Several years ago, a friend invited me to join his exercise group. “It will change your life,” he said. The workouts were early in the morning, very painful and I honestly wasn’t sure I had the guts to keep doing them. Around the time I started participating, the group read Jesse Itzler’s book Living With
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
Sometimes we experience alarm signals that aren’t cause for alarm. Every month our city tests its emergency response sirens. It’s just a test. The dryer in our house buzzes several minutes before the clothes are actually dry. Stores fail to remove security tags, triggering alarms when shoppers leave with paid items. The human brain also
Brene Brown calls the ego “The Hustler.” It tells you that you’re never enough. And it thrives in our scarcity culture. Never good enough Never have enough Never done enough Never safe enough Never loved enough This pattern of thinking leads to anxiety, distraction, and resentment. For example, the day I published my recent book,
“How’s your week going?” Can I be real with you for a moment? Because if I’m being honest, I’ll tell you it was a sad week for me. Coronavirus economic realities took their toll. I’ve wondered what more I can do. It’s all weighed heavily, and I’ve had a hard time sleeping. Thank you for
I sat in my car last week with my eyes closed. I felt “off my game” and anxious. Only minutes remained before a very important scheduled meeting with a client. I’d never met this executive before and a lot was at stake based on whether she liked me and what I had to say. For
Sometimes I experience what civil rights leader Howard Thurman meant when he said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Like this morning, when I was working with a group of people on their influence skills,
I’ve been talking about why and how people stay and leave organizations, so the unique retirement letter outgoing Google CFO Patrick Pichette wrote and posted to Google+ caught my attention. I was particularly struck by this admission: I am completing this summer 25-30 years of nearly non-stop work (depending on how you wish to cut
As the elevator opened to the fourth floor of the Graves 601 Hotel, my mind spun a web of excitement, nostalgia and anxiety. Earlier that day, my wife had asked me if I was nervous about attending my 20 year high school reunion. I had told her of course not. After all, I’m comfortable with
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