Jonathan Miller's Blog, page 15

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Happy New Year?

I am declaring (for myself anyway) that January 12 at 630 pm is the official end of having to ask people you talk to for the first time this year if they had a nice holiday and happy new year.

Unless you are genuinely curious and sincerely want to know. Or can’t think of absolutely anything else to say.

So to all friends I see for the first time this hear after tonight, we will have to wait until 2016 for me to ask you if you had a nice holiday and happy new year.

(Note: I originally intended Ja...

Erica and Matt Chua: Easily Score an Indian Train Ticket

“The pride of India” is India Railway’s undeniable slogan. The train system is a marvel, moving hundreds of millions of people annually. There is nothing in India that works with the efficiency and scale that the railway does. It’s not world-class in any sense, but to get around and interact with Indian people, the trains are the way to go. Serving as an artery to connect nearly every city, this is how nearly every person, caste, and family gets around. The conversations that can be had in a...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Silver linings and family vacation low points

Family vacations are full of wonderful moments that create even better memories.

But don’t be fooled by happy Facebook posts. Every family, including ours , has periods during a family vacation that are less than festive. There are inevitably occasional periods that are unpleasant where everyone is exhausted and irritated.

But when that happens in our family there is a silver lining.

No matter how bad things get we have a safe place we can go where we are all on the same page –and it is this: Ea...

Saul Kaplan: Preach to the Choir

How many times have you heard the expression, you’re preaching to the choir? As if engaging with people who share your values and relate to your point of view is a limiting or bad thing. The adage implies that we should find other people, not yet indoctrinated, to engage with. It took me a while to figure it out, but the age-old adage is wrong. You should preach to the choir because that’s the only way to mobilize transformational change. If you want to transform anything find people who want...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Audacity by a Lawyer

I told the story to my son about how my grandfather (and his great grandfather) got the rarefied and much coveted opportunity to argue before the United States Supreme Court. He lost. But had one of the bolder moments of an attorney before the Supreme Court. Probably too bold.

Of course, for such an august task as arguing before the Supreme Court, an attorney would be well served by a strong self-esteem and command of the courtroom. But John Y Sr, in… the middle of his oral argument, became ir...

Julie Rath: That’s What She Said, Vol. 3: Nisha Moodley on How to Be a Man That Makes It Happen

In my third and final interview, Leadership CoachNisha Moodleyexplains how attractive “a man that can make it happen” is to her, and how having good style can easily create that. She also gives her take on the difference between confidence and cockiness. Clickhereor on the image below to hear what Nisha has to say on the matter.

And if you’d like more style tips and to get your questions answered by me,sign upfor my FREE online event “How to Dress for Power and Success” coming up next week.

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Grownup Things

Sometimes in life –as we get older –we find ourselves doing things not because we “want to do them” but rather because it is the “grown – up thing to do.”

I just had one of those moments. And it feels good inside.

We just left a video arcade where a 9 year old boy was playing Pop-a-Shot and thought he was really hot stuff. He had an entrouge cheering him on: his father, mother and older sister. They were chanting things like “Go, Josh!” and “That’s great, Josh!”

Well, I did what any other guy in...

Josh Bowen: 30 Day Aspire Challenge

I have spent every morning drive to work, evening drive home and workouts listening to a variety of motivational videos on YouTube.

I feel these videos give me the juice I need to start and finish my day, plus have a great workout. I listen to the prophetic one liners that grab my attention like no other. The powerful statements that resonate in my brain and soul to keep pushing and working hard.

The best videos will be centered around the “why.” The why is most important driving force in any a...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Impressing My Wife

I want my wife to know how hard I am working this morning.

We are on vacation but it is still a work day for others and I have to put in several hours this morning.

I know Rebecca knows I work hard but I worry that she doesn’t fully appreciate just how hard.

She was with me this morning in the car during several important calls when we went out to get coffee. I think that impressed her but then I dropped her off at the hotel and stayed in the car to work since I didn’t want to wake up the kids....

Beth Gamulka: Can we teach professionalism?

This week, 13 final-year male dental students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were suspended from clinical rotations pending further investigation of complaints filed by fellow students and by 4 professors. These men were members of a Facebook group called Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen on which misogynistic comments about their fellow female classmates were posted. While the student complaints were initially filed in early December, the suspensions, announced on January 5 by th...