The Countdown – Day 3: The Mirage Of Happiness

December 31, 2010

All our decisions in life are motivated by the desire to be happy.
Even dysfunctional and destructive behaviors have the same underlying intention.
Except, the understanding of happiness they are based on is one that is inconsistent with true happiness.
You can desire to make money, believing that money can buy you happiness.
You can stalk a celebrity, believing [...]

Read the full article →

The Countdown – Day 4: Remember Your Resolutions

December 30, 2010

Looking at my own past failures in keeping my resolutions, the most influential reason for failure has always been forgetting that I even have resolutions!
I’d be organizing my papers in March and discover a piece of scrap paper with my resolutions scribbled on it, or accidentally find a computer file with my resolutions buried in [...]

Read the full article →

The Countdown – Day 5: Say Goodbye To Karma!

December 28, 2010

Say Goodbye To Karma!
Karma is one of those destructive ideas people try to pass off as a natural law, proven by science and pretending to be an example of cause and effect: You do good, you see good. You do evil, you see evil.
I get worked up about the topic of karma because it leads [...]

Read the full article →

The Countdown – Day 6: Are SMART Goals Dumb?

December 28, 2010

Goal-setting is a very stressful activity, especially when it’s commonly associated with failure.
In the hope of avoiding disappointment, many personal growth writers advocate the SMART goal-setting approach.
SMART is capitalized not because I’m shouting at you or because I’m being sarcastic, but because it’s an acronym (although you can say it in a sarcastic tone throughout [...]

Read the full article →

The Countdown – Day 7: A Semblance Of Balance

December 27, 2010

Feeling out of control can cause chaos in every area of your life.
And while you’re struggling to fix the problems in one area, your efforts are compromised by all the other life areas that aren’t getting your attention and festering problems of their own.
But control isn’t an “all or nothing” proposition.
You can exercise a degree [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →