Dear Neil: I’ve heard many people in recent years talk about bipolar disorder. They say that they have a child who is bipolar, or a husband, or a boss. I have never exactly understood what bipolar is. Can you explain what it means to be bipolar? Thinking I Might Be in Kansas City Dear Kansas […]
People who are happy seem to understand that happiness is not just about doing things you like, or doing what you’re good at, or doing things that give you pleasure. True happiness sometimes requires us to grow, to stretch our limits, to try new things, to seek out new adventures, and to be open to […]
We don’t usually examine how we could be happier. We tend to look at how we can experience more pleasure. So we lust for a nicer car, a bigger home, flashier jewelry, more fashionable clothes, more entertainment, a bigger TV and more expensive toys, to name a few. If you were willing to pay close […]
Dear Neil: Could you settle a disagreement between me and my wife? I want to save more money, and she wants us to take a vacation and spend our extra money. I grew up learning that is was important to always save for a rainy day, but she says we haven’t gone anywhere in 3 […]
In 1995, Daniel Goleman came out with his groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence. In it he listed five character traits and competencies that are at the heart of being emotionally intelligent. They are: knowing one’s emotions, managing your emotions effectively, motivating yourself, recognizing the emotions of others and handling relationships with others well. Abbreviated EQ (emotional […]
Most of us take pride in doing something well, in using our skills and abilities effectively, in handling a difficult situation with grace or tact, in accomplishing something challenging—or in doing the many tasks, chores or “have to’s” that define our lives, our careers, our homes and our families. But that’s not what we tend […]
Dear Neil: 10 years ago, I had a horrible bout of Stage 3 breast cancer. 5 years ago I divorced, leaving a 12 year marriage. Finally, I just turned 50, and that has really put a spin on what has become a downward spiral. Today I’m cancer-free, but I’m left with both physical and emotional […]
Imagine if you could go back in time and meet the younger you – the you of 20 years ago (or 30 or 40 years ago, depending on your age.) Let’s say that the you of today could advise the younger you. What advice would you give? I know, the dye already has been cast […]
I am the evolutionary representative of men and women of great achievement. I am also the evolutionary representative of crooks, of rapists, of the raped, of conquerors, of slaves, of nobility, of cheats, of inventors, of murderers, of laborers, of the most creative minds and of the most boring of all the people who have […]
Why does it hurt that the Broncos were humiliated and embarrassed in the Super Bowl? I shut the TV off in the third quarter, when the score was 30-something to 0. I felt completely deflated—like a balloon that had lost all of its air. But I didn’t lose the Super Bowl, the Broncos did. So […]