The learning-to-love-failure movement is a growing one. New York Times contributor Rachel Simmons writes that accepting failure and moving on takes practice. She offers three ways to teach yourself how to get up after a disappointment or an outright fiasco. Simmons advises her Smith College students to ask themselves, “What’s the worst that can happen,”followed by three more […]
Read More →When we believe we’ve failed at something, it’s easy to fall into a pit of despair. But according to New York Times contributor Rachel Simmons, accepting failure and moving on is a learned behavior. One way she suggests teaching ourselves to “get over it” is by practicing self compassion. Here’s how. Note how you feel. Don’t exaggerate or deny […]
Read More →Mistakes. We all make them. What’s important is how we deal with them so that our errors don’t become our undoing. New York Times Better Living Columnist Tim Herrera has some tips for moving beyond big and little gaffes. He recommends being honest with yourself. Acknowledge that it was indeed a mistake. Accept it, but don’t let it define you […]
Read More →Whether I’m watching Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Nick Foles, Bryce Harper or Joel Embiid, I notice how they do what they do — the mechanical and mental aspects of their performance. An important lesson — one many of us can learn from — is the resilience of those at the top of […]
Read More →Forbes.com contributor Mark Murphy says that about 25% of the population are intuitive communicators. They prefer knowing the big picture and getting to the bottom line, quickly. Intuitive communicators enjoy a disproportionately high representation among senior leaders. To test whether you’re an intuitive communicator, Murphy says to think back on a recent conversation and ask yourself three […]
Read More →In a recent Forbes.com article, Travis Bradberry listed and explained 13 powerful psychological forces that make us do bad things. This list can help us become more self-aware and it may also help us better understand the people around us. Those with whom we live, work and play. First, the winner-take-all competition— something our society encourages, but it […]
Read More →Good self-awareness includes knowing how invisible, powerful forces can lead to making bad, unethical choices. Forbes.com contributor Travis Bradberry recently shared some of these outside-of-our-awareness influences and how they can affect us. The compensation effect. Using good deeds to justify bad ones. If people perform the acts of a good person, they might feel justified in sometimes behaving […]
Read More →Your thoughts can make or break you. What you think affects how you feel. Together, thoughts and feelings shape your life because they influence your behavior and determine what you see as possible. The process you use to identify or recognize opportunities becomes a closed loop – life-defining and self-reinforcing. Your imagination becomes more and more […]
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Read More →A standard question asked in job interviews is “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” How you answer that question can reveal more than what may appear on the surface. Answering the strengths part is often easy. You likely have a good sense of what you do well and can express it positively. But when explaining your weaknesses, rather […]
Read More →While Business Insider’s list of seven things people who’ve hit success milestones by age 35 have mastered isn’t groundbreaking, little reminders are always helpful, no matter your age. It’s okay to ask for advice. Let go of that fear of not having the answers. The world is complicated and no one knows everything. Dedicate time every […]
Read More →Harvard Business Review contributors Tony Schwartz and Emily Pines of the Energy Project warn that at all times, we have two selves operating simultaneously. There’s the self governed by our pre-frontal cortex. It controls executive brain functions like planning and strategy. It’s calm, measured and rational. This is the self of which we are most aware. Our other […]
Read More →At all times, two parts of our brain are governing how we behave. We’re aware of the rational, deliberate self that is ruled by the prefrontal cortex. But the threat protector, ruled by the amygdala, reacts beneath the surface causing us to lash out inexplicably. That self is enabled by the inner lawyer, which rationalizes, deflects and blames. […]
Read More →Delivering negative feedback or criticism is rarely easy. Receiving it may be even more difficult. But researchers at University of Toronto found that how people receive criticism depends greatly on the source. Through field and lab experiments, they discovered that when negative feedback comes from a boss or a peer, the receiver’s creativity level drops. The researchers concluded […]
Read More →Many think procrastination comes from laziness or poor time management. But a recent New York Times article lays the blame on the negative emotions we associate with the thing we’re putting off. Here are two ways experts say we can get to that thing we’re avoiding. Brown University’s Dr. Judson Brewer says you must first tackle the risk/ […]
Read More →What are your thoughts about the idea of being self-made? Recently, I saw a man wearing a t-shirt with the caption, “SELF-MADE!” It was written in CAPS and seemed to scream at me, emphasizing the point. It got my attention, perhaps because earlier that day a client and I talked about how interdependent we really are. How, alone, […]
Read More →You’re a control freak and you know it. But you can’t find your way clear of this stressful, energy-stealing frame of mind. Oprah.com contributor Martha Beck offers 5 tips to help you get comfortable with letting go. Relax your need to relax. If you’re trying to relax, you’re not actually relaxing. Give yourself permission to be as tense […]
Read More →While conflict is inevitable and can be seen as the healthy manifestation of competition, how we engage during conflict is key. A little self-awareness can go a long way to help us steer away from behavior that serves no one. Here are a few well-worn ruts to resist. The “I’m right, you’re wrong” mindset. A hint that you’re […]
Read More →Confirmation bias is when we seek out information that validates our own point of view. We tune out everything that doesn’t align with our world view or reinforce our opinions of the people around us. Confirmation bias closes our hearts and minds to the full truth. But there are ways to open our minds and learn to […]
Read More →Sometimes opportunities that we weren’t expecting come our way – something that seems like such an unlikely fit, it wasn’t even on our radar. It may even be something we think we didn’t even want. Your first instinct may be to say thanks, but no thanks. But, before you do, hear the person out. Allow them to explain […]
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