What's the first thing you need before you change yourself for the better? Belief in yourself.

Words can be profoundly inspirational, leading individuals and whole nations to do great things, from changing themselves for the better to changing the course of history.

If we all strive to use positive language instead of negative language, I think we can not only lift spirits, but also guide conversations and actions to be constructive rather than destructive.

#positivity #yes #diction #words #language #communication #communicationskills #communicationmatters #communicationmastery

Every day, we speak or write words, often dishing them out or dashing them off without thinking much about our choices.

Let's give those choices more thought.

Frederick Douglass can serve as an inspiration as we strive to prepare and act in the new year.

New Year’s Day is still a month away, but it’s not too early to start thinking and acting to make the most of 2025. Literature can help. This week at Mind Inclined, we reflect on some of America’s great autobiographies and consider the question “If you wrote your autobiography, what would it say?”

If you’re going to change your life, why not start now? This guide provides strategies for achieving an elevating winter arc with a “locked-in” mindset.

Let's get a head start on the New Year. Call it what you will—a “Winter Arc” challenge, an “Old Year’s Resolution,” or something else—making a commitment to some form of self-improvement before the New Year arrives is a smart way to increase your chance of success. For the rest of November and all of December, we will be featuring podcasts that can help you prepare to make the best of 2025. We start this week with, of all people, Captain John Smith, both the person and the persona.

In this reflection on my time in Paris recently, I discuss the history of literary cafes including notable writers (Hemingway, Sartre, etc.) who visited places like Les Deux Magots, Le Procope, and Closerie des Lilas.

I recently learned some lessons from ancient artists who painted the walls of Niaux Cave.

What if we could just plunge into some artistic expression -- a story, a movie, a painting -- and feel it authentically? What if we could just . . . believe?