Be Successful
7 Life Lessons I Learned Playing Call of Duty 4
Can video games be useful for personal development? During the long Thanksgiving weekend, I spent a fair amount of time playing Call of Duty 4 on my Xbox gaming system. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Call of Duty 4 is a video game that allows you to play as a modern-day soldier, pitting your simulated gun-fighting …
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The Anti-Pattern Approach to Personal Development
As many of you know, I have a lot of experience working in software development. I also have a lot of experience with personal development. Every now and then, I run across a topic that applies equally to both fields of interest. The other day, I was reading a book on software anti-patterns, and I thought, wow, anti-patterns aren’t just …
Posted in Be Successful, Purpose and Meaning, Relationships | 13 Comments »
The 3 Layer Cake of Happiness
If you’re looking for a quick way to remember the basic principles of happiness without going blind reading the latest research, this article is for you. Let’s start with some helpful symbolism, shall we? I like to think of happiness as a cake. That’s right, a cake. Chocolate, Angel Food, or Black Forest Surprise, the flavor makes no difference. What …
Posted in Be Successful, Make Better Decisions, Manage Money, Purpose and Meaning, Relationships | 7 Comments »
7 Dumb Reasons Smart People Settle for Terrible Jobs
There are a lot of people in this world who believe that work necessarily involves pain and sacrifice. They say, “All jobs suck.” They say, “You might as well go for the big money because money is the only reason anyone works.” They say, “Anyone who thinks he can find a job that will actually make him happier is a …
Posted in Be Successful, Career | 18 Comments »
Be Happier Today — 5 Helpful Strategies
Tonight, on my way home from work, I heard a snippet of Desparado, the old Eagles song, playing on the radio. One particular line really resonated with me: It seems to me some fine things have been laid upon your table, but you only want the ones that you can’t get. And I thought, man, that’s human nature for you. …
Posted in Achieve Balance, Be Successful | 5 Comments »
The Top 7 Myths about Happiness
There are a lot of misconceptions floating around out there regarding happiness. Let’s take a look at the top 7 happiness myths so we can address them quickly and effectively whenever they begin to affect us: 1. You can’t learn to be happier: It wasn’t long ago that researchers believed that every human being was born with a set “happiness …
Posted in Be Successful, Purpose and Meaning | 20 Comments »
Have You Learned to Be Helpless?
This post is for anyone who’s ever felt trapped. Workers trapped in dead-end jobs Spouses trapped in unfulfilling marriages Depressives trapped in despair Addicts trapped in a helpless cycle of substance abuse, cigarette smoking, or binge eating Lonely people trapped in emotional isolation Poor people shackled by poverty Anyone old enough to read this article has likely felt trapped by …
Posted in Achieve Balance, Be Successful, Make Better Decisions, Relationships | 9 Comments »
