You, Batman & Dora the Explorer
#964

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Time to Put on Your Heroic Costume?

Not too long ago, we talked about Ellen Langer’s fascinating (!) research on the power of pretending you’re an air force pilot. Play the role well and… Voila! The quality of your vision goes up. (Sing it with me… That’s C R A Y – Z E E!!) In his super-fun book

+1 inspired by Note: The Alter Ego Effect

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Confidence & Self-Image

Words Matter - Part II
#963

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With What Words Are YOU Priming Yourself?

Continuing our brief exploration of the power of placebo-words (and expectations), I’d like to go back to Harvard and walk from Benson’s lab in the Medical School back to Langer’s Psychology of Possibility Lab for a couple more bits of wisdom. Knowing that we’re all busy and ready to go...

+1 inspired by Note: Counterclockwise

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Conquering Cancer & Self-Image

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Capturing a Richer Mindset
#960

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Via the Power of Placebo-Words

In our last +1, we revisited Ellen Langer at her “Psychology of Possibility” lab at Harvard to learn that words matter. As you may recall, simply priming people with words associated with old age (via a crossword puzzle!) will cause them to walk more slowly to the elevator than those who we...

+1 inspired by Note: Counterclockwise

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Peak Performance & Self-Image

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When the Facts Change
#957

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What Do You Do?

Saving the longer philosophical chat about economic theories, Today we’re going to chat about a brilliant line from one of history’s most influential economists, John Maynard Keynes. He once (brilliantly) said: “I change my mind when the facts change. What do you do?” Be...

+1 inspired by Note: The Power of Agency

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Antifragility & Self-Image

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Nietzsche on Shedding One’s Skin
#949

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Me, You and Mr. Little Lizard

This morning I hit the Trail for a super easy recovery day walk-hike. As I was cruising along enjoying the astonishingly perfect blue skies set behind the equally perfect brown-green landscape, I saw a lizard. Now, this was a funny-looking lizard. At first glance as he scurried by...

+1 inspired by Note: Thus Spoke Zarathustra

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Confidence & Self-Image

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Sweeping Our Own Porches
#910

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(And: Happy 150th Birthday, Gandhi!)

Today is, of course, October 2nd, 2019. Let’s hop in a time machine. Destination: 150 years ago: 1869. Coordinates: 21°37′48″N 69°36′0″E. (← That’s the northwest part of India. 🤓) Cars don’t exist yet. Neither do phones. (Let alone a smartphone.)

+1 inspired by Note: Gandhi the Man

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Modern Hērō & Self-Image

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“How Am I THAT?”
#907

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Well, How Are You?

Continuing our exploration of using interpersonal challenges as fuel for our flames and brightness, let’s talk a little more about how to alchemize interactions with challenging people people we perceive to be challenging. This little passage from Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr’s gr...

+1 inspired by Note: The Power of Full Engagement

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Conquering Perfectionism & Self-Image

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Hanging out with Confucius
#906

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Learning from the Good and the Bad

A few +1s ago, we posed the question: “How is this making me stronger?” Specifically: How is this challenge I’m facing Today making me stronger? (Well, how is it?!) In the context of interpersonal challenges, there are a lot of tools we can use. Some of my favorites include ...

+1 inspired by Note: The Analects of Confucius

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Antifragility & Self-Image

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Not Kicking Over Beehives
#883

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Part 2 (Featuring Lincoln + Franklin + You)

In our last +1, we hung out with Dale Carnegie who echoed the wisdom of Jesus and the Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello. As you may recall, we learned that the fastest way to kick over the beehive in our relationships is to criticize someone. 🐝 Let’s spend another moment on the same th...

+1 inspired by Note: How to Win Friends and Influence People

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Leadership & Self-Image

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How to Win Friends and Influence People
#882

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Rule #1 (STOP Criticizing!)

In our last couple +1s, we had fun taking beams out of our own eyes (rather than worrying about the motes of dust in others’ eyes) while writing prescriptions for ourselves (rather than for our neighbors). Today I’d like to continue that theme with some wisdom from one of the all-time bests...

+1 inspired by Note: How to Win Friends and Influence People

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Leadership & Self-Image

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Prescribing Medicine for Your Neighbor
#881

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← Is Crazy. YOU Need It!

In our last +1, Jesus joined the party and helped us take the BEAM out of our own eye rather than point out the sawdust in everyone else’s eyes. Let’s talk about that some more. Anthony de Mello comes to mind. He was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. Incredibly insp...

+1 inspired by Note: Awareness

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Conquering Perfectionism & Self-Image

Agency Compassion conquering-perfectionism Happiness self-awareness self-image Work

Jesus on Motes and Beams
#880

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Ignore One, Focus on the Other

In our last +1, we talked about lint on the projector’s lens and the fact that, as per Byron Katie, “every perceived problem appearing ‘out there’ is really nothing more than a misperception within your own thinking.” As I imagined us all busting out a nice little cloth to cl...

+1 inspired by Note: The Jefferson Bible

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Confidence & Self-Image

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Lint on a Projector’s Lens
#879

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Got Any on Yours?

In our last couple +1s, we’ve been exploring the fact that everything is “empty” of meaning. One more time: We bring our own consciousness to E V E R Y T H I N G and that influences what we see. Pretty much all the great spiritual teachers talk about this. Today we’re go...

+1 inspired by Note: Loving What Is

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Confidence & Self-Image

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Empty Feet (Part 2)
#878

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One More Time: It’s ALL Empty! (Fill It Up Wisely)

In our last couple +1s we’ve been talking about feet. We started off with a little biomechanical goodness on the virtues of going barefoot on occasion and then moved into a discussion on the inherent “emptiness” of meaning after I got two EXACTLY opposite responses to precisely t...

+1 inspired by Note: The Dhammapada

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Confidence & Self-Image

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Empty Feet
#877

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Ink Blobs and Emptiness on the Trail

In our last +1, we hung out with my feet. (Left foot. Left foot. Left foot. Right! … Feet in the morning. Feet at night! 🤓) As you may recall, I shared a story about a nice lady who, after seeing me carrying my shoes on some uneven terrain at the end of my Trail workout, said:

+1 inspired by Note: The Dhammapada

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Confidence & Self-Image

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You, Batman & Dora the Explorer #964 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Words Matter - Part II #963 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Capturing a Richer Mindset #960 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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When the Facts Change #957 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Nietzsche on Shedding One’s Skin #949 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Sweeping Our Own Porches #910 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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“How Am I THAT?” #907 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Hanging out with Confucius #906 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Not Kicking Over Beehives #883 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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How to Win Friends and Influence People #882 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Prescribing Medicine for Your Neighbor #881 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Jesus on Motes and Beams #880 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Lint on a Projector’s Lens #879 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Empty Feet (Part 2) #878 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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Empty Feet #877 Get instant access to all +1's! Join nearly 10,000 members in the 1,000-Day Epic Optimizing Challenge and start optimizing your life today. Join Now

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You, Batman & Dora the Explorer
#964

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Words Matter - Part II
#963

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Capturing a Richer Mindset
#960

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When the Facts Change
#957

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Nietzsche on Shedding One’s Skin
#949

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Sweeping Our Own Porches
#910

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“How Am I THAT?”
#907

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Hanging out with Confucius
#906

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Not Kicking Over Beehives
#883

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How to Win Friends and Influence People
#882

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Prescribing Medicine for Your Neighbor
#881

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Jesus on Motes and Beams
#880

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Lint on a Projector’s Lens
#879

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Empty Feet (Part 2)
#878

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Empty Feet
#877

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