This will sound like a rather odd recommendation, but here it is. I find Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, a little full of himself. I’d heard the advice to start with questions of purpose and passion years ago, well before he wrote his book, so the idea that he invented or came up with all this is, well, a bit much. And his work with brain science feels at the same time both oversimplified and overstated. Finally, while he may be a perfectly lovely human being, he comes across as a bit self-important. Having said all that, I’d still encourage you to watch his TED Talk, based on his...

One of my favorite places to go for moments of inspiration and joy is SoulPancake. A few weeks ago I shared with you the video introduction to their “success series” where they asked people to define what they thought counted as success. Today, a follow-up video where they go a little further by asking people whether they’ve thought about who has helped them become successful. Very few, as it turns out, have. Perhaps that’s not too surprising, as many of us get so busy with work or family or moving toward whatever goal we’ve set or maybe just keeping our heads above water that we don’t take enough time to reflect. So the first...