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The Power of Relationships in Our Lives
Article Summary: On the costs of social isolation and loneliness, the benefits of close relationships on our health, wellbeing, and happiness, and how to develop and maintain close relationships. +++ Loneliness and disconnection are big problems these days for many. This year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the “public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection.” He noted, “Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.” According to a Guardian article, about 20 percent of people report that loneliness is a “major
Goal-Pursuit: Best Practices
Article Summary: This article addresses best practices in goal-pursuit, broken down into four areas: mindset, people, techniques, and systems. It’s the fourth article in a four-part series on goals. +++ Many of us are no strangers to setting goals. We’ve been doing it for a long time. But how are we doing when it comes to goal attainment? Do we know? Many of us fall short of our goals fairly often. Sometimes the problem is in the goal-setting process. (See my article, “Goal-Setting Practices: Beyond SMART Goals.”) But in other cases, the problem is in our goal-pursuit process—something very few
Goal-Setting Best Practices: Beyond SMART Goals
Article Summary: This article addresses best practices in goal-setting, including criteria for setting goals, a framework for evaluating a draft set of goals, and a goal-setting checklist. It’s the third article in a four-part series on goals. +++ Goals are common in our life and work. But that doesn’t mean we’re good at setting and achieving them. Far from it. How many goals have we missed over the years? For most people, it’s many. What’s going on? Here we address what the research says about best practices in goal-setting and offer new criteria to use in goal-setting in two areas:
The Most Common Mistakes in Goal-Setting and Goal-Pursuit
Article Summary: This article notes the most common mistakes in goal-setting and goal-pursuit. It’s the second article in a four-part series on goals. +++ Though researchers have examined goals and goal-setting for more than a century, the practice of setting and pursuing goals is still widely misunderstood and often badly misapplied. There are dangers of not getting it right. When we don’t set and pursue goals properly, we can experience frustration, stress, burnout, and disillusionment.* In this article, we’ll first address the most common mistakes in goal-setting and then turn to the most common mistakes in goal-pursuit. The 8
The Benefits of Setting and Pursuing Goals
Article Summary: This article defines goals and gives examples of different types of goals, followed by the benefits of setting and pursuing goals. It’s the first article in a four-part series on goals. +++ Goals are the desired results we hope to achieve. They’re the object of our ambition and effort. There are many different types of goals, including the following: We can also have goals in different areas, such as career, health, finances, and education. The Benefits of Setting and Pursuing Goals When done well, setting and pursuing goals can help motivate individuals, workers, athletes, teams, and organizations
20 Benefits of Gratitude
It’s easy to take things for granted. We may appreciate things for a while but, sure enough, we eventually start discounting them. The unhappy result is that we can go through long stretches of our lives without noticing the good things. The benefits of gratitude show up not only in hordes of modern scientific studies but also in centuries of shared wisdom. All the major religions encourage and celebrate gratitude. And many great spiritual teachers have been powerful exemplars of living with a grateful heart attuned to the wonders of creation. 20 Benefits of Gratitude in Our Lives Feeling
How to Craft a Vision of the Good Life
Article Summary: What is a vision of the good life? Why is it hard to create one? What are the benefits of having a vision of the good life? How to craft a vision of the good life? +++ Working hard but lacking energy and motivation? Busy but feeling depleted? Not sure what you want anymore—or what direction to take? Feeling overcommitted, juggling too many things? These are common feelings these days, even among high achievers and committed parents and citizens. The problem is that, if we let them go for too long, things can start unraveling. We begin to
The Power of Integrating Our Passions into Our Life and Work
In the world of personal development, passion is one of the things that’s most misunderstood. “Follow your passion” is common advice. But is it right? The answer may surprise you. What Is a Passion? Our passions are the things that consume us with palpable emotion over time. They’re the things we love so much that we’re willing to suffer for them. Researchers have defined passions as strong inclinations toward activities we value and like or love, and in which we invest our time and energy. (1) Author and coach Curt Rosengren calls passion “the energy that comes from bringing
The Power of Knowing and Using Our Strengths
Many people are disengaged at work and not energized and thriving in their lives. One major reason is that they’re not using their strengths—the things they’re good at—regularly. According to data from Gallup’s global client database, most people aren’t using their strengths every day at work. See the chart below. Many of us are either working in areas of our weaknesses or focused on fixing our weaknesses instead of leveraging our strengths more in what we do. For example: We’re doing things we’d rather avoid—perhaps things that bore us or make us feel weak or incompetent. We keep trying things
On Spirituality and the Good Life
Article Summary: How spirituality and the good life are related, including the benefits of having a spiritual practice and examples of it. +++ We all want to live a good life, but are we living in such a way as to make it likely? In many cases, the cultural influences around us aren’t helping. Think about it. How many of us feel anxious and stressed much of the time? To what degree are we influenced by cultural messages and forces related to consumerism and materialism, status and ego, fear and greed, manipulation and division? How many of us feel time-starved and struggle
The Importance of Service in Living a Good Life
These days, it’s easy to become self-involved. So much is coming at us so quickly. We live in a world of speed and busyness in an age of social media, celebrities, and influencers. These cultural influences are strong, pulling our egos toward a certain way of living that can become superficial and materialistic. We can be obsessed with climbing professionally, with chasing success. And we can take all that we have for granted, as we’re so focused on chasing more. This may keep us occupied (if not overloaded), but it’s not a recipe for good living. In all the chase,
Journaling: Benefits and Best Practices
We humans have been journaling, writing diaries, or otherwise writing down our thoughts, feelings, and experiences for centuries. It’s a practice that dates back to the ancients. And it’s a tool that’s been used by pilgrims, explorers, soldiers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and artists. People journal for different reasons. Some people journal to engage in deeper reflection, while others do it to help manage stress or process difficult experiences. Some journal as a way to reinforce their strengths or accomplishments; others focus on gratitude. Many therapists, counselors, and coaches recommend journaling, and many teachers assign it in schools. Those who journal are
Why We Need Meditation and Mindfulness Now More than Ever
With the way we’re living in the world today, many of us struggle with stress, anxiety, and other harmful mental states. Many people struggle with worrying, overthinking, or ruminating. Some struggle with “monkey mind,” with thoughts swinging wildly in different directions. In some cases, we’re too frazzled to have a rich inner life, and our hearts are heavy with the burdens of the day and concerns of the world. Enter meditation. With meditation, we can train our minds to become more present, focused, and still. We can train our attention and awareness, helping us feel calm and clear. Meditation is
What Reflecting on Death Can Teach Us about Living
Death. We have a tendency to avoid thinking about it, talking about it, and planning for it. For many, death is their greatest fear. So much left behind. So many mysteries. It doesn’t help that so many of us are cut off from nature in the modern developed world. We have so many amenities and conveniences and so much sheltering that we rarely encounter the natural phenomenon of death all around us, from the animal and plant kingdoms to the birth and death of galaxies and stars. Because of our anxieties and fears, we revert to avoidance and denial. It
Why Self-Awareness Is So Important–And How to Develop It
Article Summary: Self-awareness is critical in our life, work, and relationships, but many of us struggle with it. How to develop self-awareness. +++ To be self-aware is to have a good understanding of ourselves, including conscious knowledge of our feelings, motives, and desires. Self-awareness (also known as self-knowledge) involves having a clear, accurate, and deep understanding of our emotions, values, strengths, and weaknesses. It also involves having a realistic view of ourselves, including a good and true sense of how we’re coming across to others. In her book, Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See
