Inspiration Archives

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. In geometry class, the line was always my favorite object. Hypothetically, a line has no width or height, which means that in math problems, length was all you had to worry about. Sure, there was the distinction between lines (which could go on forever) and line segments (which had definite beginnings and ends), but regardless of the type, lines always seemed to have the freedom to travel for however long they pleased. The line is still a powerful thing. Think about how many lines we encounter in any typical day: If we’re in a heated argument,…

By Gail Lynne Goodwin. A few days ago I had a conversation with a friend (we'll call him Bob), who was frustrated because he wanted a job opportunity that was offered to one of his coworkers. Bob saw this new opportunity as the answer to his prayers. As you can imagine, when it was offered to someone else, Bob was upset. To him, everything is black or white, and when things didn’t happen in the way that he thought that he needed for them to happen, his entire world crumbled. What Bob didn’t realize was that this situation could be a blessing…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Boxing icon Muhammad Ali, also known to the world as Cassius Clay, "The People's Champion" or simply, "The Greatest," has just as much talent for words as he does for boxing. Ever since the legendary boxer coined the phrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," people worldwide have been using the famous saying to describe anything that brings beauty or art to a battle situation. (Not sure what I mean? Check out footage of Muhammad Ali's graceful fighting style and you’ll get the picture.) Here in the 21st Century, war is everywhere. It’s the…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all engage in a bit of everyday politics. That's especially the case when we meet someone for the first time, regardless of whether the person is a potential love interest, new client or friend. Just as any good diplomat would, we enter these first meetings with an arsenal of tools to help us represent ourselves in the best possible light. For some people, the tactics are a big smile and lots of jokes; for others, it's a calm, collected manner that they’re hoping will come off as…

By Gail Lynne Goodwin. Sometimes the greatest limitations we have in life are the ones we place on ourselves. I have a friend named Doug, who is a professional animal trainer. He's best known for his "Hollywood" bear named Bart, the star of Legends of the Fall, The Bear, The Edge and many more films. When Bart was a cub, Doug trained him to walk on a rope, just like we would walk a puppy on a dog leash. The only difference was, as Bart grew bigger, Doug would still walk him on the rope, but would reinforce it with…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Chaos is a sneaky thing. Just when you think everything in your life is falling into place, chaos is bound to be lurking right around the corner. It's the mischievous little kid who loves to stick his fingers in the icing of a perfectly decorated cake minutes before the party guests arrive. It’s the sudden rainstorm that seems to appear out of nowhere during your relaxing early-morning hike. It’s the boss who dumps an overwhelming, unexpected project on your desk just as you’re starting to get your workload under control. Ancient Greeks believed chaos was the…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. There are essentially two different kinds of people in the world: the ones that express their feelings, letting out everything that bothers them, whether it be to a diary, a friend, or even a random passerby, and those that bury their feelings deep within. The question is, what is the consequence of hiding or suppressing your emotions? What are the consequences of unfettered self-expression? when it comes to being happy, who ends up on top: the silent sufferer or the vocal whiner? For Freud, the answer was clear: he believed emotional inhibition caused psychological illness, which…