Whether you’re a fan or not, there is no doubt that Oprah Winfrey changes lives, starting with her own. As a real life rags-to-riches story and a self-made success, she knows the power of choice, living with courage, and following your dreams. She makes things happen.

My Mom has been a long-time fan of Oprah. I get why. Oprah stands out as authentic. She comes across as somebody who generally wants to use all her power to lift people up and make a better world

Movies can be an amazing source of insight and inspiration. They fill our hearts and heads with heroes, stories, songs, and scenes we can draw from.

Maybe you think of the theme song to Rocky when you work out. Maybe you think of “waxing the car” or “painting the fence” while you master your craft. What’s important is that you choose the stories, scenes or heroes that serve you.

Here is a sampling of 16 movies and what they can teach us about life and leadership:

I’ve been exploring mindsets for a while as a way to improve effectiveness, and I thought it would be helpful to share some latest thinking from the book I’m working on. A mindset is a mental attitude. It shapes your actions and your thoughts, as well as how you perceive and respond to events. A common example is whether you see the glass “half empty” or “half full.”

Here’s a lens you can use to lower your anxiety and lead yourself and others more effectively.  It’s balancing connection and conviction.  It’s a good, simple model, with a lot of depth behind it.
The key is to be able to take a thoughtful position while staying connected to others who disagree.  I learned this model a few years back during my Doing Leadership @ Microsoft training.  While I liked the model right from the start, I came to appreciate it more, as I put it into practice.  It’s also a …

While reading Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life , by Martin Seligman, I thought it was great to see how the explanation of human behavior has changed over time.  In the earlier days of psychology, popular opinion was that people are the product of their environment.  Eventually, psychologists figured out that habits of thinking can be changed and that individuals can choose the way they think.
I didn’t realize how many competing schools of thought there were.  I also like the fact that eventually it was possible …

Some books and authors change how we think.

I was catching up with an old friend and I was distilling some of my favorite books into one-liners to show the contributions of various authors. He suggested I share them as a post, so here it is …

If you want to lead an optimistic life, learn to argue with yourself. The secret of optimism is not positive thinking. It’s non-negative thinking, according to Martin Seligman in the book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life.

One of the models that helps me cope with learning new skills is the 4 stages of competence. It helps remind me of the progression from the early awkward stage to the competent stage. According to the model, you move from unconscious competence to unconscious competence.

I like to learn from everyone around me. One of my most influential mentors has been my manager, John. Here’s a highlight of my lessons learned.

Don’t Ruminate. Don’t dwell on things that go wrong. According to Martin Seligman, in the book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life , people who mull over bad events are called ruminators.

This is my collection of happiness quotes. I think quotes are a great way to share the wisdom of the ages and modern day sages. I think a good quote is a like a good song … it means something to you, maybe even beyond the original intentions. By filling your quiver of insights with inspiring quotes, you have more to draw from in any situation.

When something goes wrong, be careful how you explain it to yourself. According to Martin Seligman in Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life , A pessimist explains it as permanent, personal, and pervasive.

The stories we tell ourselves can limit us or enable us. In any given situation, we’re telling ourselves stories about other people, the situation and ourselves. In these stories, we can play the victim or we can be the hero.

I’m back from my epic adventure. I took a 30 day road trip with my wife across the U.S. from WA to N.J. to Key West to Las Vegas … 10,000 miles and 26 states. It’s a fairly unique experience and perspective, so I’ll share it here with you.