Many people wonder if human beings are fundamentally good or evil. Most of us will acknowledge that there is a bit of both in the world. I agree but the quantity of each is not fixed in stone. Good and bad actions are forces that influence our collective mindsets. Malala Yousefzai was shot by the forces of evil. We are not [...]
Category Archives: Life
Not forgotten
Photo by René Lortie I have nothing more to add but in case you missed what I wrote five years ago, here it is:(SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) Today is the 20th anniversary of Marc Lépine’s rampage. Yesterday, I was in my car and heard two riveting interviews on CBC’s As It Happens. [...]
The self-confidence two-step
Every once in a while, as a client gets up to leave, I get asked a ‘simple’ question, “How does one develop self-confidence?” Well, let me just ask the next client to wait ten hours while I attempt an answer.” The truth is that almost everything I work on with clients is designed to boost [...]
Why is everyone smarter than me?
Here’s another one from the vault published in 2005. It is about the impostor syndrome and why it tends to happen. For some bizarre reason, I seemed to like the use of CAPS back then. Go figure Speaking of feeling stupid, a kind reader pointed out that the title should actually read, “Why is everyone [...]
The gay son
(SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) An abridged version of the following appears in this morning’s Journal Métro I recently met with a woman seeking advice on something very upsetting to her. She started by proudly telling me about her three children. She raised them as a single mother with no financial or [...]
Pure love
Not too long ago I was speaking with a man who was struggling with the fact that his son’s delayed development could be a sign of autism. He was distraught at the implications for what it could mean to the future happiness and welfare of someone he loved so profoundly. It is still too [...]
Jackie Robinson
I haven’t seen the movie ’42′ yet but the Jackie Robinson story is one I know well. The theme of segregation and “Us versus Them” thinking is one I have written about in a number of previous posts including Segregation and Desegregation, but given the movie’s recent release, and the theme of the talks I [...]
Turning in circles
Hi folks. Here is something I published last week in Metro. It is a concept I have discussed with almost all of my clients over the years. It is also a part of almost every presentation I give. I thought it was time to try and summarize the idea in my 400 word-limit column. Not an easy task [...]
This is not a garbage can!
A few years ago, as I was walking into a shopping center, I noticed a large sign on a door. The sign was a large green neon sign with an arrow thick enough to hide a loaf of rye bread. Underneath this arrow, in 100+ point font, were the words: Porte Brisé (Door broken). To [...]
Gun culture
The papers and never short of heartbreaking stories but this is one that really stands out. (See story here) A few days ago, Jeffrey Giuliano shot to death an intruder believed to be breaking into his sister’s house. The intruder had on a ski mask and was holding a knife. It turned out the dead intruder [...]
