Tag: "living an extraordinary life"

It Can’t Be Done

It Can’t Be Done

By Morty Lefkoe “It can’t be done” is never the truth. What people really are saying when they utter these words is: “I don’t how how to do it.” Or, “it can’t be done the way we’ve always tried in the past.” Or, “it can’t be done according to the only way I can think [...]

Steve Jobs and Thinking Differently

Steve Jobs and Thinking Differently

From a tribute to Steve Jobs: ‘Those who knew Jobs often spoke of his passion for his creations. “It sounds ridiculous to talk about love when you are making a gadget,” said Larry Brilliant, the former director of Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, and a longtime friend of Jobs. “But Steve loved his work, he loved [...]

Why Self-Help Often Doesn’t Work

Why Self-Help Often Doesn’t Work

By Morty Lefkoe How many times have you attended a personal growth workshop, or listened to a self-help audio course, or viewed a set of DVDs designed to change your life?  Given the type of people who usually read my blog, probably most of you. And how many times did you get a high when [...]

Lady Gaga on identity and creative expression

Lady Gaga on identity and creative expression

Lady Gaga identifies herself as a feminist, and says, “I find that men get away with saying a lot in this business, and that women get away with saying very little. “In my opinion, women need and want someone to look up to that they feel have the full sense of who they are, and [...]

Stop Whining And Get Back To Work

Stop Whining And Get Back To Work

Writer Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love”) relates the story of a friend of hers, “an Italian filmmaker of great artistic sensibility” who, following years of struggling to get his films made, sent “an anguished letter to his hero, the brilliant (and perhaps half-insane) German filmmaker Werner Herzog. “My friend complained about how difficult it is [...]

Personal growth as an entrepreneur: Katie Freiling

Personal growth as an entrepreneur: Katie Freiling

Internet entrepreneur, coach and speaker Katie Freiling mentions a number of issues that can affect anyone, but may have particular significance for entrepreneurs: • Self-limiting beliefs • Fears and insecurities. She admits, “I know what it’s like to be severely limited by fear.” • Freiling notes when she was in college, she could not commit [...]

The Key to Changing Course is to Start

The Key to Changing Course is to Start

Valerie Young writes, “Sometimes signs arrive when you least expect them. On a recent dog walk along the Connecticut River, I spotted a large white sign tacked to a tree on the opposite shore. The sign contained a single word: Start. “This simple but powerful word got me thinking of all the different places someone [...]

The Mental Toughness Summit

The Mental Toughness Summit

.. Here is an excerpt from Renita Kalhorn’s interview with Pamela Slim: [Also see Inner Entrepreneur post Pamela Slim on Excuses People Use To Stay at a Job.] .. The Mental Toughness Summit [From the site:] “The telesummit features exclusive LIVE interviews by Renita Kalhorn with world-class motivation and mental toughness experts – New York [...]

Higher IQ but still with challenges

Higher IQ but still with challenges

Victoria Cowie, 11, scored 162 on the adult admission tests for Mensa, above the IQ scores thought to have been achieved by Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates. Her father cites one example showing how uncommon she is: “When she was just three years old we were sitting in a cafe and she turned [...]

The Seduction of Cognitive Enhancement

The Seduction of Cognitive Enhancement

“My Adderall helps me think so much clearer.” [From an ADD forum.] Who wouldn’t want that? It’s easy to be lured by the promises of a smart pill or cognitive enhancer that could help us not only think more clearly and access more memory, but feel good about ourselves and be tireless and endlessly confident. [...]

Grit and perseverance mean more than talent and high aptitude

Grit and perseverance mean more than talent and high aptitude

“Even Mozart’s early abilities were not the product of some innate spiritual gift.” That comment is from a NY Times op-ed by David Brooks, who adds, “His early compositions were nothing special. They were pastiches of other people’s work. “Mozart was a good musician at an early age, but he would not stand out among [...]

Underutilized talents, too many aptitudes

Underutilized talents, too many aptitudes

Arianna Huffington was described by her friend and author Sugar Rautbord [in a Vanity Fair article] as “probably one of the most intellectually seductive human beings on the face of the planet. “She has such a powerful brain, and she exudes an intellectuality that is almost sexual.” One of the myths of highly talented people [...]

Multipotentiality: multiple talents, multiple challenges

Multipotentiality: multiple talents, multiple challenges

One of the myths of highly talented people is they can choose whatever personal and career paths they want, and realize their abilities without hindrance. It doesn’t exactly work that easily. In her Unwrapping the Gifted post “Multipotentiality,” K-12 gifted education specialist Tamara Fisher quotes Bryant (a pseudonym), a graduating senior who lists his possible [...]

Personal growth development – Are goals good?

Personal growth development – Are goals good?

Sure, there are some short-term, concrete or very narrow goals that are useful steps in developing your talents and making your life better. But many personal growth leaders promote the idea of making long-term, life mission kind of goals as a needed part of personal achievement. I have never felt comfortable with that strategy, and [...]

Motivational Quotes Ahead – Proceed With Caution

Motivational Quotes Ahead – Proceed With Caution

This video of inspirational quotes is from Simple Truths – which has many other short movies, books and other products: Motivational aphorisms and anecdotes can do just that – motivate us. To grow, to feel inspired, to change our thinking and what we are doing. Therese Borchard posted the video below on her Beyond Blue [...]

Do we all have genius? Does it get drummed out of us?

Do we all have genius? Does it get drummed out of us?

“Everyone is born a genius, but it is drummed out of us almost from the minute we open our eyes.” That quote is from a book review – the Feministing post Not Oprah’s Book Club: Hurry Down Sunshine. Here is an excerpt: “In this small but deep memoir by journalist Michael Greenberg we get a [...]

Switch to our mobile site