The Power of an Annual Review: Reflect on the Past to Reimagine your Future

As the end of the year rolls around, it’s tempting to hit pause on everything. Between holiday preparations, end-of-year deadlines, and social commitments, the thought of adding one more task to your plate might seem overwhelming. The last thing you want to do is sit down and think about the past year… You’d rather curl … Read More

The Art of Wintering: How to Find Strength in Slowing Down

As the end of the year settles in, you might notice a distinct downshift in energy, both in yourself and the world around you. Messages flood in about “finishing strong”, yet everything feels like it’s naturally winding down. It’s not just your imagination: large-scale industry surveys suggest that by mid-December, over half of workers report … Read More

The Introspection Trap

Introspection is considered an inherently human ability. While external observation allows us to understand the world around us, internal contemplation allows us to examine our own thoughts and feelings to foster self-reflection and self-discovery. The practice may be as old as humanity itself. Thousands of years ago, Plato asked: “Why should we not calmly and … Read More

The power of introspection

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,” once said Aristotle. Introspection is the act of looking inwards to examine one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings. Our busy lives often prevent us from making time for introspection, which means we miss out on the many personal and professional benefits this form of self-reflection offers. However, … Read More

The science of self-love: the evidence-based benefits of loving yourself

Self-love is seen by many as a futile, even narcissistic pursuit. With influencers urging you to love yourself without much substance to their advice, the concept of self-love may seem like an empty one. However, there is lots of scientific evidence suggesting that self-love can have a positive impact on your mental health, self-esteem, and … Read More

The power of self-reflection at work

We often hear advice about how self-reflection can help us learn more about our true inner selves and can help resolve interpersonal conflicts. However, self-reflection should not be reserved for our personal lives only; it can also be richly rewarding for our professional careers. Self-reflection can be defined as the process of replaying recent experiences … Read More

Self-handicapping: when we avoid effort to protect our self-esteem

Humans are very good at getting in their own way. We make our lives more challenging than they need to be, often without realizing it. Why do we place these hurdles in our way? What can we do to address our self-handicapping behaviors? Self-handicapping as an insurance policy In short, self-handicapping is an insurance policy … Read More

Taste: why we like what we like

You may think your likes and dislikes are formed through rational decision-making. After all— whether it is books, movies, music, food, romantic partners, or fashion—your tastes are a defining part of your identity. But the reality is more complicated than that. Our genes, our culture, and our experiences define why we like what we like. … Read More