Studies show that most New Year’s resolutions flop a month or less after we make them. Gyms all over the country are banking on it. They have far less capacity than the year-round passes they sell to strivers who begin the year intent on changing their shape, but who give up after a few weeks […]
Archive for Leadership
From Babylon to Self-Betterment
A Quick History of the New Year’s Resolution
Are you making a New Year’s resolution this year? It’s quite likely you are, as surveys conducted in recent years show that something like 40 percent of Americans make one annually. And what are they resolving? Last year’s Marist study, the annual gold standard of New Year’s resolutionology, showed that their number one goal was—good […]
10 Rules to Read More Books This Year
How to Make Reading Central to Your Personal Growth in the Coming Year
One New Year’s resolution I frequently hear from people is that they want to read more books. Makes sense if you consider reading a key component of personal growth and development. Ray Edwards recently wrote about his reading goals here at MH&Co. He planned to read fifty-two books in a year. Instead, he read seventy-six! […]
How Generosity Can Supercharge Your Marriage
Research Shows Free, Abundant Giving Is the Secret to Marital Bliss
When Roger Hodgson crooned to his anonymous paramour back in 1977, “Give a little bit of your love to me,” so he might “give a little bit of my life for you,” the Supertramp frontman presumably didn’t have academic research in mind. But Hodgson’s next beseeching couplet—“There’s so much that we need to share/So send […]
4 Rules for Strategic Givers
Generosity Is a Business Strategy, and Almost Everyone Gets It Wrong
It’s likely that your company logo is sitting in the bottom of some landfill. Likely, that is, if you’re among the majority of business leaders who try to woo clients, prospects, and employees with self-promotional gifts. You know the kind I’m talking about: food baskets, towels, T-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, and poorly made laptop bags. […]
The Real Economy of Gift-Giving
Don’t Let the Dismal Science Steal Christmas
Exchange and gift-giving have been a part of everyday human behavior since the dawn of mankind. So, it should be no surprise that these activities are also part of holiday celebrations—such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid Al-Adha. Many of us remember the excitement of wondering what presents Santa Claus—or, as we discovered later, our parents […]