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“Do you think today is just another day in your life?”
Another day. How do you start each day? When I wake up, I almost instinctively reach for my phone. I go through email and my calendar, check social media, and I think about things I need to do or...
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Stepping off the hedonic treadmill
Something was wrong. It was a crisp, clear September night. I was walking along the Hudson River, heading home through the park after a nice evening with friends. And I was unhappy. Instead of...
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Solving the recognition paradox
Every year, we send out employee surveys and, every year, we discover employees aren’t as engaged as we’d like. And yet every year we neglect to do one of the cheapest, easiest, and most effective...
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The prisons I build myself
“Daddy, dance with me!” “Daddy, dance with me!” We were at an outdoor blues concert on a beautiful summer evening. My 5 year old daughter, Hanako, was dancing to the music when she asked me to dance...
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Changing the habit of hurrying
Do you ever feel you don’t have time to do the things you really want to do? Or you’re so busy doing that there’s no time for enjoying? Do you ever say, wistfully, “Where did the time go?” I used to...
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Unlocking potential in your organization
Dr Seuss’ Sneeches learned the hard way What do you expect from other people? From yourself? It’s performance review season at many organizations, the time when we hand out labels related to each...
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Taming the hamsters in my head
Spinning, spinning, spinning “Are you okay, darling?” My wife heard me cursing to myself in the shower and she was concerned. It was a normal day and a normal shower. But I was so busy thinking about...
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25 books that changed me
When you think about it, a book is a truly magical thing. For the cost of a lunch, you can have an experience that can change your life. And that experience can be made even more profound when the book...
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When you smile at the universe, the universe smiles back
I used to think of the universe as a rational, uncaring machine. If this, then that. And given that our world, never mind our universe, is so large, I couldn’t see how we could make much of a practical...
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A New Year’s resolution: Take control of your career
Reflect for a moment on your past few years at work. Have they been fulfilling? Have the uncertainties decreased or increased? Are you more or less optimistic about realizing your potential? If you...
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Deepening relationships through contribution
A friend of mine is thinking of relocating to another city and was talking with me about finding a job there. “Do you think my boss would let me do my job from the new location? Or maybe there’s an...
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A glimpse of rapture, a glimpse of peace
A moment in Mexico I was walking by myself on a pristine beach in Mexico. It was early morning and the sun hadn’t quite made it’s appearance yet. Looking out to where the expansive gray-blue sky met...
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Discovering your purpose
Ask a roomful of people whether they think networking is important and everyone will knowingly nod. Now, ask them for the purpose of their network. Crickets. Most will be thinking “Networks have a...
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How to love your job (even if you hate it)
When I asked her “What’s the best part of your job?” she looked at me wistfully and said “Nothing, really.” She was smart, young, and creative, but somehow her spark had gone out. She told me she...
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Why I’m thrilled to be 50 years old
Here I am as a baby. When this picture was taken, my whole life was ahead of me. At some point, though, most of us stop looking forward and start looking back. We stop thinking that the best is yet to...
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A letter from my future self
If you’ve ever wondered where you’re heading, or what your work and life is leading up to (if anything), then I have an exercise that might help you. This week, I suggested this exercise when several...
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The best gift my mother ever gave me
Growing up, my mother’s lack of education and limited worldview were infuriating and embarrassing. Though she raised me, she seemed so different from me. That led to a sense of detachment and...
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Accelerated intimacy at work (without a call from HR)
Even during some of the worst times in my life, I’ve responded to How are you? with Everything’s great! I thought by showing people that I didn’t need help, that I was always happy, I could somehow...
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The prospect of premature death didn’t make me change so I tried this instead
“Take this pill, every day, for the rest of your life,” my doctor said. I sighed at this obvious sign of decline, envisioning the 7-day pillbox that all old people seem to have. “Already?” I asked....
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My big break
If there is a God, then surely he reached down that day, turned me around, and had me go back into that room. Though it happened 37 years ago, I was reminded of it while listening to a public radio...
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