Taking the easy way may seem smart, but it can often make your life harder. We take refuge in comfort over challenge, convenience over conviction, and acceptance over self-respect. Deep down, we may know it’s not right — but hey, it’s easy, and sometimes that’s enough.

In the short term, it might be. But in the long term, that’s when the real trouble begins. So, will you change your ways? Only you can decide.

Are You Making Life Hard by Choosing Easy?

If you’re inclined to take the easy path to avoid conflict, gain approval, or win at all costs, those choices may seem reasonable in the moment. After all, it’s easy to tell yourself, “I’ll deal with the fallout later.”

But you can’t outrun the consequences of your actions forever. The choices you made years ago may already be catching up with you — hurting your credibility, tarnishing your reputation, stalling your career, and straining your relationships — and making life harder. Isn’t that exactly what you were trying to avoid?

The first step is realizing when you’re choosing easy over right — and asking if the trade-off is truly worth it. Here are 25 ways choosing easy can make life harder…

Do you:

1. Ask for help when you could handle things yourself?
2. Stay in your comfort zone instead of stepping up to the challenge?
3. Blame others for setbacks instead of accepting personal responsibility?
4. Dance around the truth or say what needs to be said?
5. Give in to temptation or follow your conscience?
6. Lower the bar instead of holding yourself to a higher standard?
7. Avoid saying no to keep the peace instead of building strength through tough love?
8. Make life unrealistically easy instead of letting people learn for themselves?
9. Seek acceptance instead of making yourself proud?
10. Quit at the first sign of struggle instead of persevering with grit?
11. Stretch the truth instead of being completely honest and transparent?
12. Ignore injustice or stand up for what’s right?
13. Stay silent instead of speaking up against inappropriate behavior?
14. Seek instant gratification instead of investing in the long term?
15. Look for a quick fix instead of making healthy lifestyle choices?
16. Slack off instead of committing to your personal growth?
17. Discourage debate instead of listening to opposing viewpoints?
18. Virtue signal instead of living with self-respect?
19. Maximize every deal instead of building lasting relationships?
20. Let people off easy instead of expecting them to face consequences?
21. Do the bare minimum instead of giving it your best?
22. Shop ‘til you drop instead of saving for a rainy day?
23. Demand rewards instead of earning them?
24. Throw money at a problem instead of addressing the root cause?
25. Break your commitments instead of keeping your promises?

What Do You Lose by Choosing Easy?

If you value integrity, doing what’s right, and building something meaningful for the future, choosing what’s easy today may ultimately make your life harder tomorrow.

If you’re making these choices consciously, and are prepared to live with the consequences, fine. But if you’re acting out of habit, on autopilot, or just being shortsighted, it’s worth considering whether you’re truly acting in your best interest. After all, the price of a quick win can be lasting regret. So, don’t let a moment of happiness cost you forever.

Are You Making Life Harder for Yourself?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
20 Choices That Will Determine Your Destiny
Choices Are Easy. The Tough Part is Living with Them
What Are Your Biggest Regrets in Life?
Take Ownership by Taking Responsibility
The Consequences of No Consequences
Inner Peace is a Choice
Broken Promises, Broken Commitments

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Have you ever been disappointed by someone’s behavior, a friend who let you down, or a business deal that went south? You expected more, and they fell short. In fact, they didn’t just fail to meet the moment — they failed to exceed even the bare minimum. If so, you’re not alone. Disappointment is part of life. Some would argue that what really matters isn’t what happens, but who you become because of it. Of course, not everyone sees it that way. As author Sylvia Plath said, “If you don’t expect anything from anyone, you’re never disappointed.” Still, accepting less can dull your sense of what’s truly possible.

Now think about what that really means — lowering your standards just to avoid disappointment. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

Sure, if you assume everyone’s untrustworthy, you won’t be shocked by betrayal. But is living that way really the answer? Low expectations may shield you from pain — but also from progress — because you’ll never know your limits if you don’t challenge them.

What Do Your Standards Say About You?

Expectations aren’t just goals; they define the standards you hold yourself and others to. To uphold them, you must first clarify what they are and hold people accountable.

When you set expectations, do you challenge yourself to do your best, or do you settle for the bare minimum? Do you aim for what’s possible, or retreat to what’s comfortable? Do you call others out when they fall short, or let things slide?

Do you hold yourself — and others — to the standards you set when you:

• Fall short of a goal.
• Bend the truth.
• Act like a hypocrite.
• Forget your manners.
• Fail to pull your weight.
• Sell someone a bill of goods.
• Treat people like second-class citizens.
• Miss deadlines.
• Do the bare minimum.
• Keep others waiting without acknowledgment or apology.
• Cut corners.
• Break a promise.
• Submit unfinished work.
• Betray someone’s confidence.
• Talk behind someone’s back.
• Take things for granted.
• Spread gossip.
• Excuse inappropriate behavior.

Accepting low standards affects you in three key ways. First, when you lower your standards, you limit your potential — settling for less than you’re capable of. Like a thermostat, you never rise above your setting. Second, tolerating mediocrity sends the message that average is acceptable, lowering the bar for everyone. And third, you lead by example — whether you intend to or not. If you take the low road, don’t be surprised when others follow.

Raise the bar or prepare to trip over it.

Did You Ever See a Champion Who Expected to Lose?

Lowering expectations might spare your feelings, but it also limits your results. When you lower the bar, you get what you asked for: poor behavior, unprincipled actions, and mediocre performance. Make no mistake: When you accept less, you lower the bar for what’s acceptable in your life. Is that what you really want?

Sure, you won’t make waves, and things might come easy. But you’ll also have to settle — because it’s hard to be let down when you’re already sitting on the floor.

It’s actually a very simple choice. You can reach for the sky or settle for the bare minimum. The first option rewards your strength, courage, and determination. It builds self-esteem and fills you with pride. The latter keeps you in your comfort zone and makes life easy. In that case, you forfeit your true potential — and so does everyone around you. You owe it to yourself to give your best. As the saying goes, “The only thing you can do is the best you can do.” No one else can do that for you. Don’t settle. Expect the best or get used to less.

Do You Set the Bar high or Accept Less?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
How An Expectation Drives Performance
What You Lose by Settling for the Bare Minimum
Win or Lose — Your Attitude Decides
Mediocre Behavior Is a Choice
Do You Do Your Best or Just Enough to Get By?
15 Signs That You Need an Attitude Adjustment
Lowering Standards Is a Fool’s Errand

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Do What Matters Most

How much time do you waste on unimportant stuff? The problem is that we let distractions and disruptions divert our attention from important things. The result is that even though you had a busy day, a lot of time was spent on things that don’t matter very much. After all, being busy is not the same as being productive. Do you do what matters most?

Every moment you focus on things that don’t matter, you lose time to spend on things that do.

The Dalai Lama once reminded us, “A meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, being highly educated or being perfect. It’s about being real, being humble, being strong and being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others. It’s only then that we could have a full, happy, and contented life.” Here are 11 guideposts to help you focus on stuff that matters:

Own your life. Your destiny lies in your hands — grab hold of it rather than relinquishing responsibility to others.

Stand for something. You have an opportunity to define your values and your life as you see fit, or you can go with the flow and let them be defined for you.

Make a difference. Find your purpose and live for something greater than yourself. While it’s tough to change the world, you can change the world around you.

Make relationships a priority. Do right by people. Give more than you take. Put others’ needs ahead of your own. Meet in the middle. Keep your promises. And never win at the expense of a relationship.

Bring out the best in people. Look for the spark of brilliance in others. Make people feel special and appreciated. Inspire them to do their best and to be their best.

Put family first. Be available, not just present. Celebrate traditions. Eat at least one meal as a family every day. And never stop courting your spouse.

Create magical moments. Moments, rather than possessions, are the true treasures of life. Material possessions get old and wear out. Memories last forever.

Be grateful. If you’re grateful for what you have, you’ll never want for more.

Nourish your mind, body, and soul. You’re careful about how you feed your body. Be equally prudent about how you nourish your mental, physical, and emotional/spiritual health.

Be an exemplary role model. Virtue isn’t demanding more of others; it’s expecting more of yourself. Lead by example. Do what’s right rather than what’s convenient.

Leave a legacy. Live the way you want to be remembered. You may not have the control to lengthen your life, but you can do much to deepen it.

Do You Focus on What Matters Most?

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Excerpted from BECOME: Unleash the Power of Moral Character and Be Proud of the Life You Choose 

Additional Reading:
Living Life With a Purpose
Change Begins with You
How to Bring Out the Best in People
Change Someone’s Life and You May End Up Changing Yours
Here’s to the Folks Who Bring Good to the World
Promise Yourself
What Do a Wedding and a Funeral Have in Common?

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Many begin their weight loss journey with enthusiasm, only to quit days later, frustrated by slow results. When you urge them to stay the course and trust the process, they look at you like you’ve lost your mind. Deep down, they want results without effort, struggle, or sacrifice — but that’s not how it works. What they truly lack is the drive to push through discomfort and delay gratification.

Whether it’s getting in shape, fixing your finances, recovering from a health setback, or mastering a skill, real progress takes time. Success requires patience, persistence, and personal drive. Give up too soon, and everything you’ve done up to that point goes to waste.

Your dreams will only go as far as your drive takes them.

How Badly Do You Want It?

Before saying you want something, ask yourself: Are you willing to put in long hours, make sacrifices, and push forward when motivation fades? Or do you expect success to come easily, without effort? The truth is, success doesn’t just happen — you need the drive to make it a reality.

Drive isn’t optional — it’s the price of admission.

While that may seem obvious, how often do you start something only to quit when things get tough? The usual excuses come easy — “I don’t feel like it today,” “I need a break,” or “I’ll make up for it later.” But later never comes. Every time you give in to an excuse, you make it easier to do it again. And then you wonder why success keeps slipping away.

How to Avoid Failure

Start by setting realistic expectations so you have a clear idea of what to expect — no surprises. What’s your goal, and what will it take to achieve it? The key is knowing why it matters to you and how hard you’re willing to work for it. That clarity helps you make a promise to yourself — one worth keeping.

Drive is the silent force that outlasts excuses, setbacks, and doubts. It’s what keeps you moving forward when motivation fades. With that in mind, here are seven key principles to guide you as you work toward success:

1. Are you challenging yourself, or just taking the easy route by setting the bar artificially low? On the other hand, have you set an impossible goal — only to use it as an excuse to quit?
2. Get started. Intentions are meaningless without action. You can’t bake a cake by staring at the oven.
3. Success isn’t just about doing big things; it’s the cumulative effect of consistently doing the right things — even the small ones.
4. Every action you take today shapes your future. As novelist Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
5. Drive is the invisible force that keeps you moving when everything else tries to hold you back.
6. Last-minute effort will not make up for years of neglect.
7. Measure progress and adjust your actions accordingly. As Confucius said, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Drive Separates Dreamers from Doers

Success is like a snowball rolling down a hill — it may start small and slow, but with momentum, it becomes unstoppable. The key is drive and patience. Achievements aren’t defined by how quickly you start, but by how long you stay committed. Each day, focus on continuous improvement, no matter how small. It’s not about immediate results but about the determination to keep moving forward — even when progress isn’t visible. Over time, those consistent efforts will build into something powerful, and your momentum will create something truly worth celebrating. Desire starts the race. Drive wins it.

Do You Have Drive?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
How An Expectation Drives Performance
Perseverance: The Secret to Success
Are You Living a Dream?
What’s the Price of Ambition?
What Sacrifices Are You Willing to Make?
You Should Be So Lucky
Get It Done!

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Everyone screws up at some point — we’re only human. What sets people apart is how they respond. Some bend over backward to make things right, while others get defensive, point fingers, or go radio silent — turning a bad situation into something worse. The truth is, most people are willing to overlook a mishap if you handle it well — but some manage to dig themselves even deeper. How do you react after you’ve screwed up?

You know when you’ve let someone down, failed to hold your end of the deal or put your needs ahead of someone else’s. You know the moment the deadline passed, the budget was blown, or your product or service didn’t deliver as promised.

What’s Done Is Done, but What’s Next Is Up to You

When you realize you’ve screwed up, do you own it and make things right — or retreat and hope no one notices? The way you respond to mistakes reveals everything. As the saying goes, “People don’t care what you say until they see what you do.” Here are 10 reactions that drive people crazy…

Do you:

• Listen with empathy or just brush it off?
• Respond promptly to emails and calls or go dark?
• Accept responsibility or pass the buck?
• Solve the problem or offer lip service?
• Give a genuine apology or pretend nothing’s wrong?
• Connect the individual to a real person or send them to a generic FAQ page?
• Provide solutions or make excuses?
• Create a sense of urgency or wait until time allows?
• Stay engaged after the sale or disappear once the deal is done?
• Learn and improve or repeat the same mistakes?

Mess Up. Fess Up. Step Up 

We’ve all made mistakes, missed opportunities, or wished we could go back and do things differently. While the past is set in stone, the future remains yours to shape. As Henry Ford said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

Turning a wrong into a right starts with intention. Consider these 10 guidelines:

Show that you care. When things go wrong, people want to know you understand the situation, genuinely empathize with them, and are fully committed to making things right.

Accept responsibility. Own the problem instead of blaming others or passing the buck.

Focus on the long-term relationship. A single mishap doesn’t have to end it. Turn a dissatisfied person into a happy one.  Put yourself in their shoes. Be their advocate. Think long term.

Communicate more, not less. Give status reports on a regular basis — even if you have nothing major to report. People want reassurance that you’re engaged, responsive, and genuinely invested in the outcome.

Tell the whole truth. Be open, honest, and fully transparent. Don’t bury details in the fine print.

Under promise and over deliver. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. It’s better to exceed expectations than to fall short.

Hold others accountable. If you delegate a task, follow up. Others may not share your sense of urgency. In the end, you’re still accountable for making things right.

Address new problems head-on. If something else goes wrong, be straight with people. Tell them you’re on it — don’t let them discover it themselves.

Provide updates regularly. People aren’t mind readers. Just because you know what’s happening doesn’t mean they do. No news often feels like bad news.

Leave a lasting impression. Fixing the problem isn’t enough. After you resolve the situation, go the extra mile to make up for the inconvenience. In addition, follow up weeks later to be sure everything is still on track.

You Messed Up — Now Show Up

When something goes wrong, people aren’t just upset about the mishap — they’re frustrated when it feels like no one’s listening, no one cares, and they lack the means to fix it themselves. Given that, what matters most is showing that you hear them, that you care, and that you’re absolutely committed to making things right. That shouldn’t be hard to do — if you actually care. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

How Do You Respond After a Screwup?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
Broken Promises, Broken Commitments
What’s Your Excuse?
Take Ownership by Taking Responsibility
Confident People Aren’t Afraid to Be Measured
6 Ways to Spot All Talk, No Action
How Do You React to Mistakes?
Truth Be Told: 13 Ways to Demonstrate Honesty

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Find the Good in Every Situation

Do you look on the bright side or harp on the problems, see the good in people or nitpick their faults, envision the possibilities or fear the dangers? Think how much happier you’ll be if you choose to be positive, see the silver lining, and appreciate all the wonderful things in your life. When you see the good in the world, make people feel special, and serve as a positive influence, your soul will smile.

Turn Life’s Toughest Tests into Your Greatest Triumphs

For the next week, be optimistic, love life, serve as an inspiration, and make a positive difference. At the end of each day, consider the following questions:

• What made you happy today?
• Did you make someone feel special?
• What are you grateful for?
• Did you take an insult to heart or let it roll off your back?
• Did you place someone else’s needs ahead of your own?
• Did you catch yourself complaining and choose to be constructive?
• What worry never came to pass?
• Did you put a positive spin on a tough situation?
• What would have stressed you out yesterday, but didn’t today?
• Did you give yourself a pep talk when the chips were down?
• Did you try to win the argument or preserve the relationship?
• Did you leave your comfort zone or give in to fear?
• What made you proud?
• Did you pat yourself on the back?
• Would you be happy if your kids mimicked your behavior?

A word of caution… Some folks may beat themselves up for falling a little short of their goal. They’re missing the whole point. Don’t get down on yourself for failing to achieve perfection. Praise yourself for making headway. Remember, progress is one step closer to excellence. If you’re a little more positive today than you were yesterday, just think where you’ll be a year from now. Perfection may not be possible, but striving for excellence is. 

Do You Find the Good in Every Situation?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Excerpted from BECOME: Unleash the Power of Moral Character and Be Proud of the Life You Choose 

Additional Reading:
10 Critical Rules for Living a Happy Life
Are You Grateful?
Happy People Know This … Do You?
Do You Take It for Granted?
The Power of a Positive Attitude
How to Bring Out the Best in People
Living Life With a Purpose

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What would you do if you saw a man hitting a woman, a burglar breaking into a store, a bully tormenting a shy kid, or a thief stealing a package from someone’s doorstep? If you’re like many people these days, you’d record it on your phone and post it on social media because likes and views are today’s applause. Then you’d deliver a sermon on kindness, urging everyone online to be more compassionate — as if that’s enough to clear your conscience. Really? That says a lot.

Some people seem more interested in virtue signaling than in helping those truly in need — while the perpetrators often walk away scot-free. What are the odds they’ll do it again? Far too high. Worse, if these aren’t isolated incidents but start happening more frequently, we risk losing our moral compass altogether. What once outraged us begins to feel normal, and we stop being shocked — until nothing shocks us.

The sad truth is that if even one person acted early on, the incident might have been stopped in its tracks — like extinguishing a small brush fire before it spreads out of control.

You may be asking yourself, why does this happen? When someone is alone, fear might keep them from getting involved. But when others are around, people often assume someone else will act — a phenomenon known as the bystander effect. The harsh reality is, many simply think, “It doesn’t impact me directly.” That says it all.

What’s Fair for One Is Fair for All

What if it were your sister who was beaten, your son who was bullied, or your daughter’s birthday present that was stolen off the porch? What if it wasn’t a business that was robbed, but your home? What if you looked the other way when others were discriminated against — and now you’re the one targeted? What if you stayed silent when others were treated unfairly — and now the injustice is at your front step? Would that change how you feel? It shouldn’t, but for some it does. If this issue isn’t addressed, it may come knocking on your doorstep, too. And, while that alone shouldn’t be the only reason to stand up for what’s right, it’s undeniably a powerful motivator.

If you don’t act, don’t complain.

You have a moral duty to your friends, family, and community to fight for what’s right and to ensure the next generation has the same opportunities you had. Turning a blind eye because it doesn’t affect you, because it’s uncomfortable, or because you don’t want to “throw someone under the bus” is unacceptable. If everyone thinks that way, we deserve what we get — and it won’t be pretty.

Actions have consequences. So does inaction.

Restoring honor and integrity begins by standing up for your beliefs, holding people accountable for their actions, and — above all — leading by example. Virtue isn’t about demanding more from others; it’s about expecting more of yourself. It takes courage to speak the truth when silence is easier, honesty to do what’s right even when it’s difficult, and compassion to help those who can’t help themselves. That’s how we rebuild trust, restore decency, and remind the world that character still matters. As Senator Alan Simpson said, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” That says it all.

Your Silence Says a Lot About You

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
The Power of One
9 Powerful Reasons Why Your Moral Character Matters
If Your Behavior is Contagious, What Will People Catch?
Why Didn’t You Tell Me?
10 Hallmarks of an Honorable Person
Live with Honor and Integrity
Silence…Now Hear This

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Who do you spend the most time with? Your first thought might be your parents, a friend, or a colleague. But the answer is yourself. While that may seem obvious, most people rarely consider how much time they spend with themselves. Yet, it matters more than we realize. The beliefs that guide you, your inner dialogue, and how you treat yourself all shape your mindset — and the path you take in life. Just as you can bring out the best or worst in others, you can do the same to yourself. In fact, some people are kinder to strangers than they are to themselves.

• Are you your harshest critic or biggest cheerleader?
• Do you set low expectations out of self-doubt?
• Do you dwell on failures more than achievements?
• Do you feel powerless to shape your future?

As author Steve Maraboli said, “The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”

Why Believing in Yourself Matters

Believing in yourself sounds simple — but it’s not always easy. You might fool others, but you can’t fool yourself — and that can either build or break your confidence. You know whether you set high expectations or settle for less. You know if you act with integrity or rely on underhanded tactics to get ahead. You know whether you give your best effort or just enough to get by. You know if you earn your rewards or expect handouts. This isn’t a test someone else is grading. Believing in yourself comes from how you live your life — and you’re the one grading your performance every day.

Here are 10 ways your mindset can either hold you back or propel you forward:

1. If you believe success isn’t meant for people like you, you may never try.
2. If you credit luck for your achievements, you’ll hesitate to invest in yourself.
3. If you dismiss your ideas as foolish, you’ll keep them to yourself.
4. If you believe you can’t succeed on your own, you’ll resist stepping out of your comfort zone.
5. If you set the bar low, you’ll never reach your full potential.
6. If you skip practice and preparation, you’ll lack the confidence to succeed.
7. If you’re willing to do anything to win, you’ll assume others play dirty too — and that erodes trust.
8. If you avoid accountability, you’ll miss valuable lessons from your mistakes.
9. If you never learn to bounce back from small setbacks, bigger challenges will feel insurmountable.
10. If rewards come without effort, you’ll never experience the satisfaction of earning them.

Make Yourself Proud

Do you spend more time seeking acceptance from others or from yourself? If it’s others, your focus may be misplaced. If you want to believe in yourself, you must prove you’re worthy of it. That means investing in yourself to improve every day; giving your best, not just enough to get by; doing what’s right, not what’s easy; and striving to be a good person — because you have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.

By living this way, you prove to yourself that you deserve it.

When someone asks, “Who are you trying to impress? Your answer should always be “myself.” That’s the formula for believing in yourself.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
Where Does Confidence Come From?
Can You Count on Yourself?
Is Self-Reliance More Than a Buzzword?
Take Ownership by Taking Responsibility
Do You Want to Be Proud or Popular?
How to Deal with People Who Undermine Your Confidence
Are You Nurturing or Coddling?

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Some people have big egos. They see themselves as superior, but their sense of importance comes more from how they perceive themselves than from how they treat others. In contrast, those on a power trip constantly need to feed their egos — thriving on control, intimidation, and belittling others — just to feel important.

This raises the question: What are they thinking? Or are they thinking at all? Are they driven by results, seeking attention, or simply stroking their ego?

Power Trip Alert: Red Flags to Watch For

A power-hungry person isn’t just confident — they crave dominance and control, often at the expense of others. You can spot them by their need to micromanage, intimidate, or assert authority in ways that turn leadership into manipulation.

Here are 25 telltale signs of a power-hungry person…

Power-hungry individuals:

1. Publicly criticize others, undermining their credibility.
2. Exploit their position for personal gain.
3. Coerce people into compliance by threatening consequences.
4. Leverage power to extract unreasonable concessions.
5. Demand people jump through hoops — or face repercussions.
6. Foster dependency, making others reliant on them for success.
7. Hold the key to others’ needs but let them struggle.
8. Keep others waiting to assert dominance.
9. Fabricate crises to observe discomfort or reactions.
10. Reprimand anyone who challenges them.
11. Use threats to enforce obedience.
12. Make others wait while tending to personal matters.
13. Treat their time as more valuable than anyone else’s.
14. Suck up to superiors while belittling subordinates.
15. Impose rules they refuse to follow.
16. Distance themselves from others to maintain a sense of importance.
17. Create approval processes that feel like obstacle courses.
18. Arrive late without explanation or apology.
19. Ignore calls or emails without justification.
20. Make unrealistic demands with no rationale.
21. Prioritize their comfort at others’ expense.
22. Procrastinate — then expect others to fix their mess.
23. Dismiss basic manners, assuming their position excuses it.
24. Vilify those who don’t share their values.
25. Cut in line, believing they’re entitled.

Self-Respect — The Ultimate Form of Power

If you find yourself doing these things — even occasionally — ask yourself: What’s motivating my behavior? How would I feel if I were treated this way? More importantly, what am I hoping to achieve?

If you think it will make you more effective, it won’t. If you expect others to admire you, you’re mistaken. If you believe it will boost your self-esteem, you’re deceiving yourself.

A person who craves power is rarely aware of how much they lose in pursuing it.

You can’t lift yourself up by putting others down. While exerting power might make you feel superior, it ultimately erodes trust, respect, and credibility — leaving you isolated. Real strength is rooted in self-respect, not in seeking validation from others. If you’re truly as capable as you believe, you don’t need to prove it to anyone — just yourself. As Margaret Thatcher said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Achieving success says less about you than how you choose to wear it. Just as excess in diet harms the body, a thirst for power corrupts the soul.

Do You Know People Who Fit This Bill?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
Be Humble: Don’t Let Success Go to Your Head
The Costs of a Big Ego
Is Your Confidence Turning Into Egotism?
Some Folks Think They’re Always Right
How You Handle Success Says a Lot About You
Live with Grace and Dignity
15 Behaviors that Drive People Up the Wall

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The post How to Spot Someone on a Power Trip appeared first on Frank Sonnenberg Online.

Two people may face the same diagnosis, see the same surgeon, and work with the same physical therapist. Yet, their outcomes can be quite different. Why? It isn’t just about medicine — it’s a pattern that plays out in careers, fitness, and even becoming your best self. Win or lose — your attitude decides.

There are two types of people in the world — those who face a challenge and say, “This will be tough, but we can do it!” and those who say, “Nobody’s done this before. Why even try?” Some argue that realism is important, but the biggest obstacle to success might be you. Every endeavor demands commitment, sacrifice, and determination. Will you rise to the challenge or make excuses to avoid trying? Your mindset decides whether you win or lose — it can be a launchpad or a roadblock.

Is Your Mindset Working for or Against You?

We often think external obstacles hold us back, but sometimes, we’re our own biggest roadblock. The way we think, react, and approach challenges can quietly sabotage our success. Here are 14 ways you may be working against yourself — without even realizing it…

Do you:

Refuse to sacrifice? You expect rewards without putting in the necessary effort or making the required trade-offs.

Resist change? You choose comfort over growth — limiting new possibilities.

Fear rejection? You avoid opportunities because you’re afraid of hearing “no.”

Avoid risk? You focus so much on what could go wrong that you never give yourself a chance to succeed.

Hesitate to act? You wait for perfect conditions instead of taking initiative.

Overthink decisions? You get stuck in analysis paralysis and never move forward.

Choose easy over excellence? You settle for what’s easy rather than demanding more from yourself.

Focus on the short term? You prioritize immediate satisfaction over long-term rewards.

Cling to the past? You let past failures define what’s possible now.

Fixate on problems? You focus so much on what’s wrong that you miss opportunities to make things right.

Blame external factors? You believe your situation can’t change because everything is out of your control.

Set low standards? You aim low to avoid disappointment, even if it means selling yourself short.

Doubt yourself? You talk yourself out of trying, even though you’ve succeeded before.

Embrace a scarcity mentality? You see success as a zero-sum game where someone else’s win means your loss.

Winning Starts in Your Head

Your mindset influences how you make decisions, approach challenges, and respond to setbacks. It shapes your actions, resilience, and the outcomes you achieve. With the right mindset, even obstacles become stepping stones.

Here are 10 truths to ensure your mindset works for you, rather than against you:

1. Some look at the stars and wish while others build the rocket.
2. The world was built by those who tried what others called impossible.
3. The finish line only exists for those who start the race.
4. The future belongs to those who say, “Why not?” instead of “Why bother?”
5. Some people see a wall and stop. Others see a wall and look for a ladder.
6. A challenge is just an unopened invitation to something greater.
7. There are two kinds of people: those who solve problems and those who count them.
8. The ones who change the world are too busy building to wait for permission.
9. Every breakthrough begins as someone else’s excuse.
10. You can be the one who writes history or the one who reads about it later.

Will You Make the Required Effort?

Wanting something isn’t enough — commitment is key. But saying the words and following through on your actions are two different things. It takes effort, sacrifice, and real dedication. While that may seem obvious, it’s where many fall short. You can take the easy route — make excuses, search for scapegoats, or give in to weakness — but in the end, it’s up to you. So, next time you set your sights on something, ask yourself: Do I truly want it enough to make it happen or will I fail to commit the effort required for success? Ultimately, your attitude decides.

What Factor Decides Your Path?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Check out Frank’s latest book, Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide 

Additional Reading:
Mental Barriers: What’s Holding You Back?
I Can: The Anthem of Achievement
If You Believe You Can’t, You Won’t
Do You Have a Healthy Mindset?
15 Signs That You Need an Attitude Adjustment
How “Can’t” and “Won’t” Shape Your Life
Do You Have a Victim Mentality?
The Power of a Positive Attitude

If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, email or Facebook. It’s FREE.

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The post Win or Lose — Your Attitude Decides appeared first on Frank Sonnenberg Online.