10 new book-related videos!

You can now see 10 short videos explaining key ideas from my self-help book Staying Off theWheel of Misfortune, on YouTube! The videos range in length from three to five minutes.

Here’s what each one of the 10 videos covers, with a link to that video:

• Why Certainty is Not Your Friend. Almost everyone likes certainty; it makes life seem easier and often makes us feel superior to those who don’t agree with us. But in reality, certainty undercuts our vision and personal power, and it can lead to poor choices with terrible consequences. Here’s why, and how to avoid making this mistake. 

• Avoiding the Talent Trap. The idea that talent is something you have to be born with can have a huge negative impact on your life, affecting your life choices, your attitudes and your relationships—and the evidence says it’s not true. Here’s what the evidence really says.

• Why You Should Never Take On the Role of Victim. When you’ve been wronged, it’s easy to think of yourself as a victim—but doing so can backfire badly. The truth is, you don’t have to be a victim just because you’ve been victimized. There are much better ways to react to being victimized, and they may save you years of grief. 

• The Secret to Communicating Clearly. Getting your message across is not just about choosing the right words. It’s about seeing communication as a two-way street—a process that involves both you and the listener—and paying attention to the reaction you’re getting back. 

• Why You Should Never Lose Hope. It’s easy to despair when things you care about are falling apart—but a breakdown is a normal part of the growing process. That’s true for a very important reason: It allows big problems to be solved. 

• Creating the Life You Want. To end up where you want to be, you need a toolbox of strategies that will help you get there. Here are a few of the strategies outlined in Chapter 10 of my book that will help you reach your goals. 

• Why You Shouldn’t Postpone Your Happiness. If you think you can’t be happy until some particular thing happens—achieving a goal or winning someone’s heart, for example—you’re not only wrong, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of misery. Here’s what to do instead. 

• How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Relationships. The single biggest relationship destroyer is this: not expressing your feelings over a period of time—especially anger. Here’s why, and what to do about it. 

• Why It’s Important to Focus on the Right Things. Our brains are designed to notice and dwell on negatives, but what you choose to pay attention to has a huge impact on your life experience—it may determine whether you spend your life happy or miserable. Here’s a simple way to shift your focus onto a more positive track. 

• Why Forgiveness Works to Your Advantage. Many people are skeptical about forgiveness because they see it as letting someone who has wronged them off the hook. In fact, refusing to forgive someone hurts YOU, not the other person. Here’s why.