Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude….to choose one’s own way. —Viktor Frankl You knew Senator John McCain as a superb blend of honor, dignity, and guts. In his book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, psychologist Alex Pattakos tells us that McCain held […]
Author Archive | Felix Scardino
The Wolves Within
The mind grows by what it feeds on~Josiah G. Holland This quotation reminds me of a Native American story in which an elderly Cherokee teaches his grandson about life. The grandfather said that there is a terrible fight inside of him. The fight is between two wolves, one urging him toward peace, love, self-confidence, and […]
Good Advice: “Ride the Horse in the Direction It’s Going’
That quotation touched my funny bone, and I got the message: Face reality and life’s ride is smoother. Then I wondered, “Is this some New Age woo-woo suggesting I indifferently go wherever I’m taken?” When I recalled that for every truth there is an opposite balancing truth, the quote became useful and calming. Chilling out […]
Awesome Thoughts…
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. ~Albert Einstein What does a stunning sunset have to do with your blood pressure or that tough project you’re fretting over? Apparently a lot. Since Einstein made the above remark, researchers have […]
Positive What-Ifs!
We become what we repeatedly think. -Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. I was delighted when a client told me he was feeling pretty good because he had found a great mood changer. I asked what his tonic was, and he said, “Positive what-ifs.” When he caught himself saying, as was his norm–“What if I lose my job?” “What […]
Off Your But!
“The only thing that holds you back from having what you want is the size of your but.” ~Sean Stephenson Messages from both physical and mental health experts are giving us similar advice. Psychologists like Sean Stephenson are saying we often think too much without taking action. Even so-called positive thinking is useless if we don’t […]
Complaining, for your Health
[Barbara Neal Varma’s summary of Robin Kowalski’s research in The Atlantic makes for some interesting reading!] In his 1964 book Games People Play, psychiatrist Eric Berne describes what he calls the “Yes, but” communication pattern: First, one person states a problem. Next, another person responds by offering suggestions on how to solve it. The first then says, […]
Shake It Off
The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment. ~Deborah Moggach, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel When Judi Dench delivered that line at the end of the movie based on the Moggach book, she had a broad audience. Disappointment ranks as the third most […]
Perks from Jerks
Be kind—everyone is fighting a tough battle. ~Plato This quote reminds me of a story about a man going through his day irritated by everyone he meets. As his bitterness peaks, someone gives him magic glasses that reveal the inner lives of the people he so harshly judged. Gazing behind one person’s appearance he saw, […]
Whence Commitment?
I recently heard of a little known but interesting 16th century character who knew a thing or two about human behavior. St. Camillus de Lellis said: Commitment is doing what you said you would do after the feeling you said it in has passed. His words reminded me of a lengthy trail of good intentions […]