Life can frequently feel out of control with a myriad of commitments, deadlines, and things that need to be done immediately.  Each of us have a list of things we would like to accomplish that exceeds our available time, effort and energy by a considerable margin.  In this situation, it frequently feels like we cannot afford to stop moving, because every minute gone by is one less minute to accomplish our goals and ambitions.

However, while we are going about the work of accomplishing our dreams, it is important to occasionally …

Many people spend considerable amounts of time following the news of the day, and subsequently become angry over the state of world affairs.  Most people who see problems around them are infused with a natural desire to resolve them.  Ironically, this desire to solve problems is a constant thread across both left-leaning and right-leaning people.
To many of the left-leaning persuasion, daily news brings a perpetual onslaught of human suffering that is being allowed to go unchecked and unchanged by society.  Their desire is for somebody to do something to ease …

In the aftermath of the bank failures, bailouts and financial scandals that emerged from the crisis of 2008, the common explanation is that “greed” caused the adverse behaviors that precipitated the collapse.  When thinking about this explanation in some more depth, one must consider that in order for “greed” to be the reason behind the collapse, then people would need to have become abruptly more greedy than normal.
The contrary view is that if greed is a constant function (meaning that people do not become more or less greedy over time …

Modern business literature is filled to the brim with books, audio programs, and seminars about success.  People have developed an all-encompassing obsession with learning what they can do to get ahead.  And what’s wrong with this you ask?  Not necessarily anything … except for the fact that all to many people are only interested in trying to get ahead if it doesn’t involve any substantial work or sacrifice.
Put another way, people are trying to figure out the “easy” way to achieve success.
This begs a natural question … is there an …

Many overweight smokers know what they need to do in order to become healthy, but do not do it.  Most people that are smokers don’t suffer from a lack of knowledge that smoking is bad for them.  Most people that are overweight already know that there are health risks associated with being overweight.  In both of these cases, a lack of knowledge is not the issue.  Similarly, beating overweight smokers over the head with information about the health risks of their lifestyle isn’t very likely to make them change.
It is …

It is certainly true that many people need a helping hand at some point in their life, but this week I was thinking about where to find a helping hand with your personal success.  Not surprisingly, the answer to this question is that your helping hand is attached to the end of your arm.  This is not to say that you cannot receive help from others, or that you should not accept help if it is offered.  What we must all eventually come to terms with is the fact that …

The current world has become a place where many people are afraid.  Between news of a European financial collapse, government budget deficits, asset bubbles in China, and all of the other things that people normally fear, there is no shortage of material to inspire apprehension.  The thing that is important for us to understand is that fear is a natural emotion.  All people feel fear in some regard or another.  However, there are very key differences in the decisions that we make depending on what we fear.
In this way, what …

One of the greatest questions that mankind has dealt with over the years is that of determining what causes success.  There have been many notable authors such as Napoleon Hill, Dennis Waitley, and Zig Ziglar who have tackled this subject, and produced spectacular works.  A common theme among all of the success literature is the notion that success is something you must go out and achieve.  One cannot expect success to come and find them in the middle of the night and announce its presence.  This analogy may sound silly, …

The discussion of what makes us successful has been going on for a considerable period of time.  Many of us are tempted to fall for fads, schemes or popular culture concerning the meaning and methods for achieving success in our lives.  Many of us have come to believe that success is about setting personal goals, and tracking our progress on those goals.  Others view success as a “life purpose” that we seek to accomplish.
Many of these perspectives contain important elements of truth, but many of them are also missing some …

One of the famous scenes from JR Tolkein’s book series “The Lord of the Rings” is when Frodo the Hobbit is talking with Gandalf the Wizard about his quest to destroy the ring of power.  Frodo remarks that he wishes the ring had not come to him, and that it was not his burden to bear.  To this, Gandalf replies that Frodo’s sentiment is shared by all people who face difficult times.  But the times you live are not for you to decide.  All that we can decide is what …