Controlling foul moods

Things themselves don’t hurt or hinder us. It is our attitudes and reactions that give us trouble. Epictetus 55 – 135 A.D. Have you ever had one of those days when it seems like anyone or anything can get under your skin and put you in a foul mood? Recently, I was talking with a regular client. As soon as he got on the phone, I knew something was wrong, so I asked what had him upset. He explained that his adult (but still very dependent) son had made an unreasonable request: the son wanted him to buy a new, …
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Are you using the wrong yardstick?

In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell 1872 – 1970 It’s not uncommon to want to evaluate ourselves and our performance. It’s human nature to want to know how we stack up compared to others. But everything we do must be judged in context. To use an athletic example, if you talk about running a 10K, your completion time isn’t meaningful unless you consider your skill level: a poor time for a pro might be an excellent finish for an amateur. …
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A fairer judge

No one should be judge in his own case. Publilius Syrus 1st century B.C. When we see the words ‘judge’ and ‘case’ in the same sentence, our thoughts naturally turn to the legal system. In that context, it seems obvious that you shouldn’t be the judge for your own case. We all have a natural bias that would prevent us from being totally objective. But if you stop and think about the words of Syrus, you’ll see that they apply far beyond the legal system. We’re often judge in our own case. And most of the time, because of our …
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