Confidence
Our Changing Identities
June 2009, age 28. The month I got excited about a garden. In my defence, it was my garden. The former gravel pit surrounded by blue concrete walls began its transformation into an urban oasis. To me growing up, caring about a garden was a symbol of the dullness that was the lives of the [...]
The Fear of Seeming Cheap
In the current economic climate, with each day bringing new portents of doom, the arguments in favour of being frugal and saving yourself a little cash are more persuasive than ever. People often hit the quick wins first: eat out less, drive less, postpone major purchases. And that’s wise. But in a week when I [...]
The Movie of Your Life
Movies are generally split into three acts: the setup, which ends with a major plot development; the main part of the story where the characters try to reach their objectives, usually encountering one more major plot development; and the conclusion, where all the loose ends are tied up before the credits roll. Beginning, middle and [...]
You, Inc., or Reasons to Think of Yourself as a Company
photo credit: Lawl Many businesses have a number of advantages over individuals: strong brands, an expectation they’ll invest, a marketing department, market power and more. You can tap some of those advantages by thinking of yourself as a company: there’s you, and then there’s You, Inc. Why would you want to do this? I often [...]
Write Your Own Core Script and Q&A
photo credit: Fruitanimal Do you know who you are? Do you know where you’re going? If the answer to those questions is yes, great! But can you explain it effectively to others to show yourself off to your best advantage? If you’re not sure, you need a core script. If the answer is no, then [...]
Get Competitive to Kick that Habit
photo credit: joeltelling Have you tried and failed to break a bad habit? Is it that no matter what you try, or how many strategies you find on the internet, you just can’t stop repeating that same pattern of behaviour? Time to try something new. Let me ask: are you competitive by nature? If you’re [...]
Simple Ways to Look Smart
photo credit: prashant_zi Most people want others to think them clever or smart. In some cases, they probably care about this more than whether others think they’re good-looking, funny or even nice. Why? Seeming smart is a nice ego boost for many. Bluffing to appear clever can get you a long way in many areas [...]
Are you cool?
I’ll give you a clue: if you’re reading this your answer to the above is probably ‘no’. But have you noticed that these days it can actually be hip to be square? First off, let’s get a definition of ‘cool’ so we know what we’re wrestling with. WordNet goes with: “fashionable and attractive at the [...]
