How does being a Type A person affect your life? And, given your inherent personality, how can you live your life to the fullest? Type As have many wonderful strengths (ambition, energy, industriousness) and a few glaring weaknesses (impatience, inability to relax) that make life both a wonderful opportunity, and occasionally, very challenging. The answer […]
Do you spend very little time on your finances either because it is so boring and tedious, or because you don’t know a lot about the subject and it intimidates you? You are not alone. Budgeting, saving, investing, and borrowing are at the bottom of most people’s lists of things they want to spend time […]
The keys to continual improvement in your fitness level are always having a highly motivating goal and adding sufficient variety to your routine to keep it challenging and fun. My background in diet and exercise is very strongly rooted in the basic, fundamental principles of exercise and nutrition science. I have been training in bodybuilding […]
Type As are prone to anxiety, pure and simple. Our ambitious, energetic, and controlling natures predispose us to problems with nervousness, anxiety, and even panic attacks. And since anxiety and depression are such “close cousins,” many Type As also experience an occasional bout of the blues, or worse. However, there exist many well-developed methods for […]
This site is strictly for Lady Gaga diehards. Lady Gaga is our girl, plain and simple. If you like Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, or J Lo as much or more than Gaga, then you are a sellout and traitor. If you do not support the LGBT community, your time would be better spent trolling hate […]
Tim McIntyre retired in 2004 at age forty-six from his position as president of Applied Systems after facilitating a successful sale of the large and profitable software company. At this crossroads in his life, he made the unusual decision to fully retire from his career to pursue other interests and simply enjoy free time. As […]
I began the book with the observation that many Type As are anxious about the prospect of retiring. The open space of retirement is daunting, especially for driven and achievement-oriented people, or even for those Type As who just like to be busy and occupied all the time. I have addressed the challenges of retirement […]
Ahhh. Feeling in control. Being in control. Nirvana! Even a Type A with only a smidgen of self-awareness realizes that control is a central issue: controlling your schedule, trying to control your kids, controlling a project or that difficult subordinate at work, attempting to control your spouse whose needs, wants, and schedule affect your life. […]
The chair I am sitting on in the therapist’s office is adequate, but I notice that his couch looks much more comfortable. No, I decide, I’ll just stay where I am. The chair will give me a better angle of view on the therapist so that I’ll be more focused on him. I’m hoping he […]
All good things must end, as they say, and it is time for me to retire again, this time from my blog. I’ve really enjoyed writing the 200+ articles I have posted over the last four years. I’ve tried to be honest in sharing my thoughts and feelings, because I believed it would make no […]
When I was in my teens I had a recurring dream. In it I was lying in a casket, recently deceased. My family and friends were gathered around, crying and mourning. You might think this was a nightmare, or at the very least, a very sad dream. But no, it was actually quite peaceful. I […]
When you are a baby, everything is a “first.” The first time your mother holds you. The first time you smell the fresh spring air. Your first crawl, and then first steps. Then you become an older child—your first day of school. Then a teenager—your first kiss. And then a young adult—your first job, first […]
This is one of my favorite pictures of Anderson, because it captures his often playful and mischievous look. He is very “spirited,” as the dog trainers tend to say euphemistically. He seems to be always spoiling for a fight, or at least a good, rough-and-tumble play session, and with my high energy level, he’s met […]
When Elaine and I were home in Tinley Park this past December it was freezing cold, and with a puppy I spent a lot of time standing outside waiting for him to go potty. Apparently Anderson hadn’t gotten the memo that daddy doesn’t like to stand outside in the cold, so he would frolic in […]
I write a lot about good people and good deeds because I believe that is what we should all focus on and celebrate. However, I think it is also important to realize that evil, and specifically the devil, exists—and we need to beware of him in his many shapes and forms. When you think about […]
I think about someone as being “doubly dumb” if they have a problem and are both not sufficiently knowledgeable about it to remedy it, and also are not willing to seek out and consider good advice. They are being “not smart” twice, or “doubly dumb.” Of course, all of us are not knowledgeable in many […]
There was a time when I was very afraid of flying. I would begin worrying weeks before my trip and feel extremely anxious. What if the plane should crash? Surely all on board will die. I don’t want to die! I also went through a period in my life when I was preoccupied with getting […]
When I look back on my business career, sometimes I get down on myself. I remember situations that I could have handled better, and been more effective, if I didn’t suffer from such severe anxiety. I remember a meeting I had with the accounting department staff when I was CFO. In this executive position I […]
We all have friends (I hope), but do we choose them wisely? They say we become a lot like the 4 or 5 people we spend the most time around, so if that is true, we should try to have virtuous, nice, and fun friends. Since new friendships are always available, and old friendships can […]
“I Hate My Job. It Will Always Be Agonizing!”
This third article in my series on negative and irrational thinking addresses two common types of cognitive distortions, taken from Scott Burns’ book “The Feeling Good Handbook.” I know none of you would ever fall prey to any such faulty thinking, but bear with me anyway! Emotional Reasoning The first type of negative and irrational […]
“I’m Too Old/Busy/Tired to Get in Shape”
Bill Quick is a great friend and my personal trainer. (Yes, even personal trainers like me can benefit from using another trainer, for advice and motivation.) Bill is an interesting guy. The photo accompanying this post is a picture of him taken around the time he won the Mr. Illinois bodybuilding competition a couple of […]
A Common Mistake That Makes Exercise More Difficult and Less Productive
There is a trap many people fall into that results in exercise being much more difficult and painful than it has to be. It also greatly reduces the results they obtain. So what is this common mistake? Lack of consistency, or “yo-yo” exercising. By far the toughest part of any new exercise program is the […]
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