Are you stuck in a “costs too much” mindset?
I know, I know – it’s the WRONG season for persimmons which…
…if it be not ripe, it will draw a man’s mouth awry, with much torment, but when it is ripe, it is as delicious as an apricot.
— Captain John Smith
But the Persimmon Paradox isn’t really about persimmons… it’s about freeing yourself from mindsets that are not useful! (Still, if you get a hankering for persimmons because of this post, you might try “Just Persimmons ”. Mind you, I haven’t tried them because there’s only one way I like persimmons and that’s in the cookie form!) But I digress…
The “Costs Too Much” Mindset
Have you ever denied yourself something because it “costs too much?” Or found yourself deciding not to pursue an avenue of effort because it will take too long, be too hard, or take too much energy? If so, then you’ve succumbed to the Persimmon Paradox. Back in 2010 I read a story about a man who LOVED persimmons but almost didn’t buy the first-fruits-of-the-season because a bag of mouthwatering, perfect persimmons Continue reading » The Persimmon Paradox
Make someone happy.
Make just one someone happy.
And you will be happy too.
— Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Jule Styne
One of the blessings of having some time off is the opportunity to see a movie – or two. During the holiday season, I saw Arthur Christmas. This is truly a Christmas classic to be. Created by the makers of Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas imagines how the Claus family now uses technology to make sure that no child is disappointed on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, like many technical solutions, this one has Continue reading » Make Someone Happy
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.
— Aristotle
If Aristotle is correct, and I believe that he is, then the key question is “What habits do I need to develop to improve my life?” I could answer this with things like:
- Walk 30 minutes every day.
- Get eight hours of sleep each night.
- Eliminate sugar, salt and anything that tastes good from my diet.
Although doing any of these could be good for me, if I truly want to improve my life, I need to Continue reading » How to Become Consistently Cheerful
The best thinking has been done in solitude.
— Thomas Alva Edison
I am on vacation this week. The only responsibilities I have are investing and writing posts for the blog. (WHAT, you take a vacation and don’t work??!!!) As part of pampering myself, I’m catching up on Charlie Rose. Five nights a week, Charlie invites someone interesting, or famous, or powerful or sometimes all three at once, to his table and has a conversation with them. The Social Animal by David Brooks had just been published and Brooks was doing his book tour. Hence, he was Charlie’s guest for the hour. (I don’t mean to be overly familiar but I’ve been watching Charlie for sooooo long that I figure I can call him by his first name.)
The Social Animal is fiction, based on Continue reading » Speaking Up for the Introvert
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
— Abraham Lincoln
To get through life, we often impose a level of certainty that really doesn’t exist. We make future plans based on past performance. We “assume” that things will continue at least as well as they did before and probably will get better over time. For our parents, this was always a fairy tale. For us, reality slapped us in the face during the market crash of 2008-2009.
My first “professional” job was with a company that had never Continue reading » Finding Our Personal Power
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