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Insight and Inspiration for Living Your Legacy
Compassion is often conflated with empathy, but they are very different impulses. Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the state of mind of another. Compassion is feeling compelled to act on that recognition and to assist.
But empathy is not enough. It is only a step, albeit an important...

Who are you? Who do you seek to serve? Who are your collaborators? Who’s in your tribe? Who are your fellow travelers?
Ask these questions with intention and answer them with integrity at the beginning of any worthwhile enterprise.
Do the hard part first and get the who right. The...
“What’s it for?”
Embracing this question is at the heart of every Seth Godin program. Why?
- Asking “What’s it for?” indicates a commitment to intention and integrity.
- It’s an invitation to disrupt self-serving agendas or bias confirmation and think more...
It's not, of course, an either or question. There's certainly a time and place for both hope and faith.
Hope is a desire for a favorable future outcome.
Hope is passive. Hope happens to you.
If you've been shipwrecked and are drifting about the Pacific in a leaky liferaft, hope may well...
Last time, I discussed the virtues of "going." Today, I share the value of pausing.
There's no authentication for the source, but this is a favorite quote of mine.
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is your power to choose your response. And, in your response...
“As the gardener, by severe pruning, forces the sap of the tree into one or two vigorous limbs, so should you stop off your miscellaneous activity and concentrate your force on one or a few points.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's been years since we sold the farm where my...
When is it time to get going with your endeavor?
Here's a hint, it's almost always time to go.
"Learning that does not lead to action is useless." - Epictetus
Sure, you could read another book, take another course, spend a little more time practicing and polishing. There may even be...
Choose Your Genre. Choose Your Future.
What's the genre of your life story?
Is it a deadly disaster or an action adventure? A melodrama or a thriller? A horror show or a survival tale? A tragedy or an epic? A black comedy or an improv? A surreal show or superhero story? Outlaw or empire...
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"Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind." - James...
Want to develop your potential? Awaken the giant within? Achieve excellence in an endeavor worthy of your time and talents?
Some say it takes guts, grit, and grind. Others say it requires planning, purpose, and perseverance. Perhaps it's merely up to fate, faith, and fortune.
Regardless of...
For some, merely seeing the word "suffer" triggers memories and feelings of pain, injury, or loss. Why is that? Where does suffering even come from?
Ancient wisdom tells us that it's our attachments.
“Attachment is the root of suffering.” - The Buddha
Why human beings are...
“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within our control, and some things are not.” - Epictetus
Agency is as intoxicating as it is elusive. When the breaks go your way, it’s easy to believe it’s due to your intelligence...