In times of trouble, writing down my thoughts always helps. Likewise, writing down my goals makes it more likely for me to achieve them. We can plan all we want, but things can change drastically in a moment, often in ways outside our control. Living in a democracy is not a given. What is given is that we continually have to work to keep it strong. Dreams can be so weird. If you want to write like Bob Dylan, write …
I’ve always been inspired by Frank Sinatra’s famous song That’s Life, where he sings about having been “a puppet, a pauper, a poet, a pirate, a pawn, and a king.” It makes me reflect on all the roles I’ve been in my own life—and wonder about the lives of my friends and colleagues, too. Starting at age 10, I was a garden seed salesman in my neighborhood, saving up points for an air rifle A newspaper boy who delivered papers …
Many of my clients struggle with quieting their minds, whether they’re trying to meditate, take a nap, or fall asleep at night. I have found that through meditation, one learns to focus attention, control negative thoughts, and achieve peacefulness. Often, my clients are overwhelmed with how difficult they believe meditation can be. As a way to get started, I offer them a simple method that I learned years ago from the book How to Meditate by Eknath Easwaran. By …
ls Your Thinking Making You Miserable? When l first moved to New York City in 1968, after graduating from the University of Michigan, l was alone. Unless l could find a teaching job l was going to be drafted into the Vietnam War. It didn’t take me long to realize l was becoming depressed and anxious. Having been a psychology major, I knew psychotherapy could help, but l could not afford it. In college, l had admired the work …
In my book “Self-Aware: A Guide for Success in Work and Life”, I have tried to incorporate my experiences from over 50 years of practice and to boil them down to their essence. By following the lessons in this book, I hope to mentor you, the reader, into an elevated verison of yourself. Here are three exercises to help you identify your most important passions. I have found that if you can link your passions with your work or retirement …