Category: Personal Development
This site was originally a blog dedicated to personal development. These posts date back to that era (though I still post the odd note on personal development here and there).
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ToVa Weekend: Passwords As Mantras, Travel, Being Compelling
The weekend is here! Escape boredom over the weekend by finding a clever use of your password, reading over a few tips for short business trips and considering what characteristics make people compelling. How a password changed my life. (via) Here’s a touching story to go along with a clever idea for taking something mundane […]
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You Control Your Own Reality
The professional cannot allow the actions of others to define his reality. This quote appears in The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’s a must-own for creatives especially but will inspire anybody looking for some motivation. Slowly Pressfield explores the causes of creative resistance before urging you to “turn pro” and then guiding you through […]
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Define Yo Self Before You Refine Yo Self
Defining yourself is the critical first step in establishing an ongoing and intentional program of personal development. Even if you consider yourself to be pretty self-aware, a little reflection might yield surprising results. If you fail to take the time to get this definition right you may find yourself swimming against the current in order […]
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ToVa Weekend: Entrepreneurship, Resistance, Rudeness
The weekend is here at last! As always, here is your roundup of the best of the week that was. This week: unleash your inner entrepreneur within the bureaucracy of your company, beware of creative resistance from within and learn to handle the worst behavior on the part of others. Channel Your Inner Entrepreneur to Excel […]
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Jellybeans Illustrate The Importance Of Maximizing Our Lives
There are many demands on our time these days and those demands only seem to be increasing in terms of both quantity and intensity. The Time You Have Left (In Jellybeans) by Ze Frank takes an interesting approach to breaking down how the average American will use their limited time: 28,835 jellybeans are used (one bean […]
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Welcome to Toward Vandalia!
Welcome to Toward Vandalia, a personal development blog that I hope will empower you to discover your truest self and maximize the potential of that self. The aim of ToVa is not to be an airy-fairy feel-goodery that encourages you to “Reach for your dreams!”. No, the goal here is to offer practical insights and […]
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ToVa Weekend: Failure, Anticipating Hindsight, The Silent Treatment, Following Murad’s Girlfriend
Happy West Virginia Day! This week: coping with failure, setting ‘future you’ up in a way that ‘present you’ thinks they’ll like, ditching the silent treatment and one photographer following his girlfriend around the world. Enjoy! How to Fail and Live to Talk About It: 10 Tips for Explaining Your Missteps Without Sounding Like a […]
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ToVa Weekend: Your Money at 30, Mapping Gotham City, iOS 8 Details
The weekend is here and with it comes a selection of interesting reads from the week gone by. How your money should look at 30, the process of mapping a fictional city and all the nerdy details about iOS 8. Enjoy! 30 Financial Milestones You Need To Hit By Age 30 (via) Lists like this […]
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Take The Road Less Traveled In All Aspects Of Your Life
When considering travel to a neighboring city by car, the easiest route is usually the fastest route, as well. The highway. The freeway. The interstate. The bypass. The turnpike. These major roads go by many names and as convenience goes, they are a godsend. However, the highway is not the only way to get from […]
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ToVa Weekend: You, Your Resume and Your Brain on Caffeine
The weekend is here at last and with it comes two articles (and one video) that’ll help you even out your E-v-E ratio. Read on for tips on how to change your core self-image, represent softer achievements on your resume with numbers and avoid a caffeine overdose. How to Change Your Beliefs and Stick to […]