For a few years, I believed that what we often call “the rational mind” was my enemy.  I have a powerful rational mind, and most people would see this as a plus, but to me that was part of the problem.  I thought all the analysis, judgment and criticism my mind did was holding me [...]

I’m excited to announce that I’ve launched a new blog I’ve been thinking about for some time.  It’s not a replacement for this blog — I’m going to keep writing for both of them, because each of them deals with a different aspect of my work.  The new blog is called Development In Context (or [...]

Many of us know the story of Narcissus — the boy who drowned because he fell in love with his reflection in a lake, and jumped in hoping to embrace his image.  At first glance, this story seems to be about the dangers of loving yourself too much.  If Narcissus had only taken his attention [...]

 
As I’m sure you know, some people doubt that personal growth work has practical benefits.  Some scoff at the idea of working with our thoughts and emotions, seeing it as just a tree-hugging hippie way of escaping the harsh reality of survival and conflict.  Others only see value in personal development work that teaches nonstop [...]

Many of us on a “personal development” or “spiritual” path harbor the secret hope that, one day, we’ll be “fixed.”  If we work hard enough at visualizing what we want, pushing our comfort zone, saying affirmations, or whatever we normally do, one day we’ll get rid of all the parts of ourselves we don’t want.  [...]

When people talk about the benefits of being an entrepreneur, they usually speak in terms of getting to be their own boss and the financial rewards of owning a business.  I think these aspects of entrepreneurship are great, but my favorite thing about it is actually the opportunities it offers me to grow as a [...]

I already admitted in an earlier post that I like heavy metal, so I probably can’t make the situation any worse by doing another post about the metal songs that inspire me to fearless action.  I’m joking, I’m not ashamed of my love of metal—or, to use the militaristic language common to these kinds of [...]

One thing that’s hit home for me, in giving workshops on using meditation and other spiritual practices to transcend procrastination, is how deeply personal and unique everyone’s hangups and concerns about their careers are.  To use procrastination as an example, some people put off working to avoid anxiety about how others will receive what they [...]

 I find puffins irresistible.  When I see them (or pictures of them) my usual instinct is to hug myself and say “aww,” or coo like a newborn.
Why am I telling you this?  Because becoming able to get so much pleasure out of  funny-looking seabirds, and admit it on the Internet, was a major step in [...]

Much has been said about the positive effects gratitude creates in our lives.  Learning to be thankful for what we have today, and the learning experiences we’ve had in the past, empowers us with optimism and joy that help us pursue our goals.
For a long time, I agreed with this idea generally speaking, but I [...]