I’ve written a lot about my beef with The Four Noble Truths, which is famously translated into English to communicate that life is suffering and the cause of all suffering is desire. It goes on to explain that if you detach from that desire—and, ideally, from all desire—you will let go of that suffering and reach a state of peace. Now, apologists...
Read MoreI wrote in my previous post about how people focus more on screaming for others to change than thinking about things that they can do. There’s no doubt that most people care about issues—even though many are either pretending or grossly exaggerating their concern (The Office poked fun at this well when Ryan falsely professed his deep love for...
Read MoreOne of my favorite memories studying psychology is when I was told about an experiment where the experimenters told people to imagine they had won something (e.g., tickets to a concert, a kiss from their favorite celebrity) and then asked them when they would like to receive it. It's such a fascinating thought experiment because everyone thinks...
Read MoreThe Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose goes into a lot of detail about how growth is the point because all life strives to be in a better state over time. It differentiates this purpose from happiness, which is the indicator of growth, such as when you feel happy after eating, sex, sleeping, or physical activity. One of the...
Read MoreMost people know that you need to want something badly enough to drive forward and believe in yourself enough to continue through adversity. It is the main reason why people say, “Believe in yourself!” and, “It all comes down to who wants it more!” when trying to motivate people toward their goals. Many life philosophies, such as the Law of...
Read MoreAn exploration of your motivation As an Executive Advisor, I’ve helped business leaders for years present their strategies to other leaders and to their teams. Their biggest issue was always around getting their audience to acknowledge and support the points they were making and the actions that they were proposing. In presenting to these audienc...
Read MoreIf someone were to ask me what their life mantra should be, I would suggest, “New, Better, More”. Why? Because that’s what keeps life interesting, engaging, and meaningful. Let’s discuss. This blog and the book, The Meaning of Life, talk a lot about growth. Growth is ultimately the point of life, as all living organisms strive to grow and it ma...
Read MoreThere is one unifying goal in all of life: the positive outcome. Everyone is looking for that one meaning in life that makes them feel fulfilled: service to others, love, happiness, pleasure, achievement, learning, personal growth, financial success, respect, or appreciation. The truth is that it is all growth-related, as everyone looks forward t...
Read MoreMost simple motivational talks could be summarized as such: “Find what you want; believe you can attain it; and go out there and get it!” Similarly, when you go to the self-help section of a bookstore, you’ll find a whole list of books claiming to provide anything from the belief system to get what you want to step-by-step guidance to attain what...
Read MoreLonging. We all know the feeling: having a strong desire for something you can’t have. But do you have to feel that way? Let’s explore. I’ve been criticized in the past for stating what is basically common sense—of course, I’ve also had my brushes with people who vehemently oppose my “hot takes” (go figure). One of those biggest hot takes come...
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