Louis Zamperini was a skinny and scrappy kid from California—nicknamed the “Torrance Tornado” for his incredible speed in running events. If you haven’t heard of him yet, I...
Work Expands to Fill the Time Available
by Parker Houston | Nov 14, 2024 | Personal Leadership
On November 19th, 1955, British naval historian C. Northkote Parkinson published a humorous article in The Economist with a lengthy title: Politicians and taxpayers have...
The Ultimate Test of Leadership—Do You Create More Leaders?
by Parker Houston | Nov 7, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“The best measure of leadership is whether you create more leaders.”—John Maxwell You place a very low ceiling on your leadership potential if you don’t take the time to...
Change Your Definition of Success
by Parker Houston | Oct 31, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”–John...
Develop the Essential Life Skill of Apologizing
by Parker Houston | Oct 24, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“When we look back at major rifts in life’s relationships, often it is because one person could not swallow their pride and just apologize for something. Apologizing changes...
Blindsight: How To Know Things About Yourself That You Don’t Know
by Parker Houston | Oct 17, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“Know Thyself.” –Socrates A colleague of mine recently shared a story with me. A few years ago she was working in a key leadership position for the president of her...
Grow Grit!
by Parker Houston | Sep 26, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” –Babe Ruth Today we will be talking about one of the most important character traits you can ever develop for...
A Leadership Lesson from Metallica
by Parker Houston | Sep 12, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“You can either focus on looking good or getting good, but you can’t do both.” –Marshall Goldsmith, Top Ranking Executive Coach On April 11, 1983, at 9am, the band members...
Consider All Time and Space
by Parker Houston | Sep 5, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Photo by Deddy Dayag There is a wonderful story about President Teddy Roosevelt that teaches an essential life perspective. William Beebe, the naturalist, and a close friend...
Right Speech: A Leaders Words Matter
by Parker Houston | Aug 29, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Few things are more important that a leader’s words. A careless word can wound for a lifetime. An encouraging word might energize someone for a year. A badly timed reaction...
Leadership Lessons From Winston Churchill—The Roaring Lion
by Parker Houston | Aug 22, 2024 | Personal Leadership
It’s hard to imagine a more difficult leadership assignment in the history of the world than what Winston Churchill faced. There is a reason his most iconic portrait by...
The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Scale
by Parker Houston | Aug 15, 2024 | Personal Leadership
A few years ago, I was going through a challenging chapter of life. I had a meeting with my coach at the time, and he recommended a strange exercise. At one point in our...
The Greater the Awareness, The Greater the Choice
by Parker Houston | Jul 25, 2024 | Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” –Victor Frankl One...
Just Like Me…
by Parker Houston | Jun 13, 2024 | Personal Leadership
You’ve heard me say it before, but it’s worth repeating—the brain is a prediction machine. The brain’s primary purpose is to keep us alive—and the best way to stay alive is...
Find Yourself By Getting Lost
by Parker Houston | May 2, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Last week I checked off a bucket list trip by backpacking the Lost Coast—with two friends I’ve known for more than 20 years. After living in California my entire life, this...
Live Your Life That the Fear of Death Can Never Enter Your Heart
by Parker Houston | Apr 18, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion. Respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love...
What Are You Resisting?
by Parker Houston | Apr 11, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Until he was 29 years old, Eckhart lived in a near-permanent state of severe anxiety and suicidal depression. He was miserable, living in a constant state of internal...
Nature-Deficit Disorder
by Parker Houston | Apr 4, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Thank you to my good friend and colleague, Dr. Tracy Weyer, for inspiring this post. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2020, Americans spend about 90%...
A Non-Anxious Presence
by Parker Houston | Mar 28, 2024 | Personal Leadership
Several years ago a mentor of mine used a term I had not heard before—he said he wanted to be a “non-anxious presence” for people. I didn’t really get it at first, but after...
Jose Alvarenga—Surviving More Than A Year Lost At Sea
by Parker Houston | Mar 21, 2024 | Personal Leadership, The Science of Mindset
If you have never heard of Jose Alvarenga, you will want to hear his incredible story of survival at sea. I first heard this story last year while reading 438 Days—by...
Get To The Point
by Parker Houston | Mar 7, 2024 | Personal Leadership
“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” –Blaise Pascal After writing a blog for several years and teaching classes regularly, I have found deep truth in...
The Legend of John the Dwarf
by Parker Houston | Feb 22, 2024 | Personal Leadership
A mentor of mine shared this story with me several years ago. John the Dwarf—also known as Saint John Kolobos—was a Coptic desert father born in the year 339 in the town of...
The Cost, Cause, and Cure for Workplace Burnout
by Parker Houston | Feb 15, 2024 | Boost Your Organizational Health, Personal Leadership, Top Teams Made Simple
Shortly after graduating from college, I was talking to a friend who was living in Central America. He had dropped out of college our senior year, and we all wondered what...
This Job Is Killing Me
by Parker Houston | Feb 8, 2024 | Personal Leadership
The Big Idea—A global study published in 2021 by the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization says that working more than 55 hours per week is now...
From External to Internal Goals
by Parker Houston | Feb 1, 2024 | Personal Leadership
*Photo by Greg Rakozy “Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.”— Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) A few years ago, I was working on my...
Recent Posts
Subscribe
Archives
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- July 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018