My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened. I love that quote by Michel de Montaigne because I used to constantly worry about terrible misfortunes. I had a bad case of the What Ifs. Do you ever suffer from the What Ifs? Do you ruminate on questions like: What if
Anxiety is perhaps the most natural response to tension and change. I witness it when I encourage my kids to practice their instrument, or try to get someone to spend time on my project, or ask people to give money to a cause. They almost always react with some level of resistance and anxiety. Leadership
In August 1921, an athletic, healthy 39-year-old man awoke at his family cabin in Maine with a strange ache in his back. Despite trying to shake it off with a swim and a jog, the pain and fatigue increased. Within 48 hours, paralysis set in across his arms and legs. He lost all control of
Last week I was utterly spent. If you and I interacted and I seemed distant, discouraged, or just a bit off, I’m sorry. At times I felt myself slipping into darker mental places. Places I’ve been in my life where I don’t want to return. When I’ve confided in a few others, some have admitted
Several people have told me in the past week that they feel afraid of failing in 2021. Afraid they’ll fail at work, that their marriage is failing, that they’ll fail as a parent/teacher/healthcare provider, that they’ll fail in selling, leading, or delivering. Afraid that they’ll fail in their goals for the year, fail to speak
“Remember this day, boys,” I said to my twin sons last week at breakfast. “Remember what it feels like to arrive at a milestone in your journey through challenges and uncertainties. It’s the last day of a difficult school year and you’ve done well. Remember that you chose to persist and grow throughout the year
Several weeks ago, I sat at my desk literally propping my head up, willing my eyes to stay open and completely drained of energy. All I wanted to do was fall asleep, which surprised me because I wasn’t getting less sleep than normal. So what was different? I realized my mind had been heavily processing more
I often overeat when I’m anxious. I admit that I over-lots-of-things when I’m anxious. According to the Harvard Business Review, you probably do too. We over-analyze, over-do, over-use, and over-engineer. And you know what? I’m over it. So, I’m now repeating this word when I’m over-doing it to reduce anxiety: Enough. Recently, I’ve been making
Recently in a coaching conversation, I asked a client what he wanted in life right now. Initially, the response was somewhat obvious: happy family, health, work success… Then he paused to reflect more deeply. “I want to know I’m doing a good job,” he said. “Actually, you know what I really want?… I just don’t
This week, my son reflected to me, “In kindergarten, we had to take naps and couldn’t wait for them to be done. Now in fourth grade I look back and think it would be awesome to take naps.” I knew just what he meant. “Yes,” I responded, “we often resist what we wish later we
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE