We rush through life desperately striving and achieving. We are on the go, on the run striving to be more productive. Time is a precious resource and we want to make sure that we fill each minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run. But we just might be making a big mistake. I …
There Is No Such Thing As Peace of Mind!
I go into some deep stuff, so read with care. Wait a few days, come back and read with care again! I have been assured by many talking heads that we are living in unusually turbulent times. Politics is dirty and ever more vicious in countries around the world. Economies are in contraction, …
A Lesson From Google Maps
I am not good with technology. Even simple technology like Google Maps can confuse me. I was heading down to the beach a few days ago with the firm intention of apricating for a few hours and catching up on my reading. Google Maps asked me to bear slightly left. I think I bore more left …
The Wonder is in Your Eyes, Not in the Scene!
I remember the very first place of my own I had in the US. It was a studio on the thirteenth floor of an apartment building on the Southwest corner of 113th street and Broadway. It must have been substantially renovated because I do not recognize it anymore. On the ground level was a Pizza …
Why Did the Domestic Help Cry?
One of my coaching clients shared a story with me that I found deeply moving. It was also instructive. This client runs a company that is just scaling. It has the potential to launch an industry that does not exist yet. Think Fred Smith in 1971. He built Federal Express into a highly …
How To Show That You Understand
Here is a famous quote by Thich Nhat Hahn. An alumnus of my course, Creativity and Personal Mastery, who is serious about personal growth, posted it on our electronic bulletin board. “When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not …
How to Become Nobody
I would like you to try this thought experiment. You go to a company party and the host, a senior executive, mis-pronounces your name when he introduces you to nearby guests. Later, he asks you how you are enjoying the affair and, this time, he does not even remember your name and addresses you …
Nothing is Written!
I am going to stir up some controversy here. Do you believe that all the success you enjoy has been due to your effort? And, correspondingly, all the goals you have not met is because you did not work hard enough or smart enough? Or perhaps because you did not have the ‘right’ background, or …
Can Using a Bucket Help Save the Planet?
Mahatma Gandhi reportedly said that there is enough of everything to satisfy each man’s need. But not enough to satisfy every man’s greed. So – would you be willing to make a slight change in your habits if it will make a material positive difference in the world? I was in India recently and …