The one thing worse than failing to achieve your goals may be succeeding in reaching the wrong goals. — Goals-setting is not a magical one-stop solution to cure all your ills. Like powerful prescription medication, it can be effective when used for the proper indication and at the correct dose but toxic when misapplied. In my previous article, I explored some ways that misuse of goal-setting can cause harm…

Six rules learned from prior mistakes about setting better goals in the future. — I have failed to achieve many goals in my life. Some were one-time goals like a family trip to Europe (stupid COVID), and others were perennial losers like learning to play the guitar or losing that last 10 lbs. It is safe to say that I have failed more than…

Wanting what I already had seemed straightforward, but it proved surprisingly difficult until life taught me this hard lesson. — The one thought that scares me more than losing my own life is the thought of losing someone close to me. Yet, that is precisely the frightening reality I confronted when my wife of thirty years was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition. And it may be one of the…

Like any strong medicine, goal-setting can help you improve but can prove toxic if misused. — “To live for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.” — Robert M. Pirsig Goal-setting is marketed as the golden ticket to wealth, fame, and happiness, but is it really? Goal-Setting As the Genie in the Lamp According to many, goal setting is the modern-day Genie in…

You don’t need to gain anything more to be free, but you do need to know what to let go. You don’t need to add anything to be free; you need to start dropping things. The Truth You don’t need to add anything more to your life to be free. …

Most people achieve poor results because they live on only the two lowest levels of goal attainment. — Why aren’t you achieving the results you want? Frequently people get caught up in finding the techniques that promise the best result without looking at the big picture to see if those techniques fit with who they want to be. …

Suffering is a wake-up call to lessons you need — but don’t want — to learn. — Your suffering is a gift. Treat it like one. If you are suffering, that means you are asleep to the truth. Suffering is a call to wake up and open your eyes to see where your falsehoods collide with reality. Why You Suffer When your false beliefs clash with reality, you suffer. Where…

How to make philosophy a practical adjunct to your life. — “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school… It is to solve some of the problems of life, not theoretically, but practically.”— Henry David Thoreau My grandfather was a practical joker and purveyor of thrift shop magic tricks. He once convinced…

True wisdom is not applying yesterday’s false beliefs to today. — Experience alone will not make you wise. Here’s why this distinction matters: In fifty years, some people will gain fifty years of experience, while others will have the same one year of experience repeated fifty times. The Difference Between True Wisdom and Experience To gain wisdom, you must be changed by your experiences. To be changed means…