Judging Friends - 07/27/09 10:16 AM
I was recently with a friend of mine from upstate Connecticut. My friend plays a lot of golf. He believes in leisure. He does not admire my work ethic.
He had been receiving my e-letters and concluded that I spend too much time reading and writing. He felt the need to give me advice.
“Randel, you spend too much time indoors … you need to get out and play more golf.”
Normally I would let that comment slide by but, like most of us, I worry about balance — the decisions we all make as to how to spend our time.
… (0 comments)

Nature Versus Nurture - 07/21/09 08:57 AM
One of the hot topics in best-selling books these days is talent – the debate being around nature versus nurture.
Are some people born with a gift? Or is talent the result of years of training and practice?
Most scientists today seem to favor nurture over nature. Here is a study I recently came across that I thought was fascinating:
Back in the sixties a Hungarian psychologist by the name of Lazslo Polgar decided to try to prove that talent was about nurture over nature.
As chess was big in Europe at the time, Lazslo decided to see if he could … (0 comments)

Flow: The Classic Work On How To Achieve Happiness - 07/15/09 01:41 PM
One of the most thought-provoking books that I have ever read is Flow, written in 1992 by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, at the time Chairman of the Psychology Department at The University of Chicago.
This small print, 300-page book is full of important thoughts. And it is with a lot of humility that I summarize Professor Csikszentmihalyi’s main points:
1. People are happiest when they are in a state of “flow,” the experience of being so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. These are those situations when time seems to fly, when you know there are dogs barking and … (2 comments)

Talent-Schmalent - 07/07/09 11:24 AM
I have always been fascinated by how some people rise to the top of their profession or endeavor … and others do not.
In certain activities – e.g., business, sports and entertainment – the word “talent” often comes up. An explanation for success almost always uses the word “talent.”
“That Roger Federer is amazingly talented.”
“I love Chris Rock … what a talent.”
“President Obama is a naturally talented speaker.”
The premise when we use the word “talent,” is that there is some kind of natural, genetically-coded ability or aptitude.
As one who has studied this topic for twenty-five years, my … (0 comments)

Time-Tested Keys To Success - 07/02/09 10:39 AM
Last night my wife and I had dinner with friends.  They were telling us about a new couple they had met.
The couple they met were very well travelled.  Stories of great hotels.  Had a deer problem on their 8-acre property in the Hamptons.
“OK, I get it, they’re rich,” I said.  “What did you tell them about you?”
“Nothing,” my friends answered.   “Why?” I asked (already knowing the answer).
“They didn’t ask,” my friends responded.
“Did that bother you?” I pressed.
“Not too much … they are nice people and we were happy to hear about them.”
“OK, let me … (3 comments)

 
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Jim Randel

Westport, CT

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RAND Media Co

Address: 265 Post Road West, Westport, CT , 06880

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