Are You Focused on the Pony or its Aftermath?
What one of Reagan’s favorite jokes tells you about your attitude
One of Ronald Reagan’s favorite jokes speaks volumes about how our expectations influence our experiences.
mindset
How to Minimize the Time you Waste Waiting
Perception of time is as real as the passage of time
Try to do something else while you wait. Anything else. It’s one of the few opportunities we have to truly multitask.
Life Lessons from 84 Holes of Golf
“Par for the course” is doing really well
Life is one shot after another. Sometimes you can’t find your ball; sometimes you look like you know what you’re doing. Play on.
Why It’s Hard to See Progress in the Moment
Progress is only visible over time
It’s hard (if not impossible) to see the progress we’re making if we only look at a snapshot. We need to compare snapshots over time to spot the difference.
How to Make Your Comfort Zone Less Comfortable
Sometimes, we need a stick more than a carrot
Sometimes, it’s hard to change simply because we’re pretty comfortable where we are. Here are some tips—and caveats—to make the status quo a little less comfortable.
What Happens to Habits when We Get Stressed Out?
When the going gets tough, our toughest habits get going
When we get stressed out, we lose our ability to act intentionally and our habits take over. We can turn this to our advantage.
How to Combine Past and Present to Build a Better Future
A brief discussion of Harrison R. Merril’s “Christmas Eve on the Desert”
You can’t change what you’ve done in the past, but you can take action today to change how your past affects your future.
You Can’t Do Everything, but You Can Make a Difference
Focus on what you can do
On October 16, 2019, Riley Nelson was five minutes late showing up for work. As a result, his UTA light rail train, running through Salt Lake City, Utah, was five minutes late. At 6:50 am, at the edge of what the train’s head lamp could reveal in the dim pre-dawn light, Nelson saw a car […]
How to Regain your Composure and Calm Down Quickly
Five exercises to widen the gap between stimulus and response
Sometimes we need a little help widening the gap between stimulus and response. Here are five exercises to help you calm down and respond like you want to.
See Your Actions in the Context of Your Vision for the Future
What three stonecutters can teach us about connecting present and future
Peter Drucker’s three stonecutters were focused on today’s actions, being their best self, and their vision for the future. We need all three perspectives, but only one will keep you in the game.