Marty Nemko's Blog, page 238

A Writer's Life: and lessons learned

You wouldn't think I could become a professional writer, with lots of well-published books and articles. Yet I did. I tell how in my PsychologyToday.com article today. It also embeds lessons for non-writers.

The Joy of Rushing: A counterpoint to the gurus' urgings

The gurus, motivation or spiritual, tell us to slow down, to do less to accomplish more, or simply to enjoy the joy of chillin’.

As I am wont to do, I like to advocate for contrarian practices that I believe in. One such is rushing. I make the case in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Facing the Apocalypse: A thought experiment that can help us live more wisely

While the chances of an apocalyptic even such as an all-out nuclear war are tiny, a thought experiment in which that were imminent can help us gain clarity about how we want to live our life. I explore that in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Money and Private Practice

Many helping professionals worry about going into private practice: All the motivation, all the expenses, all the structuring are on you. And it can be lonely. From a practical standpoint, particularly worrisome is the money: Will I earn enough? 

My PsychologyToday.com article today offers some thoughts on making that happen.

Family Business Succession Planning

Imagine that you’ve run your family business for decades. You’re still doing it well but are getting nagging feelings that the time is coming when someone else should run the show. You’re sad, relieved, worried.

Or maybe you’re a family member who thinks it’s time for the mantle to be passed but are scared to broach the subject.
Rather than provide a prescription, I’ve found that readers may benefit more from a sample dialogue. I intersperse possibly generalizable principles. That's my PsychologyToday.com article today.

If You’re a Falling Leaf: Ideas for the autumn, even winter of life.

A leaf starts as a bud, swells, billows, then dries yellow or red like traffic light warnings, then drifts down, molds into the earth, mother’s milk for a new plant.
Many people as they drift downward, close the shades, watch TV, and wait. 

But some people, even those clearly in decline, may want to do more, especially something that will enhance their legacy.
Sometimes, it helps to come up with a sufficiently motivating idea. Do any of the ideas in my PsychologyToday.com article today intrigue you?

Live on the Straight and Narrow or On the Edge? A debate

Most of us live life in the middle, but occasionally, wisps of wonder enter consciousness: "Should I tiptoe off-center?"

Perhaps this debate I present as my PsychologyToday.com article today will help you clarify.

The Power of Acceptance: How a basketball player, writer, and pianist dealt with losing three fingers

A while back, three of my fingers became pretty much unusable. I had been a basketball player my whole life and had to stop. I write a lot and so now type with just seven fingers, making many more errors. I’m a professional-level pianist and have had to scale back how I play, and even so, I make more mistakes.

My PsychologyToday.com article today describes how I've dealt with them, and without undue sadness, moved forward.

Throwing a Holiday Party? 10 mistakes that can gobble up your holiday cheer.

Thanksgiving as well as Christmas and New Year’s tend to be filled with hope for fun and connection, but sometimes those high expectations are far from met. 

If you're throwing a Holiday party,  avoiding the 10 “turkeys” should help. My PsychologyToday.com article today calls them out.

Opportunity Cost: An under-considered key to wise decision-making

In making an important decision, most people consider pros and cons but are less likely to consider another key factor: opportunity cost. 

My PsychologyToday.com article today describes opportunity cost with examples.