Blog
The Biggest Mistakes New Graduates Make
Dear new graduate: Congratulations and hats off to you! You’ve come a long way and reached a major milestone in your life. Maybe you’ve been so busy finishing assignments and getting to graduation that you haven’t taken much time to think about what comes next. (If so, you’re not alone!) With that in mind, here are some of the biggest mistakes new graduates make: ❌ Putting too much pressure on yourself to have it all figured out right away. ❌ Committing too early to a career path without vetting it deeply and remaining open to new and better possibilities. ❌
Thriving Amidst Chaos and Uncertainty: 12 Tips
Are you facing chaos and uncertainty in your life and work now? Finding it hard to manage things or lead? You’re not alone. You may have noticed a few disruptions lately: economic instability (including tariff uncertainty and supply chain disruptions) political polarization and the erosion of democratic norms technological disruption (including AI risks, scams, deepfakes, and more) geopolitical conflicts (including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East) climate change and extreme weather events Such disruptions come and go, but if you let them, they can have brutal impacts on your life, work, and leadership. Chaos and uncertainty can cause: anxiety
The Problem with Complacency
Complacency is one of the most dangerous and devious traps we can fall into. It lulls us into a false sense of comfort, blinding us to the risks we should be addressing and the growth we could be pursuing. Whether it’s our health, relationships, career, or leadership, complacency keeps us stuck instead of moving forward. Examples abound. For instance, a worker might stay in a role she’s outgrown, missing out on more challenging and fulfilling opportunities. A manager may ignore early signs of conflict among team members, allowing tensions to escalate. A husband might stop expressing appreciation for his wife.
The Problem with Avoidance
Avoidance is a natural coping mechanism that can protect us from danger. But when it’s overused, as in putting off difficult tasks or dodging hard conversations, it can backfire and make things worse. It’s a common phenomenon. A manager avoids dealing with a worker’s toxic behavior because it’s a high performer. A worker avoids asking for a raise because it’s uncomfortable. A husband ignores growing signs of his wife’s dissatisfaction. A wife settles for a lack of connection and intimacy. Both partners feel unappreciated but never express their needs. When you’re in avoidance mode, you’re deliberately steering clear of thoughts,
Purposeful Aging–Still Growing and Giving
Article Summary: People today are living much longer, yet we still have the old narrative about aging as decline. We need a new narrative focused on purposeful aging. Excerpts from my conversation with best-selling author, Richard Leider, in the wake of the publication of the 4th edition of The Power of Purpose: To Grow and to Give for Life, with David Shapiro.* +++ Gregg Vanourek: Richard, I’ve always been fascinated by your Inventure Expeditions, where you’ve taken groups of people to Tanzania. Tell me about them. Richard Leider: I started in 1983. I was on the board of Outward Bound.
The Spiritual Side of Purpose
Article Summary: How are purpose and spirituality related? How about calling? Excerpts from my conversation on purpose and spirituality with best-selling author, Richard Leider, in the wake of the publication of the 4th edition of The Power of Purpose: To Grow and to Give for Life, with David Shapiro.* +++ Gregg Vanourek: Richard, I want to ask you about defining moments or phases of your life that have been purposeful. What’s your personal experience with purposeful living? Richard Leider: Well, I think we’ve all had fortuitous encounters with people in our life who have made a difference in some way,
Unlock Your Purpose–3 Key Elements
Article Summary: Knowing and living your purpose is hard for many. It helps to break it down to the three key elements of purpose. Excerpts from my conversation with best-selling author, Richard Leider.* +++ Gregg Vanourek: Richard, you have something you call the “napkin test.” You’ve written that calling, which you sometimes use as a synonym for purpose, is a function of your gifts and your passions and your values: G + P + V = C “’Finding your purpose’ is misleading, however, because it’s not something we have to go out and ‘find.’ Rather, purpose is revealed when we turn
Purpose Demystified
Article Summary: Many people resist thinking about their purpose, in part due to common misunderstandings about it. Excerpts from my conversation with best-selling author, Richard Leider.* ++++++++++++ Gregg Vanourek: Richard, congratulations on your new book, the fourth edition of The Power of Purpose: To Grow and to Give for Life, with David Shapiro. Great to see it doing so well. I want to start at the beginning. Many people, when they think about purpose, might be a little skeptical. They might struggle with it. Some might come to you and say, Purpose sounds a little abstract, Richard. It sounds a
The People Who Fuel Your Passions
Who are the people who fuel your passions—the things that consume you with palpable emotion over time? For me, there are so many. There are five different types of such people: passion igniters passion inspirations passion pals passion partners passion enablers (And read on to the end for one other important type…) 1. Passion Igniters Your passion igniters are the people who set your passions ablaze in your life. Here are some examples: For me, I fell in love with soccer in part due to a fiery and intense coach, John Goetz, who led our “Choppers” youth soccer team
The Problem with Not Having Boundaries
How well have you been setting boundaries lately? Have you been proactively defining how others should treat you? How about establishing limits for yourself that you commit to respecting? Are you clear on what you’re willing to accept or tolerate—and consistent in enforcing it? Having boundaries is essential for both your personal and professional wellbeing. Boundaries serve to protect you, enhance your wellbeing, and provide a sense of control over your life. Unfortunately, it’s not easy—at least not for most of us. Setting and maintaining boundaries can be difficult because it often requires saying no, risking conflict, or disappointing others.
How to Practice Acceptance When Things Are Tough
These days, you may be feeling anxious or concerned. It’s no wonder, given how much uncertainty and strife we’re seeing regularly. What’s on your mind? Is it concern about high prices or worry about trade wars? Political polarization and social divides? Immigration concerns? Misinformation and disinformation? Or mass shootings, mental health concerns, social justice issues, climate change? Extreme weather events like wildfires and hurricanes? Last year, 77% of U.S. adults indicated the future of their nation as a significant source of stress in their lives, and 73% indicated the economy as such. The overall average level of stress among Americans in
Unlock the Power of Progress
You probably have aspirations, and you know that to accomplish them you need to apply yourself and get going on relevant work. But you may also be looking, even if subconsciously, for a Hollywood-style breakthrough. A Eureka moment. And that’s holding you back. Researcher and Harvard Business School Professor Teresa Amabile and her colleagues, including researcher Steven Kramer, spent nearly 15 years studying the psychological experiences and performance of people doing complex and creative work in organizations. They looked into workers’ emotions, moods, motivation levels, and perceptions of their work environment. The researchers studied what work they did and what
Avoid These New Year’s Resolution Pitfalls
New year’s resolutions are famously difficult to achieve. So much so that they’re the butt of jokes. “May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” -Joey Adams, comedian It would be funnier if the stakes weren’t so high. If it weren’t our lives, health, and relationships at issue. There are many reasons for the low success rate. For starters, fuzzy thinking. Case in point: we rarely distinguish between resolutions, goals, and habits. Resolutions are firm decisions to do or not to do something (i.e., deciding something with determination). Goals are the desired results you hope to
Why You Should Do an Annual Life Review–And How
You’re probably familiar with an annual performance review. According to SHRM, about 71% of organizations conduct them. But not many people have done an annual life review. In a way, that’s odd because of the importance of our quality of life. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” -Socrates, ancient Greek philosopher Those who do such reviews they tend to call them different things. Some call it an “annual life review.” Others call it a “personal annual review.” A friend and colleague of mine calls it his “annual look.” He’s been doing it regularly since 1977, and he swears by
Can We Find Peace in the Face of Death?
Article Summary What is it we fear in death? Most of us use denial as a big part of our strategy, but are there better ways to break free from the fear? Here we inquire into its root causes and look at some perspectives to (mostly) liberate ourselves from this fear—and find peace. (Guest blog by Niccolas Albiz.) ++++++ You know how it is: You have some spreadsheet work to do so you fill the background silence with YouTube videos or some music. Today it just so happened that the fates had lined up three consecutive videos that all touched
