"Daddy, come look at our island! Quick! Before it disappears!" We were in Bluffton, South Carolina playing on a sandbar that emerges only at low tide. The sun was barely up — we had woken early to watch the sandbar disappear as the tide rose — … [Read more...]
Who’s on Your Fridge?
August 31, 2011 By 2 Comments
I was lifting weights at my gym, a community center in New York City, when he caught my attention. His name, I later found out, was Marvin Moster. He stood a few inches over five feet, mostly bald with some white hair on the sides of his head, … [Read more...]
Three Questions that Help Me Live a Fulfilling Life
August 16, 2011 By 4 Comments
I am on a plane with my wife Eleanor as we fly back from our once-a-year-without-children vacation. It was, for us, the perfect week. After years of planning vacations, we've finally figured out how to reliably create a meaningful, fun, fulfilling … [Read more...]
How to Stay Focused on the Important Things
July 29, 2011 By 4 Comments
"I want to pass something by you," I said to my friend Jori* who has lost 80 pounds over the past six months. "Our ability to lose weight is based on our willingness to suffer through discomfort. To be a little hungry and yet to resist the temptation … [Read more...]
Flexing Your “No Thanks” Muscle
July 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
"Would you like to save 10% on your purchase by signing up for a Bloomingdales' credit card?" asked the sales person who had helped me pick out several new suits. "It will only take a few minutes." "Why not?" I thought to myself; the savings would … [Read more...]
When to say “No Thanks”
July 14, 2011 By 46 Comments
In my recent article, "Flexing Your 'No Thanks' Muscle," I talk about the downsides of saying "Yes" too often. Over dinner with friends one night, we developed a “No Thanks List”, consisting of 27 examples when, in our opinion “no … [Read more...]
Three Steps to Handling the Unexpected
July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When my friend Sam invited his new girlfriend Robyn to join him for a sailing trip, he was relatively new to the sport. He had pretty strong skills but not a lot of experience. She had neither. They were expecting it to be a long sail — about … [Read more...]
Unlocking Your Success Equation
June 22, 2011 By
Jim Wolfensohn was a second-year student at the University of Sydney when a friend of his and the captain of the fencing team, Rupert Bligh, asked if he wanted to go to Melbourne the next day to fence in the national university … [Read more...]
What to Do When You Have No Time to Think
June 8, 2011 By
On a recent hectic business trip to Florence, I lucked out; my client booked me into the Four Seasons. The hotel consists of two restored Renaissance palaces, separated by 11 acres of garden. I was thrilled. That is, until I arrived and saw that my … [Read more...]
Getting Past a Communication Impasse
May 26, 2011 By
What do you do when you have a communication impasse with someone you care about? Jim* is a friend and colleague whom I hadn't seen for a year. It's been a hard year for Jim and I called him frequently as he navigated his business through tough … [Read more...]
