Dr. Jim Taylor

In my last post, I described the essential role that values play in the life you lead. I also showed how you can deconstruct values so you can really understand what values are driving your life.

But it is one thing to recognize what values you possess and to admit...

Mother's Day is on Sunday. Unfortunately, my own mother died some years ago, so I can't celebrate the day with her (though I owe her an immense debt of gratitude for all that she gave me). There is, however, another mother in my life that deserves to be honored. Namely,...

Your values form the foundation of your life. They dictate the choices you make and determine the direction that your life takes. Your values will influence your decisions related to your relationships, career, and other activities you engage in. Despite this importance, few people choose their values. Instead, they simply...

When I begin working with people with dysfunctional life inertias, I ask them what their needs and NEEDS! are. Most often, they are unable to describe either. Many people don't know what drives them to think, feel, and act in unhealthy ways. They also are so far out...

My series of posts on "life inertia" has been exploring the role that it plays in where your life has been, where it is now, and where it is heading. As you consider ways to change your life inertia, it's helpful to have a vision of the direction...

In my last post, I described the differences between needs, which ensure your psychological and emotional survival and growth, and NEEDS!, which arise from the neuroses, pathologies, and just plain whims of your parents and the environment and culture in which you are raised and have likely caused...

Just as your basic physical needs (e.g., food, water, shelter) must be met to ensure your physical survival and growth, another set of needs must also be satisfied to guarantee your psychological and emotional survival and growth. These needs include:

• Feeling loved ("I'm worthwhile"),
• Allaying insecurity ("I'm safe"),
...

In a previous post, I first introduced you to my law of life inertia: "the tendency of people, having once established a life trajectory, to continue on that course unless acted on by a greater force." I followed that post with another in which I described the

Emotions lie at the heart of how you respond to crises. They are the starting point for all of the reactions that we have toward a crisis. They are also the first obstacle to establishing a positive response to a crisis. That is why it is essential to understand the...

In my last post, I described some competitive lessons you must learn from the world's best athletes in order to play your best in "Prime Time," which I defined as being the biggest game of your life against the toughest field under the most difficult conditions. This week,...

I define Prime Time as the most important game of your life in which you'll be up against your toughest opponents and competing under the most difficult conditions. Prime Time is what sports are all about. It's the reason why you work so hard on all aspects of your sport....

The greatest challenge that athletes have is to play their best when it really counts. Regardless of the level of competition, whether a state championship, nationals, the Olympics, or World Series, every athlete needs to rise to the occasion of the big game (I will use 'game' to denote any...

These days, children seem to be given every opportunity by their parents to achieve success in school, sports, and the performing arts. Children receive private tutoring, coaching, and instruction. They attend summer camps devoted to their achievement activity. They seem to be assured of having every possible skill necessary to...

In researching my next parenting book, I came across several recent studies that I found truly disturbing. As you will see shortly, the results don't paint a pretty picture for the future of our children or our society as a whole. Even more damning is what it tells us about...

In my first post in my series exploring how we can produce meaningful and last life change, I described the four obstacles that prevent change. In my last post on this topic, I introduced you to the five building blocks of change. These steps I just...

In my last post, I described how difficult changing your life can be and the four obstacles that you must overcome to achieve meaningful and long-lasting change. Yes, change is difficult, despite the "quick and without any effort" claims of motivational speakers and self-help books.

The reality...

Change is essential for your growth and development as a person. Without change, you are assured of staying just the way you are and doing things just the way you have always done them. For some people, that's a good thing; they're happy and fulfilled in their lives. But for...

The first step in making meaningful changes in your life involves gaining a better understanding of yourself in essential areas that impact your life. This self-knowledge can provide you with direction as you try to maximize your efforts at change. Self-knowledge can also help you be more efficient and focused...

According to the research of Dr. Anders Ericsson, motivation is the most significant predictor of success. In simple terms, Dr. Ericsson found that experts in many walks of life, whether sport, music, chess, dance, or business, had put in the most hours at their craft. He coined the...

I'm up at Sugar Bowl (in Northern California) with my wife and two daughters for our pre-Christmas vacation and our week has been both incredibly enjoyable and challenging in some ways. Perhaps because of the indescribable joy I experience skiing with my family, plus it being the holiday season and...