’s hard to be contrarian and right. Reid Hoffman. The Great Debate On June 30, 1860, seven months following the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, a debate took place at the Oxford University Museum in Oxford, England. Referred to since as The Great Debate, … Read more
Marx is quoted as saying, “I used to think that all lawyers were crooks. Then I met one who was a liar.” The quote is funny because it takes a common stereotype and turns it on its head. But more importantly, it illustrates why it’s absurd to overgeneralize about people or situations. All generalizations are … Read more
Hypocrites are those who apply to others the standards that they refuse to accept for themselves. Noam Chomsky. Show, don’t tell “Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Chekov. If there is one advice every English teacher has given to their students, it is this: … Read more
Optimism is normal, but some fortunate people are more optimistic than the rest of us. If you are genetically endowed with an optimism bias, you hardly need to be told that you are a lucky person—you already feel fortunate. Daniel Kahneman. It’s been a stressful week. In hindsight, I realize I’ve brought some of this … Read more
The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant struggles faced by modern man. Stephen Covey. In 1930, as part of his Essays in Persuasion, one of the world’s most celebrated economists, John Maynard Keynes, tried to spread optimism during what was undeniably one of the most troubling times in modern … Read more
Escapism is my cardio—running away from responsibilities counts, right? American spiritual teacher, writer, and psychologist-by-training, Baba Ram Dass (1931—2019) who helped popularize Eastern philosophy and spirituality in the West was renowned for his entertaining yet profound spiritual discourses. In one of his talks, Ram Dass narrated the parable of a farmer and his horse. The … Read more
Imagine watching a video about the mind-altering benefits of meditation and then sitting down to meditate, only to realize you can’t stop thinking about the stupid thing your co-worker said, and how you would handle it next time. And then get all wound up about how unlucky you are to be stuck in the job … Read more
English philosopher Francis Bacon articulated the concept of confirmation bias before the term even existed. He said, The human understanding, when it has once adopted an opinion, draws all things … to support and agree with it. The saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is one of the oldest idioms in the … Read more
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. Henry David Thoreau. I’ll admit it. I used to be quite judgmental about other people’s habits, even when they didn’t concern me one bit. For instance, I inwardly rolled … Read more
Are greener pastures worth chasing or just an optical illusion? A 2009 article in the NY Times described how Mr. Laermer, a quintessential New Yorker, fell in love with La Quinta, a California desert town, during his work trips. So much so that he bought a vacation home there, and over time, made it his … Read more
Intellectual curiosity: the official excuse for going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole at 2 a.m. – Unknown The NY city school system had an established process to identify “bright” 10 – 12-year-old children in schools and place them in rapid advancement classes that would enable pupils to complete three years of schoolwork in two and … Read more
Here’s a quote from Audrey Hepburn on being alone. I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel. The year was 1960. As was tradition, almost three quarters of a million Americans were preparing to head … Read more
You are only as strong as your weakest link. A different kind of chip scarcity “The end of the world (as we know it) is here,” claimed a rather dramatic post in December 2021. The post wasn’t referring to the Covid-19 crisis, but instead was a response to McDonald’s announcement that they’d ration French fries … Read more
Unlike self-criticism, which asks whether you’re good enough, self-compassion asks, “what’s good for you?” Dr.Kristin Neff Most of us, when we’re not trying to remember where we put our phones, or whether there’s spinach stuck between our teeth, are too busy berating ourselves for how inadequate we are and what we could have, would have, … Read more
Knowing is not doing because, as John Maxwell said, “The greatest gap in the world is the gap between knowing and doing.” We all have “reasons” for why we procrastinate on our most important tasks. Our pencils aren’t sharp enough to write, the installed software isn’t quite adequate to code, the weather’s too windy to … Read more
I won’t blame you if the title of this article turns you into a doomsday prepper and sends you scampering off to the office supplies store to stock up on bubble wrap. That’s not my intent. At least don’t bother with the bubble-wrap. The truth is, adversity isn’t just something that happens to others. It … Read more
Everyone from Aristotle to Homer Simpson to my neighbor’s cat has opinions on what “purpose in life” really means. The reality is the definition of a purposeful life isn’t as abstract as it sounds and, judging by what research studies have shown, it really helps us to have some purpose in life. Sorry YOLO’ers. Mrs. … Read more