We all face setbacks at some point or another. The true test comes in how we handle them. I’ve been thinking about Sgt. Earl Plumlee, who received the U.S. Medal of Honor last year as part of the 1st Special Forces Group in Afghanistan. From the citation: “While deployed to Afghanistan, then-Staff Sergeant Plumlee instantly
Do you remember the scene in “Back to the Future” where George McFly musters the courage to punch Biff the bully? He’d just pulled Biff out of the car to stop him from assaulting Lorraine Baines. George and Lorraine’s future son, Marty, had inspired him to take that stand against Biff. Marty knew what was
I almost didn’t write this article. The idea came to me while I was walking my dog, but I didn’t write it down. It could have been gone forever. Fortunately, though, I remembered it later when I was showering — and I made a point to write the idea down as soon as I got out.
While walking our dog recently, my wife and I started arguing about a very trivial issue. It had something to do with the timing of planting grass seed on our lawn. This is not a hot topic for either of us, yet there we were arguing about when to spread the seed. Later in the
Several years ago, I facilitated an overnight high stakes meeting for a group of executives. A week prior to the meeting, one of the executives texted me with demanding questions about his personal sleeping arrangement. Another emailed me with suggestions about our agenda. A third called me to discuss his concern that some of the
In August 1921, an athletic, healthy 39-year-old man awoke at his family cabin in Maine with a strange ache in his back. Despite trying to shake it off with a swim and a jog, the pain and fatigue increased. Within 48 hours, paralysis set in across his arms and legs. He lost all control of
Sometimes we experience alarm signals that aren’t cause for alarm. Every month our city tests its emergency response sirens. It’s just a test. The dryer in our house buzzes several minutes before the clothes are actually dry. Stores fail to remove security tags, triggering alarms when shoppers leave with paid items. The human brain also
Nine years ago this week, I wrote my first post on this site after declaring to my wife in the stands at our sons’ hockey practice that I would become a regular writer. It was a goal that seemed absurd at the time: young kids, busy work schedule, and no strong background or training in
This morning I woke up feeling run down and unmotivated. It was cold, dark, and rainy outside and all I wanted to do was stay curled up under my warm blanket and sleep. But I denied those inclinations. I got up, read, prayed, and exercised. And now, several hours later, my body feels strong, my
Jordan Spieth performed very well as a professional golfer until 2018. Expectations placed on him were very high—so high that his performance waned…until last spring. After winning his first tournament in three years, he made a profound passing comment in a press interview: If I’m feeling free, I’ll love what I do. And if I
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE