From the Author

It’s kind of an obvious idea: to capitalize on what you do well in order to increase your level of results, productivity, and success. But you don’t have to do this in a vacuum. There are lots of ways to help you identify these strengths, including this one. It makes sense, therefore, to look around […]

The United States Declaration of Independence talks about the self-evident truth of “unalienable rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It’s no wonder, therefore, that so many people – myself included – have tried hard to gather a large amount of happiness over the years. But studies of happiness show that collecting good

One of the keys to productivity and success, as I’ve written quite often, is the ability to work well with others. That’s one reason why the traits of emotional intelligence and caring about other people can be so helpful. However, those traits can take a long time to improve. Fortunately, there are also some simple

Whether or not you’re aware of it, you’re a risk taker. At bottom, risk is simply exposure to uncertainty, sometimes laced with danger. Every time you make a decision or take an action, therefore, you’re exposing yourself to some level of risk. This risk comes in many forms, including but not limited to ethical, emotional,

Last time, I wrote about enhancing your credibility so you might be offered additional new and interesting opportunities. This time, let’s start with the assumption that you are offered such an opportunity. How should you proceed? Before you commit to it, here are some questions to ask and answer about the new task, project, or

If you’re anything like me, you have a strong and clear sense of your capabilities. You know with a good deal of accuracy what you can do, even if you’ve never done it before. However, other people understandably have far less confidence in you, particularly before you’ve proven yourself and posted a solid track record.

Last time, I got into thinking about how often we wish we had learned some good things sooner. I went over a few of them for you. Because I thought that went so well, I kept on thinking along the same lines, and now I’ve come up with a few more truths I believe everyone

How many times have you said something like: “I wish I had known this earlier (or when I was younger)?” It’s a common theme among thoughtful people. We keep learning. We keep reflecting on what we have learned. And we keep wishing we had learned some of the good stuff sooner. To help you in

It’s very difficult to overstate the power of habits, both good and bad. If you have habits of hard work and persistence, you’ll likely be productive and successful. If you have habits of sloth and capriciousness, you likely won’t. To help you become more productive and successful in your work and your life, here are

I recently wrote a piece about signs that show you’re successful, and received a lot of positive feedback on it. Without them falling all the way into “imposter syndrome,” a lot of people apparently feel less successful than they really are. That motivated me to think more about the topic, and I came up with