The Thinker Identity (Part 4)
I opened this series by asserting that the Thinker needs to develop certain characteristic ways of thinking: Decisive Essentialized Principled Creative Value-Oriented Parts 1–3 explained what I meant by these and discussed how these characteristics are the product of...
The Thinker Identity (Part 3)
In my article two weeks ago, I introduced the idea of the “Thinker Identity,” and I offered that a thinker develops five characteristic ways of thinking: Decisive Essentialized Principled Creative Value-Oriented Here’s a new brief summary of my conclusions from...
The Thinker Identity (Part 2)
Last week, I introduced the idea of the “Thinker Identity,” and I offered that a thinker develops five characteristic ways of thinking: Decisive Essentialized Principled Creative Value-Oriented I chewed decisiveness quite thoroughly, and thought I had finished with...
The Thinker Identity (Part 1)
My business coach encourages us to develop a new identity in order to produce at a higher level — to create more value for more people and therefore earn more money. Her stories about this are a dramatic concretization of the idea that “man is a being of self-made...
Catching Emotionalism
Emotions are designed to draw your attention and control action — to make that action feel urgent and inevitable. Once you learn to manage your emotions, you can harness this capacity to motivate sustained action toward your most important long-range goals. And you...
Which Comes First — The How or the Commitment?
I’m reading an interesting book by Peter Block, which opens with this quote from him: There is depth in the question “How do I do this?” that is worth exploring. The question is a defense against the action. It is a leap past the question of purpose,...
The Vision of Essentialism
I recently reread Essentialism by Greg McKeown, a book I recommended in 2019. This bestseller encourages you to do “less but better.” I liked the book on my first reading. I appreciate it more now because I read it with a different purpose. Back then, I was focused on...
How Do You Validate Aspirational Thoughts?
Aspirational thoughts can be very motivating — if you believe them. By an aspirational thought, I mean any statement about your ability to achieve something in the future, something that you haven't achieved in the past. It could be a prediction, such as "I will lose...
Book Recommendation: The Coaching Habit
When you believe you have more knowledge and/or experience than another person, it can be tempting to give him advice. Sometimes he even asks for it. But advice is not as helpful as you might suppose. If you haven't worked to understand the exact problem, your advice...
Value Jars, an Emotional Resilience Tool
Emotional resilience is your ability to recover quickly after you get triggered, so that you can take a purposeful, value-oriented emotion. The more emotional resilience you have, the less you fall into defensiveness or emotionalism. Why emotional resilience is...