Dr. Michael R. MacDonald Faithful readers will know that optimism is powerful force. It can lead to greater productivity, better health, stronger relationships and an improved quality of life. But, sometimes it is hard to get to that place - a place where you feel optimistic toward life and your future. Sometimes a lack of optimism is related to fears, anxiety and feeling uncertain about how to move forward. Sometimes, negativity and pessimism feel safer and more comforting. Especially when those around you have similar beliefs. Yet, ruminating and spinning your wheels will keep you stuck in the same spot,…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald Optimism can help us in all walks of life. I am positive that it has helped me throughout my life (no pun intended). What is Optimism Optimism has two central components that reinforce each other. First, optimism is a general expectation of positive outcomes. Second, it is a belief in one's ability to influence events positively. Optimism is not a naive rose-coloured glasses view of the world. It is a realistic, well thought out view, based on one's experiences, learnings and personality. Optimism, Productivity and a Strong Mind Research shows that adopting an optimistic outlook can…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald There are many ways to strengthen your mind. But what does that really mean? And how can I strengthen my mind? Let's start with some clarification. What is a Strong Mind? With a strong mind you will effectively be able to handle challenges, stressors, and pressures in life. You will have more mental resilience, emotional intelligence, and a greater capacity to maintain focus and clarity in difficult situations. All so you can get more meaningful things done with your life. Now, let's dig a little deeper. Here are some key aspects of what constitutes a strong…

Dr Michael R MacDonald "I just kept showing up." Really! Such a humble statement for an incredibly accomplished man, David Patchell-Evans, or as friends and family call him, Patch. I think by just showing up he meant just showing up to do what others were unwilling to do. But that is not the whole story, not even close. A Very Early Start Here is an example of how Patchell-Evans has showed up. And he was only 10 at the time. In a recent interview with Jared Lindzon, Patchell-Evans tells us about his entrepreneurial beginnings. What was your first foray into…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald My logo, A Warm Heart, A Strong Mind, gives you a hint about this new focus. But first, a little background. My Inspiration As faithful readers will know, I am a big fan of Seth Godin's work. I especially like his concept of generous creativity. He explains this concept in his book, The Practice, where he shows us how to live a creative life. He stresses the importance of three main ingredients for a successful creative practice, curiosity, generosity and connection. His ideas fit with a second source of creativity for me, Ness Labs, a learning community for knowledge…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald I have a confession to make. I am a “Les Mis” groupie. Like a love-obsessed starlet, I have been following “Les Misérables” around for decades. I share my confession, with three highlights and a critique, first published in Boomer Magazine. You can read the original here. I hope it gets you revved up a bit.

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald Self-confidence is all about believing in yourself and your abilities. It is a type of useful knowledge about yourself, usually based on experience. Self-confidence is that general positive feeling about yourself that can involve several components. A Closer Look Let’s examine the many elements that make up self-confidence. Here are a few to consider. Trusting yourself: You feel reliable and capable. You know you can count on yourself to follow through on things. You know that you can get things done, especially things that matter. Positive self-belief: You believe in your ability to succeed, even when things get tough. Strengths and weaknesses: You have a realistic…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald We all have senior moments, don’t we? Or do we? People of all ages do experience lapses of attention. We all have moments when we are not as sharp as we need to me. Or times when we have trouble remembering an actor’s name or a detail from a recent event. And some of us may notice these times more often than others. But, are such memory lapses related to being a senior? Or to being too busy or too stressed? Maybe too sleep deprived? Are we more prone to a declining memory as we age?…

Sometimes our worries will take us to the worst place. Even though such worries may be based on  assumptions that don't hold up when we look at them closely. I started this discussion in my most recent post, Your Memory is Better Than You Think, Part One. Let's take a closer look at some of the assumptions that might be affecting your memory and holding you back. Not all memory problems are related to our age. First, A Reality Check Memory problems can happen throughout our lives, not just in our later years. Let me give you a common example.…

Dr. Michael R. MacDonald We all have a little narcissism in us. Don’t we? Hopefully not too much. We don’t want to be the person sucking all the air of the room and leaving little for others. Even a little narcissism is hard to avoid in today’s world, where we are often comparing ourselves with others. And competing with others to get ahead. Self-comparison can amplify and erode our self-confidence, especially in a social media world. Seeing others do so well (apparently) can make us feel like we don’t measure up. I think we could do with more self-confidence and…