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History shows that the value of life decreases and the quality of existence diminshes when a generation loses its sense of destiny and purpose.

A quick glance at our current world exposes a sad picture that demands our attention. We preserve nature, for example, but kill babies. We build solid houses but cannot construct lasting homes. We are smarter but not wiser, bigger but not stronger. We know more but understand less, and we live longer but enjoy life less fully. We write more books but fail to take the time to read them. We go faster but get nowhere, conquer space but cannot conquer our habits, protect whales but abuse our children, go to the moon but wander far from home, and flirt with fantasy to avoid reality.

Myles Munroe

Incentives

Incentives have been on my mind a lot lately. 

Maybe it’s because of this Dan Pink Clip I watched a while back on what truly motivates us. Or maybe it’s because of this fascinating article by Chip & Dan Heath on the curse of incentives. Or maybe it’s because as I look at the world around me, I see so many people chasing after different things - in some cases, the same thing for different reasons, in other cases, different reasons for the same thing. Somehow, they often seem to end up being a bit dissatisfied whenever they get whatever it is they were chasing after. And it’s also not entirely clear whether many know why they are doing what they do along the way.

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Adaptation

Ever wonder why many of us often feel compelled to keep up with the Jonses? It turns out that a lot of it has to do with our understanding about how we adapt to our circumstances.

While reading the fantastic book ‘The Upside of Irrationality’ by Behavioural Economist Dan Ariely, the chapter on Hedonic Adaptation definitely struck a chord with me. Hedonic Adaption is the process of getting used to the places we live, our homes, our romantic partners, and almost everything else.

Ok, so it’s not a surprise that we get used to things. Big deal, we’ve known this forever. But it turns out we do a pretty bad job predicting the extent or the speed of our adaptation to either good or bad situations. Furthermore, our intuitions about how to respond within these situations tends to be way off too. 

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Lying

Hello 2012! Thanks for stopping by. :)

So from a deep place, one of the values that I hold in great esteem is Honesty. This is for a host of different reasons, most of which you can probably relate to. 

Whether it’s the fact that my relationship with my Creator calls me to this (see the following passages), or the practical fact that communities, societies, nations and almost everything we do is inherently built on trust, it’s really hard for my mind to reconcile that there exist certain circumstances where lying is ok. Think about it. Even credit cards are all about trusting that you will pay back what you loan at some point in the future.

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When you have a memorable story about who you are and what your mission is, your success no longer depends on how experienced you are or how many degrees you have or who you know. A good story transcends boundaries, breaks barriers, and opens doors. It is a key not only to starting a business but also to clarifying your own personal identity and choices.
Blake Mycoskie, Founder TOMS Shoes

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, right? But how thankful are we?

In our super materialistic culture, it’s really hard for me to believe that Gratitude is our focus versus accumulating more ‘stuff’. And given all the Black Friday hoopla of recent years, things especially begin to get ridiculous when you consider the reports of violence in the news.

Some might argue that maybe we should be thankful that we have the resources to buy more stuff with? :) But on the off chance that we can’t buy more stuff and there are things we really want will we still be thankful?

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Legacy

As I write this it’s been a few weeks since Steve Jobs passed away. If you know me, it’s no secret that I’m an Apple fanboy. But more than just the products he helped Apple create, I love that he had an underlying desire to change the world. I mean the universe. Seriously, It’s no surprise that so many people reacted the way they did when he passed. Talk about a man who made it a priority to make a dent in the universe and left his mark. Talk about a man of passion.

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Courage

Hello everyone. I’m back. Back again. :) Boy, I tell you good habits are hard to form. But I’m told that when they eventually do they are worth it. Hopefully this time it sticks…  

So I’m sure by now you’ve probably all heard about the Penn State Scandal. I’m not even sure where to begin with this. Whether it’s the abhorrent reality that Sandusky was confronted by the mother of a victim and was non-repentant, or the fact that Penn State Students flooded the streets to riot about Joe Paterno’s firing in wake of the scandal, the whole thing just makes me sick to my stomach. Jon Stewart in his Daily Show recap hits the nail on the head. The parallel he draws with how the Catholic Church has handled occurrences of sexual abuse in the past is gut wrenching but spot on. 

What’s ultimately strikes me is the clash of values here. Have we really gotten to the point where sports are more important than the freedom and dignity of others? It kinda feels that way on some level doesn’t it?

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History

How can we know where we’re going if we don’t know where we’ve been?

So I have a confession to make. In college I didn’t really care for history. Or even for those that did. I just figured that the technology from the last few decades is making all the stuff from earlier ages a relic of the past - only fit for museums. Naive snobbery I know but hey what can I say? :)

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Narcissism

First, can I just comment about how tricky Narcissism is to spell? :) Really grateful for browser spell-checking right now.

So this post might not be a popular one but I feel like it needs to be said. And hopefully, even I will start paying attention to what I have to say. :)

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