Every time I talk to a new student about roles, I get all wound up and giddy about the richness of the world we get to inhabit. Humans are each so complex and deep. I'm not kidding. And yet I feel … more
Lance Armstrong: Why I Cheated
"Good ... [clears throat] Good morning. I'll get right to the point. "Yes, I cheated. "Yes, I lied about it. "I lied because you wouldn't like me if you knew I was cheating, and you … more
Meet this Heroine of Reinvention
"I was Nobody. When I was anorexic I did not know who I was. I had no identity. I was 10 years old, still, when I was in my mid-20's. I was a baby inside. Just a year ago I was a tiny mouse. I didn't … more
Get a Little Hard Core on Your Relationships
(Yes, the title soft pedals a gnarly approach to a big subject.) Your environments are major contributors to your energy, your happiness, and your ability to focus, and the people in them are … more
Stop Sucking Your Vitality
Early results from the Stop Sucking Survey† suggest that a few more basic Vitality habits could make a big difference to some of you, so today's article is about training your role as a Stoker, the … more
Getting Relief from the Day’s Anxiety
Anxiety wields a proper noun like a hurricane or an ill-favored in-law. This morning It showed up because I hadn't finished writing an article to post today. I had reviewed a bunch of drafts and … more
Shadow Roles Drive Us from the Back Seat
Our shadow roles whisper old familiar stories in our ears and, without our realizing, slip the wheel from the Pilot's hands and steers us over an old familiar bridge. We've been here before, the … more
Son or Lover? Boss or Father? Mother or Child?
"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another … more
Goodbye Is a Pantoum
They hand me my shadow and my bricks of gold, I leave, not disappointed or disenchanted, I need my way without them, I'm feeling old, It's time to get on with that thing I said I wanted. To not … more
Reconciling Lao Tzu, Ego, and the Autopilot
My t'ai chi teacher, Martin Inn, used to describe a teacher of his who claimed to have no attachments to the past or the future. He seemed to embody the Taoist roots of t'ai chi, removing all … more
