“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Basketball legend, Michael Jordan When we think about our growth as people—whether in…
Have you ever tried to bake a loaf of bread with the oven door wide open? Probably not. You know that unless the door is closed the oven won’t get hot enough to bake the dough. This concept also applies to the development of your personality. Without enough “heat” you tend not to change. Unlike…
Have you ever had a dream in which you were trying, unsuccessfully, to find your way out of a large house or other building? You feel lost, frustrated, or panicky. You encounter hallways or stairways that lead nowhere, or perhaps circle back upon themselves. Odd passageways or doors all around, yet none seem to get…
I There is an old apple tree outside my office. Each spring she wears a dress of fragrant white blossoms. This spring she is also giving shelter to a family of blackbirds nesting in her trunk. I watch the parents pop in and out of the cavity, bringing food to their young. The hole, the…
It seems we have entered the era of information overload. Our access to ideas, products, opinions, and research has grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Now anyone can publish their writing and anyone around the world can read what they’ve written. Through the internet the sharing of ideas, beliefs, perceptions and perspectives has become…
Some people who experience a stroke–the loss of blood flow to part of the brain–lose the vision and physical sensations on one side of their body. Depending upon the location of the stroke, it may also affect their awareness of these sensory losses. For example, if I place an eyepatch over one of your eyes,…
“I drink to take the edge off” a client once told me. “It relieves the anxiety and tension that accumulates during my day.” I understood his meaning, but was also intrigued by his use of the word “edge.” An edge is a boundary or line where two things meet. The edge of a table is…
I have never really been a fan of grading on a curve. It has always seemed to me that a student’s relationship to the subject matter rather than his rank among his classmates should define his grade. Although grading based on a curve may encourage study by creating competition between students, it also sends the…
Analytical thinking is the backbone of science and a key attribute setting us apart from other animals. The gifts it has provided us impact every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat to how we communicate and travel. But there is a dark side to our love affair with the analytical mind. When…
An 11 year-old boy was given the homework assignment of writing a letter to his future self. He wrote: “I’m 5 feet two inches 91 pounds. Good athlet [sic]. I think in 7 years I will be between 6 ft to 6ft 4 inches 140 pounds. I hope to go to a good college in…