Thanks to my company, I was fortunate to have been able to watch a webinar called “Mindfulness in Everyday Life” from WellnessConcepts. Here are some of my takeaways: People have more negative thoughts than positive thoughts. They tend not to obsess about positive things. People fixate on past events. We…
Thanks to my company, I was fortunate to have been able to watch a webinar on resilience from the WellnessConcepts company earlier this year. Here are some of my takeaways: Resilient people tend to have a positive attitude, are optimistic, flexible, and exhibit grit. But you don’t have to be…
Last year, I gave a (virtual) speech. It was the speech I’ve give more often than any other. I always title it the same name as my book, “Six Simple Rules for a Better Life,” but the organizers (one of whom had seen the speech the prior year) titled it…
Early this year, I read the book “How to Change Your Mind,” by Michael Pollan, about psychedelic drugs, which are finding a place in the medical world to treat addictions such as smoking, alcoholism, and some forms of mental illness. In the 2020 elections, Oregon passed a law legalizing the…
My earliest, clear memory of the then-imminent pandemic was almost exactly a year ago, during an early-morning visit to a hotel gym. I was attending a business conference in Austin, Texas. As I peddled away on a stationary bike on February 27, I read the news on my phone. In…
A few years ago, as we were about to try an Italian wine during a guided tour in Italy, the tour guide taught us how to clink glasses over drinks. Most of us, when we tap the other person's glass, look at the glass to make sure we are tapping…
One lesson that’s been reinforced for me during the pandemic is that new experiences come with fear, uncertainty, and discomfort. The first time I went to the supermarket was unnerving. The second time was a bit easier. The third time easier still. I got into a routine, and while the…
Exposing yourself to new ideas is critical, and if you only read one article this month, I highly recommend this, powerful, important piece by Nikole Hannah-Jones in the New York Times Magazine. This long article is a short way to learn about the injustices Black people have faced in the…