Better Left Undone? We fancy ourselves facing the world like a swashbuckler standing on the ship's bow with our saber upraised.  In reality, the fear of failure too often confines us in our safe harbor and stops us from pursuing what we want.  Missteps confirm our present inability, create feelings of shame and disappointment, and potentially subject us to ridicule.   How do we move forward when...

It is a dirty word, and we seek to avoid it.  JFK famously said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”  However, failure is often better than the alternative, inevitable, hastily decided, and the fertilizer of success.     The Alternative? An evil man died and found himself in a splendid casino with an open bar and beautiful women who would not say no to him, and every time...

Hold Your Horses We all have a nemesis: a sister who insists you watch her newborn every Saturday night, a boss who calls you on the weekend, or a friend who is always an hour late for dinner.   We reach a breaking point and threaten the end of the relationship if they ever do "that" again.  In one fell swoop, we go from accepting the behavior to issuing a relationship-ending ultimatum.  ...

Why Do You Aspire? Our moms were right; we possess and must use our unique talent.  A fulfilling life requires accomplishment - the ambition to do something meaningful supported by the activity leading to its fruition.   It goes beyond the biblically-inspired obligation declared in graduation speeches, "to whom much is given, much will be required." Inaction coupled with an awareness of...

Components Just as peace is not calmness, joy is not happiness; even the miserable are happy upon the birth of their first child.  Joy is a persistent state attained by accepting every moment without assigning expectations and imposing judgment.  Admittedly, it is a tall task, but consciously practicing gratitude and maintaining positivity reduces our impulse to judge.   Gratitude and a positive...