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Research tells us that a typical human being’s thoughts are roughly 80% negative. A person’s “negativity bias” is bad for their relationships, their career, and their health. I addressed this challenge recently with Ms. Sonali Mangal, who is a Product Strategist at a leading Silicon Valley company. She also runs an outstanding podcast called “Learn … [Read more...] about Train Your Brain for Success: Sonali Mangal of L.E.D. Interviews Jim McCarthy

When you hear the name "Chuck Berry", do you normally think about innovation and entrepreneurship? Or do you simply hear the unmistakable guitar licks in his foundational rock and roll songs such as ""Johnny B. Goode", "Roll Over Beethoven", or  "Maybellene"? If you're too young to know who Chuck Berry was, it doesn't matter --you've been … [Read more...] about What Chuck Berry Can Teach Us about Innovation

Does the world sometimes feel dark, scary, and turbulent?  In spite of that (or because of that!), I'd love to share with you some of the best ideas and practices on how to increase your happiness and career success. 1. Happiness through writing  In almost all of my workshops, I ask participants to take a few minutes to write out answers to … [Read more...] about Pleasure, Purpose and Peace in Turbulent Times

How would you live your life, if you truly felt your own mortality? I addressed this topic recently with Ms. Sonali Mangal, who is a Product Strategist at Google. She also runs a podcast called "Learn Educate Discover" (LED), whose purpose is to "Discover what you were meant to do." In the first 11 minutes of this LED podcast, I talk about the … [Read more...] about Learn Educate Discover: “Live As If You Have Cancer” Podcast

During the six years that I lived in Austria, Germany and Spain, Thanksgiving was the holiday that I missed the most. The only one that really made me homesick. It's easy to take issue with many aspects of the holiday, but if you look at the true spirit of sharing and being grateful, it's simply wonderful. For many of us Americans, Thanksgiving … [Read more...] about Why Give Thanks for Your Work?

Last weekend I attended my 20-year reunion for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. It was a tremendous experience, in part because I was honored to give a 15-minute TED-style talk to my classmates, entitled “Live AS IF You Had Cancer.” At the reunion, I noticed a few major themes: 1). As the Class of 1996 gets older and enters … [Read more...] about Confessions from a Stanford Business School 20-Year Reunion