In a survey by the American Psychological Association, more than half of US adults (56%) reported significant stress related to the 2020 presidential election. It is not surprising that this percentage was an increase over the 2016 election (52% reported election-related stress). And it is not surprising that so many people feel anxiety about the […]
election, Stress, stress management
One of my favorite concepts in psychology is called “Parkinson’s Law.” It suggests that work will expand to fill the time that was allotted for it. You might think of it as a measure of inefficiency. For example, if we leave three hours to do something, that tends to be the amount of time […]
efficient, leadership, time, time management
For years I’ve had a personal “Board of Directors.” This isn’t a formal group that has scheduled meetings. And (so far) none of them has asked to be paid. But they are close friends and trusted colleagues with whom I share important questions or problems. Each one of them has a professional specialty, and I […]
Communication, Personal Board of Directors, professional circle, social circle
Viktor Frankl’s powerful book Man’s Search for Meaning is a gem. (He nearly published anonymously, until someone convinced him otherwise.) It has profoundly impacted my outlook on life. Frankl was a psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor who lost everything that he had including family and his wife. Based on his experiences in the camps, […]
influential, power, thinking
Mark Twain said,” There are two kinds of people in the world: one kind separates people into two kinds of people and the other kind doesn’t.” I’m definitely the kind that separates people into two kinds of people. I think there’s people who listen to respond or reply, and the other kind who listen to […]
effective listening, focused, Listening
I’ve been inspired and encouraged over my life by quotations from people both famous and also regular people that I know. And one of those people was my maternal grandmother. She died when I was a child, but a relative told me that when people needed encouragement after getting through a difficult time, she would […]
inspiration, Motivation, quotes
A participant at one of my seminars came up during a break to talk. She said that during a recent review, her boss had told her that doing formal presentations was a weakness for her and she would need to turn into a strength if she ever wanted to be promoted into a leadership […]
self improvement, strength, weakness
A longtime New York City psychotherapist Robert Akeret wrote a book called Tales From a Traveling Couch. In it, he describes a cartoon; In the first frame, a man is riding on his bicycle to his therapist’s appointment and there’s a monkey on the man’s back. It’s a representation of a problem or burden that […]
gettinghelp, help, sharing
A caller to the Clark Howard Personal Finance radio show told of a habit she has: She puts a dollar in a box each night. And at the end of a year on her birthday she has $365 to spend on herself. Aside from that being completely charming, it’s also an example of how doing […]
actions, finance, results
I wanted to share with you a 15-minute exercise I do to prepare for the day in the morning. It’s not a physical exercise, it’s a mental or thought exercise and so you can do it while you’re doing other things, and that’s what I do. The first five minutes I spend thinking about all […]
exercise, positivity, tips