In the days way before cellphones, if you wanted to call someone outside of your own area code you would reach out to an “operator” at the phone company for assistance. You would pick up the phone, dial zero, and an operator would pick up. They had a few options for how to place this […]
Communication, connections, talking
In the township in southeastern Pennsylvania where I live, the parking meters have a button on them that says “Press For Free Time.” If you press that button, the meter starts counting down from ten minutes. And you often see people after pushing that button rushing around trying to accomplish all the things they can […]
conservation, Energy, recovery, restorative, time
I was very fortunate to spend every summer of my childhood at a family vacation home in the beach town of Ventnor, New Jersey. Nothing ruins a beach day more than when it’s cloudy and overcast outside. When that would happen, we would walk outside with my father — who had been a lieutenant in […]
advice, optimistic
I was at a business networking event where one of the people introduced herself as a wedding photographer. And people were very interested in that it was sort of novel to have someone like that at this particular business networking group’s event. And when they started asking her questions, she revealed that she had been […]
career, career decisions, decision-making, Decisions
About six months ago, I started answering my cell phone by saying, “Good news only!” I’m not sure why I started doing that (I admit I’ve always been a fan of the Chaka Khan song Tell Me Something Good), but I thought I’d start the conversation requesting something good. I get all kinds of reactions […]
good news, mindset, news, optimism, positivity
Roller coaster enthusiasts have a term for the brief period of time right after a roller coaster has gone up the first hill, but before it is about to start that first descent, where they’re waiting in anticipation and excitement for that thrill ride to begin. They call it “the moment.” And it made me […]
Awareness, moments, selfaware
Back in high school I was excited to be accepted into an Honors English class, but not so excited when the first test was returned to us and I got a D. Apparently, there were a number of people in that same situation, and the teacher said, “If you didn’t get a good grade, you […]
mindset, positivity, recovery, upset
I was flying back from Charlotte after delivering a seminar for a client, seated in the last row of the plane in an aisle seat. When we landed, I stood up getting ready to get off the plane, and there was a young woman in the seat across the aisle in the same row asking […]
experience, happiness, positivity
In a survey by the American Psychological Association, more than half of US adults (56%) reported significant stress related to the 2020 presidential election. It is not surprising that this percentage was an increase over the 2016 election (52% reported election-related stress). And it is not surprising that so many people feel anxiety about the […]
election, Stress, stress management
One of my favorite concepts in psychology is called “Parkinson’s Law.” It suggests that work will expand to fill the time that was allotted for it. You might think of it as a measure of inefficiency. For example, if we leave three hours to do something, that tends to be the amount of time […]
efficient, leadership, time, time management