I was reading a wonderful blog post about the way the impermanence of things enhances our appreciation of them—and how instead of lamenting loss, we can realize if we had these things all the time we would begin to take them for granted; their beauty is tied to their impermanence.…
This is a guest post by Alissa Jones. In it, she talks about what she learned about the dangers of diet soda. It's perfect timing for this piece because Thanksgiving kicks off the season, between now and the end of the year, where people often eat too much and feel…
Marcie and I love a wonderful bike path about a 20-minute drive from our house. It's a six mile train (12 miles round trip) , running alongside the Saddle River, and passing through four towns along the way. A few weeks back, en route, we passed a woman on rollerblades…
In my monthly newsletter, I write an article and provide links to the prior month’s blog posts. Earlier this year, after publishing a simple piece on making healthy eating easier, I received the most feedback I’ve ever had. So I’m publishing it as a blog post today. While eating a…
Several times after speeches people have told me things I said (or written in my book) are things they have also learned in AA’s Twelve Step program of recovery: Progress, not perfection. Early on when I was a participant in the Strategic Coach Program®, founder Dan Sullivan preached the importance…
Not long after I published Six Simple Rules for a Better Life, I read a book called Willpower, by Roy Baumeister & John Tierney, which had come out the same month. In my book’s introduction, I talk about the importance of breaking down your big goals into small pieces, and…
There are numerous apps to help you to eat better and exercise more, as well as apps to help with habits of all kinds (not just exercise habits). I have not tested them out, so I don't have strong opinion on any, but anything that can help you to be…
I recently had the good fortune to sit in on a workshop with Cassie Solomon. Ms. Solomon conducted the workshop at the same conference where I was the keynote speaker. While her book, Leading Successful Change, is geared towards change in the workplace, her examples were largely about personal changes.…
I’ve written before and will write again: the key to making real, positive, lasting change, is breaking down your big goals into small pieces—small enough that when you focus on them one at a time for 21 days they will become a habit. Habits are the key because they are…
I've been biking to work lately. It's something I started doing last summer, partly inspired by my then-college-age son, who was living in Brooklyn and biking to his summer job in Manhattan. It was taking him about 30 minutes and I realized it would be the same for me. I…
This is not really a post about sex. But it sort of is. Most of us have seen those commercials for Viagra and other products that treat ED. The commercials feature pictures of people like the couple on bikes in today's photo (though they need bike helmets!) Like most drugs,…
This is a guest post by Ashley Hardway Ever since I can remember, I have been using humor to alleviate anxieties in relationships and in life situations that would otherwise be overwhelming to me. Some people, like my own mother, do not understand how I can make light of things…