Having a firm grip on reality is usually seen as a sign of good mental health. But social scientists have discovered that happy and successful people routinely overestimate their skill, talent, and chances of success. In fact, that may be one of the secrets to their success.
In this episode, we explore why being overly optimistic is not a cognitive defect that needs to be overcome but a constructive trait that we can cultivate.
Ep 40: Changes We’d Like to Keep
A year ago, virtually every aspect of our lives changed profoundly: How we eat, shop, work, socialize, exercise, etc. These weren’t changes we chose but changes that were forced on us. Now that we are beginning to imagine life returning to something more similar to pre-pandemic, we have some decisions to make. Are there new habits that we’ve adopted that we might want to keep? Old habits that we don’t want to return to?
What’s clear is that we DON’T want to do is miss this opportunity to make a conscious choice.
Continue reading “Ep 40: Changes We’d Like to Keep”Ep 39: What’s Your Default?
Behavioralist Schlomo Benartzi defines a default as “what happens if you do nothing.“ If we’re too busy, distracted, or fatigued to make a choice or decision, the default wins the day. And because we’re often busy, distracted, or fatigued we want to be careful and intentional about which defaults are operating on our lives. In this episode, we’ll show you how to do that.
Continue reading “Ep 39: What’s Your Default?”Ep 38: How Do You Want to Engage?
In the last episode, we talked about deciding which thoughts deserve our energy. But once we’ve decided that a situation deserves our attention, we need to decide how we want to engage with it. The words we use to describe (even to ourselves) what’s going on in our lives or our heads can make a big difference.
Continue reading “Ep 38: How Do You Want to Engage?”Ep 37: Choosing Your Thoughts
Not all of our thoughts deserve our attention or energy. Some can safely be dismissed without further examination. But we often allow unworthy or unhelpful thoughts to take up a lot of real estate in our brains–and this can negatively impact how we feel, what we do, and ultimately what we accomplish. In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important to choose which thoughts you give your energy to.
Continue reading “Ep 37: Choosing Your Thoughts”Ep 36: What You Gain by Slowing Down
We often feel like we have to make a decision, make a change, make a difference, or achieve a goal quickly. But if we want the benefits to be meaningful and lasting, shouldn’t we be willing to take our time? In this episode, we consider the downside of rushing into a decision to change without considering the realities of trying to create change in too much of a hurry. Then, we’ll explore some alternatives.
Continue reading “Ep 36: What You Gain by Slowing Down”Ep 35: Your Future Self
Our current actions are creating our future reality. Sometimes, we have to choose between what we want right now and what we want for our future selves. Research shows that the more emotionally connected we feel to our future selves, the more likely we are to make choices that benefit that future self. In this episode, we explore ways to form a more intimate connection with your future self.
Continue reading “Ep 35: Your Future Self”Ep 34: Contingency Plans
Having a plan allows us to convert our intentions into action. But having a contingency plan may be just as important. They allow us to recover when things don’t go according to plan. In this episode, we help you create your own customized contingency plan so that when life goes sideways, you can land on your feet instead of getting derailed.
Continue reading “Ep 34: Contingency Plans”Ep 33: Aligned Actions
How well do your actions align with your values? Often there can be a disconnect between what we say our priorities are and the choices that we are making on a daily basis. That misalignment can lead to frustration if it keeps us from achieving our goals.
Continue reading “Ep 33: Aligned Actions”Ep 32: Why We Say Yes
When we are trying to change an unwanted behavior, we often get so focused on trying to find ways to say no to it that we miss the step of understanding why we say yes to it in the first place.
Continue reading “Ep 32: Why We Say Yes”