“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” —Stephen McCranie The first article I submitted to a website never saw the light of day. It didn’t even get a response, and I don’t blame them. It was atrocious — the kind of article you take out back, shoot, light on fire, then bury in …
Writing Advice For Beginners: It’s Okay If You Suck At First Read More »
One of my friends died today. He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer two weeks ago. Over the past few years, he’d switched from practicing law to working on his dream: writing a book. His family started a GoFundMe to help cover medical and funeral costs; part of the write-up before he died said: …
Memento Mori: A Lesson On Dying And Doing What You Love Read More »
“That’s just the first part. What others call you, you become. It’s a terrible magic that everyone can do — so do it. Call yourself what you wish to become.” —Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two The majority of my job as a psychologist is helping people untangle the damage …
Applying Jocko Willink’s “Good” philosophy for a better life
“You’re closer to 40 than 20 now.” That’s how my girlfriend jokingly celebrated me turning 31. But she was right. Where had my 20’s gone? Why wasn’t I as far in life as 15-year-old me thought I would be by this point? Had I wrought irrevocable damage to myself because I hadn’t taken my health …
6 Life Lessons I Was Given In My 20’s I Wish I’d Taken Read More »
“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” —Abraham Maslow Imagine: You’ve got a high-profile job. You make good money. Your coworkers respect you. You’ve won all the accolades for doing your job well. You go home to a loving partner and happy healthy children. You fill your home …
Why Most People Never Reach Their Full Potential Read More »
Compassion. It has the potential to make the world a better place, brighten someone’s day, or help us make genuine human connections. Its evil twin isn’t hate; it’s alienation. Alienation is when we see someone as “other” and inferior. Take any derogatory term, and they all have one thing in common: they’re designed to dehumanize …
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you, right? I’ve been practicing therapy since 2014 and studying psychology since 2009. My experience? Words do hurt. The labels we give ourselves have a powerful effect on our identity and self-esteem. Stupid, ugly, worthless, unlovable, broken — these words carry weight. If we label ourselves as broken, our actions …
Ever wonder where racism, oppression, war, slavery, or any other atrocity related to prejudice and discrimination comes from? Volumes have been written on the complexities and history of these practices and their societal impact, but the underlying cause remains the same — it’s what psychologists call ingroup-outgroup bias. Ingroup-outgroup bias is the phenomenon where we show …
The Key Psychological Factor Behind Prejudice and Discrimination Read More »
Before I became a psychologist, I worked with a director of a multi-million-dollar recreation center. His day was packed with back-to-back meetings, but every day, he worked out for an hour during his lunch break. Business associates would frequently ask him to cancel or reschedule his workout to fit in another business meeting “because it’s important.” …
An Open Letter to Anyone Struggling to Get Healthier Read More »
