“I’m a quitter.” “I’ve never been an outgoing person.” “I’m not big on small talk.” “I don’t like to ask for help.” “I’m not good with technology.” “I get bored easily.” “I’m a procrastinator.” “I’m a chocoholic.” These are some of the ways people I’ve worked with have described themselves, or the beliefs they have […]

As an American, I grew up believing in the American Dream, which for me was the belief that through hard work and perseverance, anyone can rise “from rags to riches.” In many ways, my life is an example of that dream come true. But America and much of western culture has evolved from having an

To help see the path from adversity to opportunity, practice the ABCD model of interpretation, which is a classic cognitive behavioral therapy technique. The letters stand for Adversity, Belief, Consequence and Disputation. You may note some similarities between this model and the OTRDI Model I have written about previously. Adversity is the event we can’t

Regardless of how you define success, I believe there are certain things you can do to create the results you desire. Today I would like to share with you some of the principles discussed in the book The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. The first principle is that positive brains have a biological advantage over

Generally, I like to think about all the pluses to living abroad such as meeting new people, going new places and trying new experiences. I think it is important to make the most of the situation you are in, which usually has me enjoying my expat life. But today I read something that had me

In our quest to be our best self and lead an amazing life, we often fall prey to 5 unwritten rules that I will list below. We think we are doing these 5 things to manage our stress and relate to others. But in reality, we are doing these 5 things to appear busy but

The coaching tool I use most often with myself and with my clients is a problem solving method that is great for breaking free of indecision, among other uses. It is based in cognitive psychology, and many coaches and self-help gurus use some version of it. OTRDI is one of the acronyms for it.  Objective.

In The Path to Purpose, William Damon, a leading scholar of human development and professor at Stanford University, condensed the many definitions of purpose and proposed the following abbreviated definition: Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at the same time meaningful to the self and consequential for the world

Particularly when we first move abroad, we can feel a loss of identity for the old you in the old life. We often feel like we are lacking a sense of purpose, since our old purpose didn’t just transfer to the new place. This can leave one spinning in uncertainty and doubt.  It might sound

One of the toughest parts for me and many others particularly when they first move abroad, is feeling a complete loss of identity. From the age of 15, I had always worked, until I moved abroad. I struggled for more than a year to find my first job in a foreign country, because the number

When we try to cut back our food in order to lose weight without addressing the issue of desire, we actually increase that desire for food by withholding it. This is why our willpower seems to be so low. An URGE is just an intense desire caused by your thinking. If desire is always answered

The main reason we are overweight is because we overeat. For most of us, it is that simple. We eat more than our body needs. It has become perfectly normal to overeat. People are constantly pushing food on us, and we tend to feel bad if we don’t eat it. Overeating has become a way