a daily blog on well-being and how to feel better by Mark Barger Elliott…

“Good leaders are decisive. They grasp nettles.” These words can be found in an iconic book by David Oglivy on advertising. The point Oglivy was making is leadership requires not only to be willing to make decisions, but to face situations others might avoid, because to face them will be painful and aspects involved hard…

Sometimes we think about changing an aspect of our lives, or adding something new, like a hobby or project. But from a notion in our mind to that idea being realized is a journey. Malcom Gladwell suggested it takes 10,000 hours to master something. I’ve always been intrigued by the answer the Dalai Lama gave…

In a fascinating article, Olivia White notes how, “One year after the Brooklyn Bridge’s opening, New York City officials took P.T. Barnum up on his offer to put together a demonstration to show off the bridge’s inherent strength. On May 17, 1884, the world’s greatest showman herded up 21 elephants… from his circus and marched…

Seneca was philosopher, statesman, and author who wrote on stoicism and ethics. You can find his work today in books such as Letters from a Stoic. He died in 65 AD. Seneca made this profound and helpful observation, “He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.” ——- If you know someone who…

I continue to appreciate the insights of Seth Godin. One I have been pondering lately is his advice every restaurant should have both a “boring salad” and a “fascinating salad.” The boring salad is, for example, the Caesar option on the menu. It’s typically safe and likely unremarkable. But the “fascinating salad” is – as…

The New York Times recently published their top 100 books in the 21st Century, which is very subjective and also great fun. One novel I had never heard of was Outline, by Rachel Cusk, which was described as “an English writer flies to Athens to teach at a workshop. Along the way, and once there, she falls…