Since it seems like I’m never going to convince people to stop looking for gurus, I thought I would offer a few simple guidelines for picking a good one.

Well the results are in, and no one's really surprised... at least I'm not.

When you ask people what's holding them back, most people will say money, time or a lack of something or other. But when you look at what it would feel like to live the dream, people almost always say things like "meaningful" "fulfilling" and "creative."

So, here's the $64,000 dollar question - does it cost money to do meaningful work? Does it take more time to feel fulfilled? Does creativity depend on any particular substance?

The results are in! Here are two Word Clouds the show responses to the survey yesterday - how you feel when you’re in the Sweet Spot AND how you feel when you’re not. It’s not too surprising that if feels a whole lot better (and more productive) when you’re in the Sweet Spot – but what happens when you look a little deeper?

We want to help you regularly find and stay in that Sweet Spot where all the pieces line up, the enthusiasm flows, and you're ready to take on the next challenge to make it happen. That requires taking small steps regularly and changing habits. And most of us could use a buddy and little friendly reminder from time to time. Our new "daily nudge" is all about that.

In case you’ve been in a coma for 24 hours, we had a little “incident” here in Vancouver last night. Today, Vancouver is trying to make sense of it all. Online and in coffee shops, people are asking questions. Why did it happen? Who is to blame? Who are these people? Where did they come from? Is this who we are?

It’s a good question, but we need to refocus the lens to get an accurate answer.

Woody Allen says “there are two kinds of people in the world, the kind that say there are two kinds of people and everyone else.” It’s not a new idea. Aristotle was saying the same thing when he said we define something primarily by what it is not – he just didn’t have a punch line. And Aristotle’s right: it is extremely helpful – almost essential from time to time – to divide things into categories.

Have you ever been in a situation of change or transition? If so, you are probably familiar with the feeling of uncertainty that is so tightly connected with these times of shift and expansion. How do we make it through those phases with so many questions yet no apparent answers? For me personally trust plays a major role in coping with times uncertain.

Everywhere I turn lately people are talking about social media. Some scammy Meetup group is hyping the power of the Interwebs or offering me 10 secrets to unlock the power of Facebook. Everyone is trying to tweet their way to profits. And I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone decide that they absolutely, positively need to have a blog... even though they aren’t sure why or what they would say.

All this hype creates a lot of noise without adding much value. 

We all know, at least at some level, that there is no silver bullet – yet the lure of the little blue pill seems almost irresistible. Like Homer Simpson, we convince ourselves again and again that this isn’t one of those “get rich quick” schemes – it’s a scheme where I get rich... quick.

It’s that time of year again. The gym is bulging with the newly resolute – who will mostly be MIA by mid-February.

Don’t get me wrong, using the New Year as an excuse to make some positive changes is a great idea. But it’s not enough to make the resolution – you have to do it the right way.

Here are a few pointers to help you get the most out of your resolutions.