Here’s a question for you: Would you rather take the bad road or the good road? The answer is rhetorical and self-evident. Here’s another question: How frequently do you take the bad road? If you’re the least bit human, your answer is probably “With more regularity than I would like.” “Fork in the road” is [...]
There are many aspects of our lives that impact the direction we go as we progress through childhood and into adulthood including parents, peers, and of course these days, social media. As members of various concentric circles of influence (i.e., family, community, popular culture), it is normal (though not necessarily healthy) to adopt the norms, [...]
To what do you aspire? Who do you want to be and what kind of life do you want to lead? To be happy, successful, impactful, rich, famous, loved? We all want to find and experience that elusive “Holy Grail” that we believe will fulfill our aspirations. However, as is commonly expressed in both ancient [...]
I always find it amazing that love relationships ever come to fruition and sustain themselves for an extended period of time. Relationships seem so complicated, particularly those of the romantic, “I’m looking for my soulmate” variety. There are so many aspects of a relationship that determine whether it works or not. And how do we [...]
Let’s begin with a basic reality of life: We are all victims of our upbringing and the culture in which we grow up. We didn’t get to choose our parents, siblings, extended families, where we lived, where we went to school, the activities we participated in, or the conditions of our early lives. Rather, our [...]
An unfortunate reality of being human is that so much of the way we think, the emotions we feel, the behaviors we engage in, and the manner in which we interact with others is governed by unconscious forces of which we have little awareness or control: Primitive instincts (e.g., fight-or-flight), Emotional baggage (e.g., low self-esteem, [...]
I have seen an interesting pattern emerge over the last few years with the young (meaning typically under 25 years old) clients with whom I work. On the plus side, all are thoughtful, deep, well-liked, and nice people. They are accomplished students, athletes, and performing artists. These young people are driven by generally healthy values [...]
In my last article about the perceptions that impact our relationships, I explored the “11 Perceptions that Sabotage Your Relationships.” In this article, I will consider the eight perceptions that you can embrace that will help you initiate and nurture healthy relationships. Perception #1: I am worthy of love. This perception is the foundation of [...]
I was recently invited to the Transitional Matters podcast by Chris Marshall, a behavioral scientist and futurist based in the UK. In the podcast, we explore the challenges that entrepreneurs and all high-achievers face in our ever-changing and uncertain world. We delve deeply into the psychology of performance, understanding how a turbulent world impacts the [...]
Is there anything more central to our psychological and emotional health and well-being than the quality of our relationships? And is there any other topic in the “self-help industrial complex” that receives so much attention? In both cases, the answer is a very sad no. What these two questions suggest is that so many of [...]
