We had an interesting conversation about “failure” on a Launch call recently. One of the coaches for the program asked if we shouldn’t call a “failure” a “setback” instead. Calling the result a “failure” brought up a lot of old baggage and feelings of discouragement that seemed to get in the way of moving forward. […] The post A Constructive Attitude Toward Failure appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
In my husband’s discussion group for Objectivists, a member asked: What I’m grappling with here is the manner and degree to which the underlying ideas and value-judgments can be formed in the first place, without one being conscious of forming them. This is an interesting question that I’ve been grappling with for a long time. […] The post FAQ: What is the Source of “Implicit” Ideas and Value-Judgments? appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
The participants in my Launch program do a daily exercise to develop emotional resilience. They each choose a different tool to use, and some are experimenting with “Five Bright Spots.” I had explained this tool briefly in a previous article, but from helping several people troubleshoot it, I see that I need to explain it more thoroughly. “Five Bright […] The post Do You Want to Add Bright Spots to Your Day? appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
In order to gain power over your own motivation, you need a rational morality — a self-consistent morality — that guides all of your choices and actions in a way that enables you to live, productively and happily, in long-term loving relationships over the course of your life. In other words, it is a morality […]| Thinking Directions
In my previous article titled So You Hate Your Job, I said, When you feel forced into a decision to take a job, it means you need to seriously look at the negatives of not taking the job. My Thinking Labber joked about being homeless if he didn’t work, but homelessness is […]| Thinking Directions
It’s a bromide that the holiday season can be stressful. There are plenty of reasons for that. Likely you have more social engagements than usual, so you have less time to yourself. You may undertake several seasonal projects with firm deadlines — decorating the house, hosting a party (or a house party), buying presents for […]| Thinking Directions
I was recently interviewed on the Yaron Brook Show on the topic of “Motivation by Love.” The main point of the interview is that it’s important to go deeper to understand the source of your motivation for any action. The fundamental motivation needs to be the desire to gain, keep, or create a value rather than […]| Thinking Directions
In helping some Thinking Labbers make accurate, precise value-judgments, I was reminded of a song I learned as a child. The lyrics as I remember: Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I’m going out and eat worms! The first one was easy. The second one was greasy. The third one stuck in […]| Thinking Directions
I was recently asked to explain the difference between “emotional presence” and “self-esteem.” Emotional presence “Emotional presence” is an intense awareness of your values and their importance to you at the moment. You get it, not just from identifying your emotions, but from experiencing your love, grief, desire, and/or fear as you contemplate the deep […]| Thinking Directions
After my recent article on defensiveness, I coached a member of the Thinking Lab who was concerned that productiveness was a defense value for him. He realized that he had a compulsion to prioritize getting things done over every other value — relationships, health, sanity, etc. He could see that he was driven to do […]| Thinking Directions
Courses and articles on creativity drive me crazy. None of them get at what I see as the real issue. They all focus on brainstorming quantities of ideas instead of explaining what creativity really is and how to direct it. For example, you may have participated in a well-known exercise in which your group is […]| Thinking Directions
In a previous article, I explained that your motivation to act results from the interaction between your present awareness and your value hierarchy. A value hierarchy is a psychological structure consisting of all of your values, interrelated with one another. Some of the connections are strong, some are weak. Some are direct, some are indirect. VIewing […]| Thinking Directions
If you want to manage your motivation, you need to understand your own value hierarchy. A value hierarchy is not a list of your top ten values or a bucket list. It is a psychological structure consisting of all of the values you have formed in relation to one another. An emotion results from the […]| Thinking Directions
Now that I live in Florida, I pay a lot more attention to hurricane season than I used to. The season started early this year, which put me in mind of the lessons I learned when Superstorm Sandy hit New York City in 2012. At the time, my husband and I were living in midtown […]| Thinking Directions
