The email was compelling--a personal note from Jared*, a man I like and respect. He had taken over from me as president of the board of an organization and was asking me to attend their annual dinner and give money as a sponsor. When I was on the … [Read more...]
Restore Yourself to Your Factory Default Settings
November 22, 2011 By 6 Comments
My wireless connection to the internet had suddenly stopped working. At first I was frustrated — I had been in the middle of browsing some books on Amazon. But I quickly took it as a blessing. I had an article to write and the Amazon browsing was a … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Becoming a Person You Hate
November 15, 2011 By 8 Comments
I was so angry my whole body was shaking. I stared at Günther* with hate, my left hand in a fist and my right hand gripping a tennis racket as a weapon. I was ready to kill him. Was this really me? I had returned to Ann Bradney's extraordinary … [Read more...]
One Thing I’ve Learned From The Wall Street Protests
November 1, 2011 By 4 Comments
During a bleak, cold winter in New York City, a park is occupied by thousands who stand there day and night for weeks. Nobody knows precisely what these occupiers represent, but people are mesmerized by them. Not just the city, but the country and … [Read more...]
How to Really Listen
October 19, 2011 By 3 Comments
One morning, my wife Eleanor woke up, turned over, and said, "I am not looking forward to this day." I asked her why. What came out is that we were at the start of the Jewish high holy day season, which means colder weather and three weeks of big … [Read more...]
What’s Your One Big Theme?
October 13, 2011 By 1 Comment
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, the time when we think about our past year and plan for our next. What do I want to repeat? What do I want to do differently? I usually start with everything I want to do differently. And the list is … [Read more...]
Are You Training Yourself to Fail?
September 13, 2011 By 10 Comments
"Did you get done what you wanted to get done today?" Eleanor, my wife, asked me. "Not really," I said. She laughed. "Didn't you write the book on getting done what you want to get done?" Some people are naturally pre-disposed to being … [Read more...]
The Right Way to Come Back From Vacation
September 7, 2011 By 7 Comments
"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 4 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...]
