The Power of Acceptance: How a basketball player, writer, and pianist dealt with losing three fingers

A while back, three of my fingers became pretty much unusable. I had been a basketball player my whole life and had to stop. I write a lot and so now type with just seven fingers, making many more errors. I’m a professional-level pianist and have had to scale back how I play, and even so, I make more mistakes.

My PsychologyToday.com article today describes how I've dealt with them, and without undue sadness, moved forward.

Throwing a Holiday Party? 10 mistakes that can gobble up your holiday cheer.

Thanksgiving as well as Christmas and New Year’s tend to be filled with hope for fun and connection, but sometimes those high expectations are far from met. 

If you're throwing a Holiday party,  avoiding the 10 “turkeys” should help. My PsychologyToday.com article today calls them out.

Opportunity Cost: An under-considered key to wise decision-making

In making an important decision, most people consider pros and cons but are less likely to consider another key factor: opportunity cost. 

My PsychologyToday.com article today describes opportunity cost with examples.

Marty Nemko plays piano at the Marsh Cabaret in Berkeley

I play beautiful old standards and show tunes on the piano this Weds at The Marsh: 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. THIS Weds 7:30. I'm opening for a fun blues, jazz, and rock band: The Craig & McGregor Band. Would you believe, it's just $10 including a yummy buffet dinner?!

How Important is it to Live Ethically?

A previous post offered a self-assessment on how ethical you are.  Another post offered tips on identifying and living your principles.

But neither article addressed a foundational issue: How important is it to live ethically? Perhaps you’ll find your answer in a debate between a highly and a minimally ethical person. That's my PsychologyToday.com article today.

CONDITIONAL Self-Acceptance: Baby steps toward growth without beating yourself up

Unconditional self-acceptance means that we and perhaps our long-term romantic partner are wise to accept ourselves pretty-much as-is: We may want to tweak ourselves around the edges, but with regard to the big things, the watchword is acceptance.

But my PsychologyToday.com article today argues that a wiser goal is conditional self-acceptance.

Online Dating

"Attractive, professional SWF seeks similar SWM.” 

That sort of dating pitch squanders online dating’s biggest advantage: rigorous screening to find the best few matches from among millions. The game is not “S/he-with the most responses wins.” It’s “S/he who meets the right love wins.”

My PsychologyToday.com article today describes how to win that game.