As I contemplated dropping my van to the mechanic this morning, I considered how I might get back home as fast as possible. I could get the missus to follow me in the family car. I’d save time, get more work done, achieve more than I would if I walked. Really? To what end? It’s […]
The Pursuit of Happiness Part 2: The Focusing Illusion
The Focusing Illusion bias and how it impacts our judgement of perceived life happiness and wellbeing. In part two of our continued exploration into the nature and substance of happiness, we explore what cognitive psychologist Daniel Kahneman called The Focusing Illusion. The Focusing Illusion suggests that these things we think and believe are so important, […]
On Mortality
As I carry on my daily work, my mind is focused. But in the moments of reduced attention to the task, in recent weeks, it wanders to thoughts of my ultimate demise. I think of me, my parents, my wife and children, all one day gone. Today I thought of a business friend who lost […]
The Fool
You’re a fool no matter what. The moment you feel inflated by the apparent self-confidence or self-depreciation that possess you, you should know it to be true. All ambition, all notions of grandeur and importance, your status in the world, all feelings of worthlessness and objectification by others, the entire form and structure of your […]
The Pursuit of Happiness Part 1
An exploration into the phenomenon of happiness the dichotomous nature of the human condition. Over the next few weeks on Sunday Letters, we will explore the human pursuit of happiness, what it means, and whether or not we can indeed finally achieve it. We will examine its diametrical opposite, unhappiness, and try to understand how […]
Have We Mistaken A Shiny Penny For The Sun?
As I sit here tonight, it’s Saturday night and everyone is in bed, I give thought to the phrase; mistaking a shiny penny for the sun, and I can’t say where it comes from. It says a lot in only a few words, so I thought I’d expand on it this week. It highlights the folly in materialism, of capitalism, and of the pursuit of one’s self in the world of things. I says I’m a fool, but
Scepticism: An Antidote To The Dangers of Groupthink
Is scepticism a valued attribute of thinking in today’s society? Are sceptics valued or reviled? It’s certainly valuable to have healthy dose of scepticism, but maybe those social groups to which we belong would prefer if we’d get in line and be quiet. Maybe we ostracise ourselves and bring on unwanted attention when we question […]
How To Be Resilient
I read a post this morning on The Resilience Institute LinkedIn profile on how to be resilient in face of challenges, and it prompted me to put a short article together. The LinkedIn post shared an article reporting that exercise helps build resilience. In short, I’d have to agree. Here’s why It seems to me, […]
Bide Your Time
Work for many people is a kind of prison. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say it represents a kind of psychological prison, the alternative to which, is often inconceivable. But what are we if we are not volitional, the active agent in our own lives capable of making decisions without the imposition of some […]
On Becoming The Performatist
I was about 13 years old and I was training with the junior team after school. We were playing a short game into the goals at the railway side of the field. I was in corner-forward when the ball came to me. I turned and took a shot – it went wide. The coach looked […]