One of the challenges that we have in life is a difficulty in understanding what is in (and out) of our control. This is to say, we need to identify the things that we can effect change, as opposed to what elements are out of our purview. In this, we are asked to identify our locus…
Our identities are often dictated by the plans, decisions, and actions that we make throughout the day. It can sometimes be a challenge to honor the principles you want to demonstrate. This may instances where you are making decisions for yourself, or serving as a leader for a group or organization. In my own contexts,…
One helpful focus that I’ve found in Stoic philosophies is the opportunity to consider our lives as an ongoing project. This includes a regular journey of ethical self-development. I first started this journey as I had just graduated from college. My Aunt and Uncle indicated that I had a job and was single with no…
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. – Aristotle In our lives, the number one priority should be the expansion of our own self awareness. We need to become aware, accept, and in some cases adjust the truth about ourselves and our world. To…
In much of my work, I try to drive down to the first principles and identify the basic elements needed to guide actions in our life and work. These first principles allow us to identify the fundamental truths as we understand what to focus on…and what to ignore. In order to have a good life…
Many times in life, we unthinkingly accept our first impressions as true. We celebrate ourselves as thoughtful, critical, intelligent beings, and yet we don’t always use these capacities. It is essential that we distinguish the impressions we make on the world, and his these impact our choices and decisions. External impressions can be deceiving. What…
I died a little bit last week. As I started my day writing, I received a phone call letting me know that my grandmother had passed during the night. This led to a feverish spate of phone calls, adjusting schedules for the week, and informing other relatives. This also led to some serious reflection. This…
As we go through the daily cycle of interactions, connections, and the regular hum of life, we sometimes lose focus on how to have a good life and be happy. To address this, I think it is important to find time to examine the impressions that you make throughout the day. That is to suggest that…
Through the use of the Internet and other communication technologies, we are increasingly connected with others around the planet. In this, we are asked to consider our relationships with others and society in general. These interactions may be with citizens that live next door to us in an offline capacity. These also may individuals that we…
Grit. Resilience. Mental toughness. Growth mindsets. We often hear these terms used a lot in and out of educational contexts. The key element in this is learning how to reframe failure, and building mental capacity, or the opportunity to practice resilience. Reducing the effects of significant adversity on our lives is essential to the progress and…