From the Heart

By Alan Cohen In the early 1900s, a European man named Frederic had a dream to travel to the United States. At that time, air travel had not been developed, so he booked passage on an ocean liner. Such a trip required all of his savings, but it was worth …

  By Alan Cohen A friend told me, “Marriage is a great institution if you don’t mind living in an institution.” Since February is the month of lovers, let’s take a look at what it takes to be a great lover and find great love. The funny thing about love …

  By Alan Cohen I had a neighbor I saw as a nasty alcoholic. Brenda would regularly sit around the kitchen table with her husband, drink, and complain. I did not find any good in her. Then she and her husband took in a young man to live with them. …

  By Alan Cohen I was honored to meet Morten Lauridsen, a genius musician considered by many to be the world’s greatest living composer
of choral music. He is widely respected for his stirring opus,
“Lux Aeterna” (“Eternal Light”). Morten told me that one of
his dear friends, a conductor who often conducts …

By Alan Cohen When actress Meryl Streep was about to graduate from college, she planned to become a lawyer. She applied to law school and set up an appointment with an admissions officer. On the morning of her interview, she overslept and missed her appointment. At that point she decided …

  By Alan Cohen One of my favorite movies is The Truman Show¸ in which a man has unknowingly been born and raised on a massive TV set on which the entire world watches his life unfold. Eventually Truman begins to discover that the life he has been living is …

  By Alan Cohen An eccentric and likeable guy in my town has literally taken upon himself the admonition to bear the cross. Years ago John fashioned a small crucifix out of wood, and since then he walks regularly along the side of a highway carrying the cross. He used …

By Alan Cohen Meryl Streep is considered by many to be the world’s greatest living actress. To date she has garnered 322 Best or Supporting Actress nominations, and 164 wins, including three Academy Awards, and eight Golden Globes. Her first Oscar came in 1979 for her Best Supporting Actress role …

  By Alan Cohen Do you know anyone who is so firmly fixed on what he or she wants to talk about that you don’t stand a chance to talk about anything else with that person? I know a CEO who is interested only in sales statistics. If you want …

By Alan Cohen My coaching client Andrea has struggled with issues of lack and poor self–worth for a lot of her life. Although she is smart, spiritual and attractive, she has regularly feared that she would become impoverished and bereft. She told me, “Whenever I drive under a bridge, I …