1: On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to declare independence from Britain.

“That these United Colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved,” so read the motion.

But “there was … continue reading

1: Jennifer’s father was ill.
“The two things that he could do to improve his physical condition most significantly are to eat better and exercise,” she tells Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram, who write in their book The 5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time.
And, “the two things he refuses to do are eat better and exercise,” she says.
Jennifer … continue reading

1: When Diane Button was new to end-of-life care, so many questions flooded her mind.

“I wondered if I would ever get to a place where I would feel comfortable stepping into the home of a dying person with ease and grace,” she writes in her wonderful book What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living.

Fortunately, she had a mentor. “Hospice chaplain Clarence Liu was was … continue reading

“One of my clients had candles spread all over her house, in every room,” Diane Button, an end-of-life doula, writes in her book What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living.

“They were on nightstands and dressers, surrounding her bathtub, and even along the walkway of the woodsy entrance into her house,” Diane notes.

“There were dozens of them, and they were beautiful, but not one … continue reading

1: It was November of 1988, and Terry Looper was on his way to Las Vegas.

Terry owned 10 percent of the company that was about to be sold.

“Once the papers were signed, I should’ve been on top of the world,” he writes in his book Sacred Pace: Four Steps to Hearing God and Aligning Yourself With His Will.

“I was not just a millionaire as I’d always … continue reading

1: Research shows that people who have a clear life purpose “lived about seven years longer and had a higher quality of life than those who did not,” Sahil Bloom writes in his book The 5 Types of Wealth.

Another study links “a strong sense of purpose with a lower risk of all-cause mortality after age fifty,” Sahil notes.

Yet, the idea of creating a life’s purpose can feel … continue reading

1: It was a broiling hot day.

Future entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz was early in his career.  He was married with three young children.

One day, his father came to visit.

“We could not afford air-conditioning, and all three children were crying as my father and I sat there sweating in the 105-degree heat,” Ben writes in The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There … continue reading

1: Want to live an extra seven years?

According to an eleven-year study led by Robert Butler, one of the pioneers of healthy-aging research, “Those who expressed a clear purpose in life lived about seven years longer and had a higher quality of life than those who did not,” Sahil Bloom writes in his book The 5 Types of Wealth.

There’s more.

“A more recent 2019 study in … continue reading

1: Researchers at Harvard and MIT analyzed the moods and behaviors of 28,000 smartphone users.

What did they learn?

“When people felt down,” Rachel Barr writes in How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend, “they tended to seek out activities that promised instant gratification, like watching TV or drinking wine.”

When the participants were in a good mood, however, “they leaned toward more productive activities,” Rachel notes, “that … continue reading

1: “I took a call recently from a Cornell hotel-school grad looking for career advice,”  Will Guidara writes in his powerful book Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.

For thirteen years, Will served as General Manager of Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York City, during which it was named the No. 1 restaurant in the world.

“The first thing he said … continue reading