Solve Et Coagula was the ancient maxim of the Alchemists, known, of course, for turning base metal into gold. It means, essentially, to break something down into its most basic elements (solve) and to then have them come together (coagula) in a different form. This was accomplished—according to Alchemists—when the energy holding the elements together […]
I have had the incredible good fortune to listen to thousands of people tell me their most heartfelt thoughts on a whole range of topics. Those insights are ones I like to share with others. It makes them “go viral,” in a way. And I hope they enrich your life as they have enriched mine. […]
If you haven’t noticed it already, it may be worth wondering whether your least favorite person keeps appearing in your life. Now, I don’t mean the very same person. I mean reasonable facsimiles of your least favorite person. Your second marriage is to the same man, albeit with a different name, as your first marriage. […]
Fiction is the domain of novels and screenplays, but it has a way of slipping into other creative pursuits, like planning entrepreneurial endeavors and evaluating our businesses, as well as planning and evaluating our lives. The reason for this potential slippage—which can cause us to put less than solidly-factual and rational foundations under what we […]
Science is a game of many losses. We like to think of science as breakthroughs and foundational laws, which it can be, but the reality is that breakthroughs are the exception and laws are often challenged and changed. Scientific success is built on failure, and anyone who tells you differently isn’t being truthful. In the […]
The violence around our nation, like the murder of George Floyd, should remind us that liberty is more precious by far than gold and that it is fragile. Those who are provoking violence on the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and so many other cities are like a […]
In cities across America, under cover of darkness, often wearing masks, looters are smashing windows and stealing merchandise from shops. Our cities teem with those whose rage and lack of regard for the underpinnings of our society are manifest. As I saw the throngs carry off clothing and watches and electronic equipment, I found mySELF […]
The late William James, the great American author, psychologist and philosopher, delivered a profound lecture called The Will to Believe. It was first published in 1896. The whole lecture is worth reading, but I want to share one excerpt that could be a position statement for anyone committed to striving to make the most of […]
As I have been working with clients lately, I’ve been thinking that the very term setback may be a bit of a misnomer. The first two definitions of the word, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary are: A checking of progress A defeat or reverse Looking at the thousands of life stories I have, however, I […]
“Here’s a piece that I’m hoping can help calm minds. I know we’re in the midst of a viral scare and I can’t fully comment on how everything will play out with coronavirus but I do want you to know that experts occasionally can get things wrong – and that the news-media will run stories […]