Michael D. Pollock

What To Do When You Feel Stuck

in Inspiration - 2 Comments

For the most part, I’ve lived by the maxim that says if you don’t like something in your life, change it. Don’t complain about it. Don’t blame someone else for it, and don’t merely tolerate it. Instead, get busy, and get to work doing all you can to change it. It’s a strategy that’s paid off for me time and again, and I highly recommend it for most of life’s troubles.

Still, there are situations that are beyond our ability to change. No matter how hard we try, we’ll never make them different than what they are. The loss of a loved one, for example, or the ending of a relationship that’s run its course.

Is Comfort Keeping Your Life Small?

in Inspiration - 0 Comments

It’s 5:30 on Sunday morning. Barely awake, I hear someone clomping down the wood-floor stairs in our home. It’s my 19-year-old daughter, Haley. Seconds later, I hear the back door slam. Curious, I roll out of bed, stumble to the window and watch as she hops into her little s-10 pickup and pulls out of the driveway.

Life Always Gives You What You Need

in Inspiration - 0 Comments

“The strongest oak tree in the forest,” wrote Napoleon Hill, “is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.”

Likewise, singer and civil rights activist Bernice Johnson Reagon reminds us that “life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”

6 Keys to Being Excellent at Anything

in Personal Development - 2 Comments

From Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything by Tony Schwartz.

1. Pursue what you love. Passion is an incredible motivator. It fuels focus, resilience, and perseverance.

2. Do the hardest work first. We all move instinctively toward pleasure and away from pain. Most great performers, Ericsson and others have found, delay gratification and take on the difficult work of practice in the mornings, before they do anything else. That’s when most of us have the most energy and the fewest distractions.

Six Keys to a Happier, Healthier, More Prosperous Life

in Personal Development - 4 Comments

Here’s a pop quiz. Which of the following statements are true for you?

  1. I like most aspects of my personality.
  2. I have several warm and trusting relationships.
  3. I have confidence in my opinions, even if they are contrary to others.
  4. I am good at managing the many responsibilities of my daily life.
  5. Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.
  6. It’s important to have new experiences that challenge how I think about myself and the world.

These six statements represent six key dimensions of psychological well-being; that is, how good you feel about yourself and your life. I’m sure you’ll agree that your sense of well-being profoundly influences how you perform in every area of your life, especially work and creative pursuits. With that in mind, here are six ways to increase your well-being, love your life, and in turn, create more positive energy to do great work.

Be More Creative and Productive With These 10 Free and Low-Cost Software Applications

in Productivity, Reviews - 15 Comments

One great thing about working online nowadays is there’s an endless supply of free and low-cost software to help you be more creative and productive. Unfortunately, with all the choices, it can often get a little overwhelming. As a full-time webworker for the last five years, I’ve managed to come up with a short-list of apps that have become virtually indispensable to me. Here are ten of my favorites.