In his wildly popular 2006 TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson defined creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value." Aside from being wonderfully succinct, this definition implies that any creative enterprise requires two key phases:

Phase 1: Coming up with an original idea

Phase...

At the very end of 1998, NASA launched a much-anticipated robotic space probe called the Mars Climate Orbiter. Its mission was to collect data about the atmosphere, and act as a communications relay for the Mars Polar Lander. Nearly 10 months later, it arrived at the red planet, only to...

Do opposites attract, as Paula Abdul once assured us in a pop song, or do you need to be similar on 19 dimensions of personality -- as eHarmony suggests -- to find the perfect match?

Throughout the history of our young science, psychologists have gotten caught up in heated...

Choosing a career path (or changing one) is, for most of us, a confusing and anxiety-riddled experience. Many will tell you to "follow your passion" or "do what you love," but like Cal Newport argues in So Good They Can't Ignore You, this is not very useful advice. When I...

You hate your job, but you are afraid to look for a new one, or (gasp!) change careers altogether. Or the relationship you are in isn't making you happy, but you are afraid to leave it. Or you are single and lonely, but you're too afraid to get out there...

You are stressed -- by your deadlines, your responsibilities, your ever-increasing workload, and your life in general. If you are like me, you even stress about how much stress you're feeling -- worrying that it is interfering with your performance and possibly taking years off of your life.

This might...

What makes a person good at -- and comfortable with -- persuading others?

Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend, a brilliant and hardworking executive. I had just finished Dan Pink's excellent new book, To Sell Is Human, and was eager for my friend's take on it. In a...

If I see one more article or blog post about how you should never be "critical" or "negative" when giving feedback to an employee, colleague, or friend (or, for that matter, your children), I think my head will explode. It's incredibly frustrating. This kind of advice is surely well-meant, and...

To reach many, if not most of the goals we'd like to achieve -- losing weight, getting ahead at work, improving a relationship --it's not just a matter of taking action. There are things we need to stop doing if we want to be successful. We need to stop overeating,...

Recently, my friend Jane (not her real name, for reasons that will become obvious) sat with me over a long lunch, and listened patiently to tales of how my children were slowly driving me crazy. "You know what," said Jane, touching my hand and clearly filled with sympathy, "I'm going...

Have you ever tried to lose weight by not thinking about food? How about trying to play it cool and stop yourself from calling (or emailing, or texting) your love interest by blocking out all thoughts about that person? Ever try to quit smoking by trying not to think about...

Feeling stressed? Of course you are. You have too much on your plate, deadlines are looming, people are counting on you, and to top it all off, you still have holiday shopping to do. You are under a lot of pressure -- so much that at times, you suspect the...

You know you shouldn't do it. You know that if you keep calling and leaving messages he's going to think you are needy, or pathetic, or just plain crazy. You know that if you keep asking her if she's seen her ex-boyfriend, she's going to think you are insecure, or...

During an interview, your potential new boss asks you to briefly describe your qualifications. At this moment, you have a single objective: Be impressive. So you begin to rattle off your list of accomplishments -- your degrees from Harvard and Yale, your prestigious internships, your intimate knowledge of essential software...

If you look under the "Self-Help" heading on Amazon, you'll find roughly 5,000 books listed under the sub-head "Self-Esteem." The vast majority of these books aim to not only tell you why your self-esteem might be low, but to show you how to get your hands on some more of...

There is no shortage of advice out there on how to make a good impression -- an impression good enough to land you a new job, score a promotion, or bring in that lucrative sales lead. Practice your pitch. Speak confidently, but not too quickly. Make eye contact. And for...

No matter how miserable you are feeling at the moment, if you look back, there have surely been events in your life that have made you happy. Maybe the time you bought your first car, or the time you received that long-desired promotion. Or the time you lost 15 pounds...

If you want to be more successful -- at anything -- than you are right now, you need to know yourself and your skills. And when you fall short of your goals, you need to know why. This should be no problem; after all, who knows you better than you...

People have long been fascinated with birth order and how it shapes our lives. If Abel weren't the younger brother, would Cain still have jealously murdered him? Is Alec the most successful Baldwin because he is the eldest? What role did birth order play in the destinies of the Kennedys,...

Quick: Think of a successful person. Someone who is really good at what they do.

Now, in a word or phrase, tell me why that person has been so successful. What makes them so good?

Obviously, I can't hear your answer. But I'd be...