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Living one's values can seem a daunting task, especially if those values are outside the mainstream, or you're struggling just to earn a living. That's why this list of ten relatively easy things you can do to change the world is so welcome. It's from the Small Planet Institute, the brainchild of Frances Moore Lappe, […]

Q. In your talk, you discussed the importance of solving problems as opposed to dithering over them. What's the difference, and what exactly does dithering mean? A. Solving a problem means taking specific actions that lead to change. These include observing the problem, precisely defining it, developing a strategy to solve it, testing the strategy, […]

Q. For years, I’ve wanted to take a jazz dance class, and now, after having read the part of The Lifelong Activist that says it’s good to meet your creative and other non-activist needs, I’m finally thinking of signing up for one. The only problem is that every time I actually get ready to call […]

Q. Do I have to do time management the way you say in The Lifelong Activist? I'm allergic to spreadsheets! A. In The Lifelong Activist I offer a strategy for managing one’s time that involves (1) coming up with a short list of professional and personal priorities, based on your Mission, and allotting a set […]

For some reason - maybe pre-holiday anxiousness? - there's a lot being written about the nature and attainment of happiness this week. Not just the below-referenced article on happiness from the WSJ, but another article from the WSJ on cognitive dissonance as a coping strategy (subscription - hence, no link), and now a long article […]

Today's Wall Street Journal has a terrific article on how to be happier. It's subscription only, but here are some highlights: 1) PROLONG YOUR ENJOYMENT AND CELEBRATION OF HAPPY EVENTS The article states, "Possibly the biggest obstacle to greater happiness is so-called hedonic adaptation. Sure, you are thrilled when you first get promoted or get […]

In The Lifelong Activist I talk at length about how destructive negative thinking is - and, in particular, the particular form of it that exaggerates one's perceived failures and flaws while minimizing or even ignoring one's successes and strengths. Just this weekend, as it happens, a woman with whom I was speaking on a business […]

Liberal Guilt is a cliche, but that doesn't mean it's not a pernicious problem. All day, yesterday, when I was staffing the _Lantern Books_ table at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival, I spoke with people who felt guilty - or, more precisely, ashamed. (Psychologists generally define guilt as regret over an action or feeling; shame […]

As some of you know, I work for a Boston nonprofit that specializes in helping refugees, political asylees and recent immigrants. I'm the small business counselor, which means I help people start and grow businesses. I help Bosnian construction companies, Russian computer programmers, and East and West African artists and importers. One guy, from Congo, […]