Marty Nemko's Blog, page 336

A Strategy for Changing Careers

A 56-year-old caller to my KALW-FM (NPR-San Francisco) radio program wants to change careers. Our exchange may offer clues to help you in finding work that’s right for you. 

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I provide the transcript of our exchange.

The Two-Minute Meal: Yes, it's tasty, healthy, and inexpensive.

Many commercials are designed by, alas, psychologists and other experts on influence, to manipulate people into believing they’ll be more worthy homemakers if only they spend big on meal-related items:

The kitchen industry wants to you to forget the $400 Whirlpool range and buy the $4,000 Wolf or Viking. They want you to forget the $9.99 Farberware pot and buy the $99 LeCreuset "cookware."

The food industry wants you to forget the one-pound, $2 head of lettuce and buy a bag of “spring mix” that costs twice as much for 1/3 the amount. They want you to forget the $1 box of pasta that’s delicious with just some parmesan and garlic and to spend $4 on 10 ounces of prepared frozen pasta, filled with sodium, fat, and calories.

But you are not inadequate if you choose to be a wise food shopper and cook. You are not inadequate if you rarely create elaborate meals. Indeed, in our busy lives, many of us have better things to do for ourselves and our family than to spend lots of time chopping ingredients around a hot stove.

People don’t believe me when I say I cook many of my meals in under three minutes, often well under, let alone that they’re tasty, healthy and inexpensive. But I do and they are. And they don't require any fancy kitchen tools or equipment.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer instant recipes for some things I often make. I really like their taste, ease, and healthiness. But of course, everyone’s taste is different. I offer these recipes merely as evidence that it’s possible to create good meals incredibly quickly. Perhaps reading them will trigger ideas that will work better for you.

My Story: Life lessons I hope are of value to my readers

Today, a client asked me to tell him my story. After, he said it taught him valuable lessons. His praise tempted me to share my story with you but I felt that was a bit egotistical.
Then I noticed that just today, I passed a nice milestone: Two million people have read my PsychologyToday.com articles, so perhaps that gives me a bit more license. 

So as my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer my story. 

Thank you dear readers, you've now viewed my Psychology Today articles 2 million times.

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Four Psychological "Games" That May be Helpful

We're more likely to grow when actively engaged. 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I describe four "games" that ensure engagement. The first helps decision-making, the others focus on emotional exploration.

Ethical Issues in Health Care: An interview with Dr. Mildred Solomon, President of The Hastings Center

Every time we get health care, ethical issues are embedded.

To explore this under-discussed issue, as my PsychologyToday.com article today, I interviewed Dr. Mildred Solomon, President of The Hastings Center.

The Unhappy Intellectually Gifted Child

Being intellectually gifted isn't necessarily all roses. 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I interview Edward Amend, an eminent expert in intellectually gifted kids who are unhappy. That of course can be caused by a misfitting educational experience but also can come from ADHD, depression, or autism level 1 (Asperger's Syndrome.)  In the jargon, such kids are called "twice exceptional."

I asked him about what parents and teachers can do with various flavors of unhappy gifted kids.

An Atheist's Passover Seder: An attempt at a not-religious but meaningful interactive celebration.

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I describe a brief, not-religious Passover Seder I've developed.

Do We Give Too Much Weight to Biological Parenthood?

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer a short-short story about a person's attempt to find her biological father. After, I ask whether we give too much or too little weight to biological parenthood?

Getting a Referral That Lands You a Good Job

Employers' #1 source of employees? A referral from a trusted colleague.

If you're a job seeker, how do you maximize your chances of getting such a referral? I describe an approach in my PsychologyToday.com article today.