Category: Positive Thinking

Questions can be used to disguise unpleasant ideas: accusation, judgment, fishing for praise, sympathy or generally seeking attention come to mind. Here are some examples: “Is that what you’re going to wear?” “Do I look [insert insult: old, fat, tired, haggard, etc.]?” “How long do you think it will take me to vacuum, wash and… Continue reading When a Question is Not a Question

I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with anger for a long time… safe to say decades. I remember as a child admiring Spock and wanting to be just like him… seemingly free from the trouble of negative emotions. I judged anyone who “got angry”. Feeling superior to “angry people” while denying my own anger created its… Continue reading Suppressing Anger is Not a Spiritual Value

Seth Godin writes Why ask why? and calls “Why?”  “the most important question”. I think Seth Godin is an insightful marketer and I love reading anything by him, but on this I disagree. “Why?” is quicksand. The word has inertia built-in to it; it lacks its own forward momentum. It focuses attention on the problem; focus… Continue reading Avoid "Why?"

I bet you never called someone a hypocrite and ended that exchange with an increased closeness and respect for each other; the word is filled more with smugness than utility. Accusing another that way gives us a feeling of superiority, but what a hollow feeling. If someone claims to be a certain way, and you… Continue reading Time to Retire "Hypocrite"

The term role model is lacking.  It fails to convey its own potency… it sounds passive, belying its real nature. It fails to convey its scope… as if there is a limited number of things one could role model. It comes with a sense of burden: if you are a role model today but not… Continue reading Upgrading "Role Model"

Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill