Previously we discussed how Fear is your friend, because can guide you towards what’s important for you, motivate you to take action to improve your odds, and you give you a rush. We also discussed how Sadness can be your friend, because Sadness  shows you what you care about, Sadness…

  Recently, we looked at “Why Fear is Your Friend,” and learned that Fear can guide you towards what’s important for you, motivate you to take action to improve your odds, and you give you a rush. This week, we discuss why Sadness is your friend. OK, you probably think that idea is nuts…

We live in a world with information overload. Data, facts, statistics and definitive answers to specific questions are immediately available from search engines on the internet. But people want more than facts.  They want understanding.  They want meaning. They want context.  They want stories. Children ask their parents to tell them stories because they like…

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” -Robert J. Hanlon In the classic 70s sitcom Three’s Company, many punchlines were the result of misunderstanding: whether it was the late John Ritter as chef Jack Tripper being mistaken as a gay man by his landlord, Mr. Roper, or a later…

Photo courtesy of Libby What do you think of this phrase: “The Joy of Apathy”? It sounds like such a clashing contradiction: how can joy, which is associated with happiness and passion, be found in the opposite stoicism of apathy? While joy and apathy certainly aren’t the same, they often work together and…

Sometimes I feel bad about referring you guys to Pamela Slim’s website, Escape From Cubicle Nation, so much. There is just some great stuff over there! Such as her latest on overcoming ‘painful or awkward’ transitions in your life. These include things like losing your job, a loved one or retiring. Embrace it. Instead of asking…

Who needs Tony Robbins when you can motivate yourself? Overcoming the emotional hurdle to get stuff done when you’d rather sit on the couch isn’t always easy. But unless calling in sick and waking up at noon have no consequences for you, it’s often a must. For those of you who never procrastinate, distract…

Boredom and feeling too busy are the same problem. Some people might claim I’m being too ambitious trying to strike down chronic boredom and busyness at the same time. I’d argue that the only way to take them out is simultaneously. The problem stems from how you manage your attention. Both boredom and…

Jealousy, like many negative emotions, is a waste of your time and you should keep your involvement with it to a minimum. Can you think of a positive outcome from jealous thinking? You could say being envious of someone else’s financial success could motivate you to work for your own. However, that wouldn’t be a…

If you want to connect — I mean, really connect — with an audience, you have to hit ‘em square in their emotions. Movie makers know this, and exploit it to the fullest, making us laugh, cry, punch the air in triumph, jump out of our seats in terror, and even swell with love…

Ever feel more creative in a yellow room? I worked in a building that had big, bright yellow wall to encourage creativity. Apparently that’s what the color yellow does. People are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. Babies also seem to cry more in a yellow room. This color tends to create…

The Mind Body Blog have put together a series on Awareness. It’s all about becoming attune to ourselves and developing under three states. Your Suffering: Everyday suffering is the easiest to ignore and the hardest to release. Think about how little things can affect your mood: waking up in the morning, choice of food, a…

It’s a theory of mine that the way you manage your emotions is critical to managing the rest of your life. If you are confused and/or distracted by something emotional – ie. not tangible and in your head – it will negatively affect your work and the people around you. So why not apply GTD methods…

You can’t make yourself feel happy or sad, nor can you send away whatever feelings do have, however hard you try. So waiting to do something until you feel “in the mood,” or basing your choice of actions on how you feel at the time, is to hand over control of your life to the…

Bert Webb at Open Loops gives a quick approach on handling an angry person to be more calm and logical. He states using calm voice and let the other person match us to the calm state is wrong. Instead he says it is better to use a method called “Pace and Lead”: … The first step…