Use Failure as a Secret Weapon

Understanding What Failure Is (And Isn’t)

I recently had a conversation with my 8-year-old son about how to deal with failure – and then had an almost identical conversation with a 37-year-old friend about the same thing.  It made me realize that, for many of us, our attitude toward failure doesn’t change much as we get older – we don’t like…

Ask Dumb Questions

Why You Should Ask Dumb Questions

Recently my 8-year-old son came home from school and asked me if I knew how many uses for the peanut George Washington Carver had discovered.  After silently thanking his teachers for encouraging his love of random information, I admitted that all I knew was that it was a lot.  “More than 300,” he told me…

2025 Vision

One Simple Key to a Happy 2025

Now with a title like that, this article could be about anything.  “Win the next billion-dollar Powerball!” for example, would for many readers constitute a surefire path toward a happy 2025.  “Stop doing stupid things!” is another excellent suggestion, and one I hope to follow more closely this year than I have in years past.…

Effective Communication

What Is the Most Effective Type of Communication?

Since the title of this article is slightly ambiguous, let me elaborate.  If your question is, “What’s the best way to win an argument – loud angry shouting, or calm reasoned discourse?” then I can answer that right now.  Do the latter.  Problem solved. But what we’re talking about here is the method by which…

overcoming impostor syndrome

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome is one of the most insidious challenges to our mental well-being.  In case you aren’t familiar with the phrase (although I’m guessing you are), impostor syndrome is a fairly common phenomenon in which individuals doubt their abilities and/or feel like they don’t deserve their accomplishments.  Put another way, you think you’re in over…

Improve Your Work Life Balance

The Most Important Word For Finding Work-Life Balance

This year, you probably asked Santa for a pony. Or a laser cannon, or socks – I don’t really know, but you probably didn’t ask for better work-life balance, even though it’s something you probably want. Most of us do. So, operating under the assumption that Santa didn’t put that one under the tree, I’m…