Choose Both And

How Using Both/And Can Change Your Life

The April 2025 issue of National Geographic featured an awards show of sorts – 33 individuals around the world whose work (at least according to National Geographic) is improving the world in some way.  Many of them, as you might imagine, are doing things related to the environment.   Several, however, were businesspeople, and two in…

Use Failure as a Secret Weapon

Understanding What Failure Is (And Isn’t)

I recently had a conversation with my 8-year-old son about how to deal with failure – and then had an almost identical conversation with a 37-year-old friend about the same thing.  It made me realize that, for many of us, our attitude toward failure doesn’t change much as we get older – we don’t like…

Ask Dumb Questions

Why You Should Ask Dumb Questions

Recently my 8-year-old son came home from school and asked me if I knew how many uses for the peanut George Washington Carver had discovered.  After silently thanking his teachers for encouraging his love of random information, I admitted that all I knew was that it was a lot.  “More than 300,” he told me…

2025 Vision

One Simple Key to a Happy 2025

Now with a title like that, this article could be about anything.  “Win the next billion-dollar Powerball!” for example, would for many readers constitute a surefire path toward a happy 2025.  “Stop doing stupid things!” is another excellent suggestion, and one I hope to follow more closely this year than I have in years past.…

Effective Communication

What Is the Most Effective Type of Communication?

Since the title of this article is slightly ambiguous, let me elaborate.  If your question is, “What’s the best way to win an argument – loud angry shouting, or calm reasoned discourse?” then I can answer that right now.  Do the latter.  Problem solved. But what we’re talking about here is the method by which…

overcoming impostor syndrome

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome is one of the most insidious challenges to our mental well-being.  In case you aren’t familiar with the phrase (although I’m guessing you are), impostor syndrome is a fairly common phenomenon in which individuals doubt their abilities and/or feel like they don’t deserve their accomplishments.  Put another way, you think you’re in over…