success

Are You Happy Like an Addict?

The Answer May Surprise You

In recent years, I have spoken to several people who sleep on the streets. I expected to find that those who lived on the streets were there due to misfortune and that, given the opportunity, they would gladly adopt a better life. And to be sure, some of them did fit that description.

How Can I Choose the Right Opportunity?

It's Not Only About Hard Work

{{“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.—Thomas Edison”|blockquote|safe}}

Open doors for success are everywhere, and we overlook many of them. But should we say yes to every high-yield opportunity that requires hard work?

Unleashing Your Potential

The Unstoppable Power of Lifelong Learning

If there is one lesson I have learned more times than any other, it is this: I have a small amount of understanding. And my understanding of the limits of my knowledge is not trustworthy. I am likely to believe I understand something and be wrong or partly correct, even when l am convinced. But if this is true, why should I continue to learn? No matter what I understand today, tomorrow, I will need to relearn at least some aspect of it.

How to Keep Hope Alive

Make Today Better Than Yesterday

“No matter how bad things got, I always focused on what I could do that day. It’s like they say, it is best to live in the moment.” My new friend looked at me with raised eyebrows expecting a response. I could see that this was one of her core beliefs.

How Wisdom and Skill Position Us for Good Luck

Don't Wait for Lightning to Strike

I used the word luck for the first time when I was an inquisitive eight-year-old boy. It had a mysterious and powerful ring to it. I needed a word to capture the idea that things happened by chance. It helped me think about the the apparent meaninglessness of some of my early childhood experiences. Despite my excitement about it, the word was not well-received. Someone, I think one of my parents, said I must never say the word again.

How Perseverance Can Launch You into Purposeful Living

Remember, Success is a Team Sport

This past week was packed full of tasks requiring intellectual and emotional energy. From Monday through Wednesday, I assisted coworkers at my job on an urgent initiative. Then in my off hours, I coached two clients and prepared to attend a retreat nearby. I support entrepreneurs as they clarify their vision, strategy, and tactics. And I do so from a just few steps ahead. My business is not mature enough for me to leap into full-time entrepreneurship. I hoped the retreat would realign my values and that I could return to my coaching work with renewed vigor.

Unleashing the Power of Your Personal Story

Embrace Authenticity, Create Impact

Everything that happens has a purpose. If you believe this is true, even mundane coincidences have meaning. If everything you go through is for a reason, even the lowest and most painful moments are vital to the plot. To skip them would be to miss the point. Yet these shameful, gut-wrenching, or embarrassing moments are the ones we tend to scrub from our memories. We sanitize our stories and leave them without dynamism.

These 4 Not-So-Secret Weapons Win the Battle with Self-Doubt

Is Your Flame of Ambition Flickering?

Do you want more?

We can be content with what we have but not complacent. Grateful, but not passive. Since healthy human beings grow, this desire for more is inevitable and necessary for our thriving.

Pay the Price and Win the Reward like a Champion

How to Harness the Power of Commitment

When I am in the middle of a project, I sometimes feel like I am losing my bearings, and my energy starts to fade. The clarity with which I began falters, and I search for external validation of the unfinished work. I question if I should continue. Will all this effort have any impact in the end? Perhaps you experience this too. If so, let me remind you of a simple truth. It takes commitment to complete anything worth doing.

Harmonizing Talent and Self-Discipline

Striking a Chord for Personal Growth

I remember clearly the day I first saw someone play an acoustic guitar with finesse. As I listened, my soul was refreshed and awakened to a new desire. With all the dedication a six-year-old boy can muster, I resolved to play guitar well enough to move people. It pulled me in. There was no declaration of purpose based on my talent or willpower. I fell in love with the instrument. It hooked me. Over the following two decades, this love of music would teach me much about the place of hard work and talent.

The Secret of Success Everyone Knows but No One Wants to Mention

Build a Life You Can Be Proud Of

When you hear the word work what comes to mind? Does it bring up positive or negative emotions? I know work is a good thing. It is how we impact the world and deploy our gifts both for our benefit and that of others. Yet my first response is negative. Work feels hard. And heavy. In an ideal world, maybe I’d rather have a life of leisure. But would I really?

These 5 Tactics Will Help You Finish What You Start

How Everyone Can Be a Finisher

After five years of writing about hobbits, elves, and orcs, J. R. R. Tolkien began to worry that he would run out of time before completing his masterwork trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. A detail-oriented creative type, Tolkien was obsessed with language, location, and dialogue. Taken on its own, every page of his book was magnificent, but could he pull it all together?

It Won't Always Be Like This

7 Ways to Get Ready for a Better Tomorrow Today

Are you satisfied with your life? If I were a betting man, I’d make a healthy wager that your answer is “No.” Though some of us are more content than others, human nature draws our attention to brokenness and lack—to our shortcomings and disappointments. As the Steve Earle song plays, we join in, singing, “I ain’t ever satisfied.”

Embracing the Unknown

How to Navigate Life with Confidence and Faith

After only three months as a team manager at a Fortune 500 company, I realized I had made a mistake. Decisions impacting my team came down from higher-ups without consultation. The team was disheartened. Despite sharing their frustrations, I found myself at a loss for how to instigate positive change. Consequently, I requested a demotion.

You Don't Have to Feel Fulfilled Now to Live a Life of Significance

Success Isn't a Moment in Time, So Keep Growing

You may be feeling elated. Perhaps you are excited for the next few days and feel prepared for any challenge. Or you may be heavy with care, and your outlook may be bleak. Whether joyful or joyless, consider this truth: today is a tiny blip in time. Your circumstances, good or bad, will soon change. Your story goes on. Where you are going matters more than your present circumstances.

This Powerful Secret Will Help You Abandon Anxiety and Make More Money

Overcoming Fear and Unlocking Your Financial Potential

Throughout my childhood, I felt insignificant compared to my siblings. They were skilled, capable, and hard workers who earned respect from others. I was tall and self-conscious, clumsy, and often lost in thought. It seemed like the world welcomed everyone else, but left me uneasy and uncertain about my place in it.

On Being Self-Forgetful

How to Cultivate a Thoughtful Paradigm Shift

Let’s be honest: many of our thoughts revolve around ourselves. We deliberate over our aspirations, strategize about increasing income, fret over the future, and stew on past regrets. This self-centered thought process contracts our worldview into a downward spiral. If left unchecked, it may lead us to become myopic, fear failure, and overlook opportunities to assist others. Sound familiar?

How to Overcome Stress

Achieving Resilience in Your Daily Life

Life overflows with stress-inducing scenarios. Stress follows us like a shadow, making its presence known in every facet of our lives, whether it be work, school, or personal relationships. Learning to navigate despite stress is crucial if you wish to find joy in your daily endeavors.

Why Making Others Feel Small is Wrong

The Power of Encouragement

Have you ever felt small? As the youngest of five siblings, I often did. Dinner table conversations were loud, and the only way to be heard was to raise your voice. In the midst of this chaos, I felt unheard and insignificant. When I married into a quieter family, my habit of quick corrections and contradictions unintentionally made my wife feel the same way. Intentions are internal and private, and others experience our behavior without that context.

We Desperately Need the Cycle of Joy

3 Ways to Spread Happiness

Life overflows with good things, but its darker side is ever-present. We all carry our own burdens, our own wounds, and our own struggles. We walk a tightrope, balancing reality and hope. So, how do we keep our footing?

The Courage to Desire

How to Navigate Your Life's Work and Legacy

It seems the crucial things in life are simple, yet arduous. Understanding what we want from life is no exception. On the surface, the question, “What do you want?” appears simple. Ask any child, and they will have a ready answer: ice cream or candy. However, as adults, we harbor deeper desires that are often challenging to express, with our fear of failure and rejection guarding the pathway to an honest answer.

Finding the Purpose of Work

Should It be Intrinsically Motivating?

Career satisfaction is not a one-size-fits-all concept. We may chase entrepreneurial endeavors or climb the corporate ladder. But no matter our career path, unique values, interests, and aspirations shape us all.

A Morbid Question Worth Asking

How Logotherapy May Help You Discover Your Purpose

It’s impossible for me to fully grasp the despair felt by inmates in Nazi death camps near the end of World War II. The psychologist, Viktor Frankl, was among those trapped in indescribably horrific conditions. Yet, he emerged after three grueling years in Auschwitz bearing a message of hope. Despite having lost all recognizable liberty, he unearthed the most potent human freedom: the capacity to select one’s attitude, irrespective of the circumstances.

Blurry Vision Risks the Mission

Why Good Jobs Go Bad (Part 1)

We all want our work to have impact, but making a difference may be harder than it seems. Being effective as an employee requires us to adopt the company’s mission as our own. We must align our values with the aims of our teammates. But coordinated efforts and shared values depend on clear expectations and shared vision. This means we often must encourage our leaders to clarify their goals for us, especially when we are unsure about our priorities. Being proactive about clear communication will help your leaders create an environment that allows every team member to engage more fully in their daily work.

Clashing Values Can Erode Trust

Why Good Jobs Go Bad (Part 2)

Do you know what motivates your company’s owners to get up and go to work every day? If so, you’re part of a small-but-engaged minority. Gallup research reveals that fewer than half of employees can confidently say they understand what sets their company apart. Even more startling, only 27% strongly believe in their company’s values. Without clear values and alignment, even the best job can go bad quickly.