"I Need a Miracle!" The case for supporting believers

It's easy to dismiss people who believe in miracles, but my Psychology Today article today makes the case for supporting such people even if you scoff at "miracles."

Perform for One A very different holiday gift

Shopping for gifts doesn't necessarily put you in the holiday spirit.

Of course, it's often recommended that you forgo store-bought presents in favor of something you made. But my Psychology Today article today offers a variant less-often considered.

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How to Live Up to Your Potential: Making the most of self-study, tutoring, classes, and on-the-job training.

Two identical twins could use the same self-improvement tools— self-study, tutoring, classes, or on-the-job training—yet one of the identical twins could improve more and more relevantly.

My Psychology Today article today describes how to make the most of each of them.

26 More Words Worth Using

Psychologically oriented people especially benefit from a vocabulary that enables them to convey accurately what they want to say or write. Besides, a good vocabulary is impressive.

So it's perhaps not surprising that my most popular recent post consisted of definitions of difficult but useful words that have appeared in Psychology Today. So, here is another set of such words. This one is drawn from the most recent two months’ Psychology Today’s Essential Reads.

Deciding When to Succumb to Temptation

Of course, sometimes we just viscerally succumb to temptation, but if you'd like to be more conscious about it, my Psychology Today article today may be for you.

Risk: Thoughts for the risk-averse and the risk-tolerant.

A common way we manifest our risk-tolerance is when investing. My Psychology Today article today tells of a risk-averse and a very risk-tolerant client and what I said. Note: I am not a licensed financial advisor. My thoughts were that of a career and personal coach.

When You Don’t Want to Go to That Thanksgiving Dinner

Not everyone looks forward to Thanksgiving. For example, my Psychology Today article today describes a composite 20-something. In response, I ask questions and offer suggestions.

66 Words You Should Use

These are words that even many educated don't use but should. My Psychology Today article today lists 66, defines them and uses them in a sentence.

Increasing Your Self-Awareness: Distractions, triggers, habits, and blind spots.

Self-awareness is prerequisite to growth, professional and personal. Previous installments in this series offered specific activities to help increase your self-awareness: The Museum of You, What Have Been Your Life's Best and Worst Decisions, and The Half-Hour Autobiography,

This installment, my Psychology Today article today, takes a different approach. It invites you to self-assess in each of five areas.

The Psychology of Your Living Room: Choices that can make a difference

How you furnish and decorate your living room can make a big difference. It can make the room and, by extension you, seem friendly or impressive, relaxed or formal.

Even when it’s only you seeing your furnishings, that can change your mood. Imagine coming home and seeing a room that would impress House Beautiful? Contrast that with a room that feels as comfortable as an old shoe. Both approaches are defensible, but clearly, they create a different feel.

My Medium.com article today offers some choices that can make a real difference.

"I'm Over 60 and No One Wants to Hire Me"

My Psychology Today article today tackles the challenge of older people trying to be hired. I do so with a client case study, which embeds suggestions.

Reducing Relapse

32.3% of people who attempt to stop drinking relapse within one year.

After leaving rehab, 49% of marijuana users relapsed the first day it was available to them.

What happens and what might help reduce relapse?

How to Avoid Offending Someone: Wordings for a time of hypersensitivity.

It seems that we need be ever more careful lest we offend someone. My Psychology Today article today offers some phrases that may help.

Forced Out: She paid a big price for her avoidant behavior

One of my clients got terminated today, largely because she avoided the difficult but necessary parts of her job. My Psychology Today article today tells her story, the questions I asked her, and her answered.

What Have Been Your Best and Worst Decisions? A look back that can yield a better future.

We can learn a lot about what to do next by looking at what we did before. At each life stage, what were your best and worst decisions?

It may help to evoke your ideas to see a sample. Here are my best and worst decisions, and lessons learned.:

Brusque Doesn't Mean Bad: How to Choose a Practitioner

My Psychology Today article today discusses how to choose a physician, counselor, etc.

Fear and Loathing at the Holidays: Preventing, curing

Not exactly looking forward to the holidays? Well, perhaps my Psychology Today aticle today is for you.

How to Develop Poise

My Psychology Today article today asks you questions to self-assess whether you have the building blocks of poise and offers suggestions for improvement.

What I Actually Use From 12 Classic Self-Help Books

Books offer lots of takeaways. Most important is what we use continually. I have read each of these books long ago. My Psychology Today article today lists the takeaways, that for me, have had staying power.

A Powerful Approach to Problem Solving

On my NPR-San Francisco show, listeners would call in with a problem and, in a few minutes, I had to come up with an approach that we both felt good about.

Over the years, I refined the approach and use it today with my clients, friends, and myself. It may be of value to you. I describe it in my Psychology Today article today.

My Favorite Recent Articles

 I write daily in Psychology Today. Here are recent favorites:

The World’s Shortest Course on How to Do Life
How to Reinvigorate Your Curiosity
Current Reactions to 18 Ancient Proverbs
The Case for Radical Honesty
7 Quotations That Are Pretty Tough on Education
The Asymptote Effect
Are You Thinking About Disengaging From Life?

Musings on Rembrandt's St. Matthew and the Angel: On thinking, aging, and wisdom

My Medium.com article today offers thoughts about my favorite painting, Rembrandt's St. Matthew Inspired by an Angel.

We Need the Next Aaron Beck: Psychotherapy is long past due for a breakthrough

Aaron Beck, father of cognitive-behavioral therapy, just died at the admirable age of 100.  My Psychology Today article today discusses how cognitive-behavioral therapy deservedly has largely replaced Freudian psychoanalysis but that we're long past due for another breakthrough in therapy.

The World’s Shortest Course in How to Do Life: Advice on 26 of life's biggest decisions . . . most in 25 words or less.

For each of 26 of life’s major decisions, my Psychology Today article today offers advice, most in 25 words or less.