“This human tendency to look for outer causes for our moods is the greatest addiction on our planet.”    -Richard Rudd I’ve been teaching an acronym for quite some time called STOP. It says, never try to solve a problem, make a major life decision or resolve a conflict when you’re SAD, TIRED, OVERWHELMED or PISSED OFF. The point is that we often tie ourselves into knots trying to get closure through action, when we’re …Read More

“Everything has beauty. But not everyone sees it.”     -Confuscius My friend, Barry, has perfected the art of sitting still on the back porch with a handful of birdseed long enough for a couple squirrels to climb into his lap and eat out of his hand. He thinks they’re about the cutest creatures he’s ever seen (trumped only by chipmunks, which he also attracts in a similar way). I’ve got another friend who hates squirrels, calling …Read More

“We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”     -Bill Clinton As I move through the process of inviting people into my upcoming program, I’m reaching out to friends and colleagues quite a bit more than usual. I’ve been asking them if they’ll help spread the word by emailing and posting to their lists, talking about my material on their shows, and using any medium at their disposal to let people know …Read More

“Prosperity is measured not by how much you have, but by how little you need.”     -Dr. Steve Taubman I’m always amazed by people who make lots of money and are still broke. You’d think at some point they’d realize that getting more won’t fill the gap between what they have and what they need. Acquisition for its own sake doesn’t work…and we can all be quite comfortable with far less than we have. Witness the …Read More

I had an interesting conversation with a woman in network marketing yesterday about her aversion to “closing the sale.” Nothing new. Lots of us have the issue. But something she said made a light go on in my head. I suddenly understood why so many people fear closing, and what they’re telling themselves that’s JUST PLAIN WRONG! If you get this distinction, you’ll be on the road to the cure for your close-o-phobia…so check this …Read More

“If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.”     -Geena Davis “I could join a home-based business….BUT most of them are scams.” “I could get my real estate license…BUT there’s too much competition where I live.” “I could get a real job…BUT I’d make less than I now get from welfare.” “I could teach swimming…BUT I’d have to first get an operation I need to correct a muscular imbalance.” “I could get my drivers license to …Read More

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.      -Maya Angelou Every self help guru will agree that success and attitude go hand in hand; that how you think and what you believe determine your outcomes. In fact, if you’re down, frustrated or filled with self-pity, almost anyone you talk to, given the chance, will say something to you like, “What you need is an attitude adjustment!” But …Read More

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”    -Nietzche You walk the carnival midway, and with the encouragement of your friends, jump on a ride. At first, it’s fun, but soon it becomes scary and overwhelming. You want off, but you …Read More

“Discipline is freedom”   -Ram Dass I recently did what’s known as a “detox,” essentially a modified fast. For the first few days, I suffered because I craved all the lousy foods I’d been allowing myself to eat for months. I was like a petulant child; pouting, whining, throwing tantrums (on the inside)… the whole nine yards. Then, after a few days, something magical happened…A new voice appeared, and here’s what it said…  Grow up! When …Read More

“Procrastination is fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking.”  -David McRaney It’s pretty common to think that the reason you’re not taking action is a lack of willpower; what David McRaney calls “weakness in the face of impulse.” But consider this metaphor…. Chip and Dan Heath, in the wonderful book, Switch, talk about how change is like trying to redirect an elephant. Our habituated minds like to …Read More