Recently Amit, a friend of mine, quit his job at a consulting firm. Amit had been outstanding not just as a consultant but also a team player. Clients loved him, as did colleagues. He doubled up as a shrink for his clients. He went out of his way to help…

Here’s an old Indian mythological story that has fascinated me since years. One day, Narada muni asked Lord Vishnu, “Why is the statue of Garuda (Vishnu’s eagle and vehicle) placed in your temples? Why not mine? Am I not your greatest devotee?” Before Vishnu could answer, a crash was heard…

What matters more — your effort or the result? — Every year an aspiring photographer brought his stack of best prints to an old, honored photographer, seeking his judgment. Every year the old man studied the prints and painstakingly ordered them into two piles, bad and good. Every year the old man moved a certain landscape print into the bad…

A guide to becoming more productive without trying too hard. — We all want to pursue goals. Like spending more time with family, performing better at work, and learning a new language. To achieve them, we try various things to maximize our focus. We watch motivational videos, experiment with productivity strategies, invest in courses and coaches, and so on. But no…

And debunking a common myth we’ve held about happiness for far too long. — All of us, regardless of gender, religion, location, or financial status, do everything for one reason alone: happiness. Nobody takes up a new job, buys a new home, travels, gets married, or has kids because they want to be less happy or want to be miserable. Yet, no matter how…

And why you should study your mistakes instead of ignoring them. — In 1956, World War II Navy veteran Wilson Greatbatch was teaching electrical engineering in the city of Buffalo. He was also moonlighting at the Chronic Disease Institute, where a physician had recruited him to help engineer an oscillator that would record heartbeats using the new technology of silicon transistors. One…

And how it can make you more productive in your own life. — Ernest Hemingway is famous for his influence on 20th-century fiction. He published a tremendous volume of work that became classics in American literature. But Hemingway was much more than a writer. …

Practice the art of growing steadily without feeling anxious or overwhelmed. — The world is changing faster than our ability to keep up. The only ones who will survive are the ones who keep adapting to new circumstances. Adaptability is the ability to become flexible and efficient in any situation. …

In a constantly changing world, only those who adapt can thrive. — How do some people stay remarkably calm under pressure? How do some people keep coming up with answers when everything appears stuck? How do some people keep reinventing themselves regardless of their age or condition? The answer lies in a trait called adaptability. What is Adaptability? It’s the ability to learn flexibly and…