Why Not Just Be Good?

Default. Habitual. Less-than-fully-Conscious. Routine. Comfortable. The Usual. So much of what we do is out of habit. It’s routine. It’s just the way we do it. There’s good reason for how this happens and why. We’re built to create and use routines and habits. It’s efficient. It leaves room to focus on threats and survival. It’s primitive….

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. – Aristotle  *  *  * (No, not that way!) *  *  * Be willing to ruffle some feathers. Be willing to make mistakes and be judged by those on the sidelines. Be willing to feel a little bad, for a minute,…

The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind. Failure makes people bitter and cruel. – W. Somerset Maugham So many people mis-quote the biblical passage about money and the “root of all evil.”…

There’s no shortage of pithy sayings about, or formulas for, living in the world today. At the risk of adding to the “noise,” here is my basic formula: just A.S.K.. First, be Authentic. Easier said than done, especially in the Western/Modern world. In a consumer-oriented culture we are barraged with entreaties to consume this, that…

Speeches that are measured by the hour will die with the hour. – Thomas Jefferson Anything that takes too long to convey will be experienced as an ordeal. That which is delivered with relevance, wit and dispatch will be valued – and remembered. Be brief. Be complete. Be useful. It’s possible to do all three….

Make yourself proud. – Peter W. Smith Who do you spend the most time with? Answer: you. Who is the person whose esteem is most important, to you? Again: you. What makes this so powerful for me is when you approach it from a different angle. Who do you need to trust the most? Your…