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By Diggy

Many of us have been taught to strive for being number 1, to be the best at whatever we do. There are certain things in life where it is not possible to be the best, simply because there is no best. One thing that is certain is that it is possible to be your best self, meaning the best person you can possible be. Let me explain…

• In a 100m sprint you can be the best by completing it in the quickest time.
• In a math exam you can be the best by getting the most answers correct.
• As a builder you can be the best by building the most brick walls of the highest quality.

In life, you can be the best by being your best self and living the best possible life you can. I can’t tell you what that best life is. Some people want to put together a fortune. Some people want fame. Some people want to make an impact on the lives of others. Some people want world peace and make it a mission to achieve that. I think that you be your best self by going after your dreams and living up to your full potential.

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This entry was posted on May 10, 2010 and is filed under: Personal Growth - 14 Comments »

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By Srinivas Rao

A few months back I wrote a post here about why a blog is an excellent personal development tool. The other day I was watching the movie Julie and Julia (don’t ask), but because it was something that was the result of a blog, I was kind of curious about the story. I wanted to see if I could extract anything useful from watching it. What struck me about 30 minutes into the movie was the the main character set a goal, and used a blog to accomplish a goal. Sure, her goal was completely random, but it made me think that the process she followed might be a great formula for using a blog to accomplish any goal. In fact many blogs start because of an effort to accomplish some sort of goal.

Choose a goal: First you want to choose a goal. Your goal should be something that you can track or measure. It could be losing weight, learning an instrument, or whatever it is you want to do. For the sake of what I’m talking about, let’s use something like learning to play guitar. I can’t play the guitar, but I have played a musical instrument for an extended period in my life. Yep, I was a band geek.

Start Your Blog: Whatever platform you use for the purposes of this exercise doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to get advanced in terms of designing a site or even having your own domain.  You can get away with something as simple as a free typepad or blogger blog. I will say this however. Because the barrier to entry to using those platforms is so low, you might be more motivated to follow through if you go through a more difficult process to get started. Just some food for thought.

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This entry was posted on May 5, 2010 and is filed under: Blogging - 26 Comments »

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By Mark Harrison

Henry David Thoreau famously wrote that most people (‘the mass of men’) live lives of quiet desperation.  Most of us probably wouldn’t describe our daily experience as ‘desperation,’ but there may be an uncomfortable feeling that we are drifting along, not having a clear aim, not having achieved what we dreamed about in the past and yet not knowing quite why.

Usually, this feeling is not painful enough to drive us into making any real changes, so the danger is that we can drift along like this indefinitely. Many people who have made significant advances in life have had periods of intense discomfort which have forced them to go inside, reflect and become more aware.

For most of us, there are things we can do to become clearer about where we are, what we want and how to get there. These practices may be less radical that sudden upheavals and painful experiences, but they can be uncomfortable – learning new things usually is – and a gentle persistence will be an important attitude to adopt if you attempt them seriously.

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This entry was posted on April 23, 2010 and is filed under: Life - 17 Comments »

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By Ali Hale

Do you blame yourself for other people’s problems? Are you constantly apologizing for things which aren’t your fault, or your responsibility?

Some of us have a tendency to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We worry about our partners, our friends and our children, trying to do everything in our power to ensure that they’re happy.

When something goes awry for someone close to us, we blame ourselves:

• A colleague forgets a deadline, and we think I should have reminded him!
• Our partner is stressed by her tax return, struggling (like every year) to get her figures together, and we think I should have done it for her!
• A child is upset by an argument in the playground, and we think I should have chosen a different school!

The list can go on, and on, and on. There are all sorts of ways in which we’re great at blaming ourselves for situations which were outside our control and which weren’t our responsibility in the first place.

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This entry was posted on April 20, 2010 and is filed under: Life - 17 Comments »

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By Tara Sophia Mohr

I  think this is one the most important articles I’ve written. I think this topic is so important, and it’s rarely talked about.

I wasted a lot of time in my life and gone through a lot of suffering because I didn’t get it, and I’ve watched a lot of friends, colleagues, and classmates do the same. If you agree, please share the message.

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As a coach, I’m frequently in conversation with clients and friends facing dilemmas. Option 1 or Option 2? Job A or Job B?  School C or School D?

I often hear them say, “I’m thinking maybe I should choose the harder option (the one that is turning my stomach upside down as I think about it right now), because then I will grow.”

This is a widespread, treasured notion in our culture: stretch yourself in order to grow.

It’s true: we do grow from challenges, but after watching dozens of friends make the “do the harder option and grow” choice (and doing that several times myself) here’s what I’ve seen: there are some challenges from which we grow beautifully. We come out the other side, stronger, better, blossoming, even. Then there are hard experiences of challenge that leave us battered and beat down and less than what we were when we started.

What makes the difference?

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This entry was posted on April 15, 2010 and is filed under: Life - 29 Comments »

By Peter Clemens

One of my favorite things to do is curl up with a good book. However, with a long commute and a couple of young, energetic boys (ages 2 & 3) it’s rare that I get time to kick back and read. That’s why I love audio books so much – they allow me to enjoy books while I’m on the go.

I typically listen to 3-4 audio books per month. Two of these audio books I get because I’m a member of Audible (the world’s largest provider of digital audio books for download). In the past I also downloaded the other 1-2 audio books from Audible, but eventually I got tired of paying extra for these and decided to see what free audio books were available online for download. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
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This entry was posted on April 12, 2010 and is filed under: Audio Books - 9 Comments »