‘Cognitive dissonance’ is a term coined by psychologist Leon Festinger back in 1957 in his book A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. It refers to the discomfort that a person feels when there is misalignment between their behavior and their values or beliefs. It can also occur when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. In contrast, cognitive consonance exists when ideas logically flow from one another and are consistent.

For example, a person who considers himself orderly and cleans up after himself even when it’s not easy or convenient is in consonance with his beliefs. But if the same person leaves things around, his behavior is in dissonance with his self-identity.

achievement, education, growth mindset, leadership, personal growth, productivity, cognitive dissonance, psychologyNaphtali HoffJanuary 17, 2023Impactful Coaching & Consultingpersonal development, patience, perseverance, personal investment, career, stress, stress management, cognitive dissonanceComment

How to Make You New Year's Resolutions Stick This Time

It’s that time of year again.

When we look at ourselves in the mirror and start berating ourselves.

“Why can’t you ever keep a resolution even for a single week?”

If you’re one of those, the good news - if you can call it that - is that you’re not alone.

How long do most people’s New Year's resolutions last?

achievement, change, decision making, goal setting, growth mindset, leadership, motivation, personal growthNaphtali HoffJanuary 9, 2023Impactful Coaching & Consultingbehavior change, habits, self identity, change, change management, actionComment

Feeling stressed? Ask yourself this question.

A lot of the stress we experience is generated by the fear of the unknown. What I often do to control my own stress levels is I ask myself, "what's the worst that could happen?"

That's the cliff. ⛰️ I then start walking myself back from the cliff and reframing things.

achievement, education, growth mindset, leadership, personal growth, productivityNaphtali HoffDecember 26, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingpersonal development, patience, perseverance, personal investment, career, stress, stress managementComment

Take the long, short road

Saturday night, I took the 'long' route home from post-Sabbath services

It's about 2 minutes longer than if I had used the shortcut

But because of heavy rain that fell just minutes before, the shortcut was muddy and treacherous

So, I decided to take the 'long" way home to save myself the possibility of slipping and soiling myself, which would have made the 'short' way 'long' (I hope you're following me on this)

Which, come to think of it, I've been doing for most of my life

achievement, education, growth mindset, leadership, personal growth, productivityNaphtali HoffDecember 5, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingpersonal development, patience, perseverance, personal investment, careerComment

Your behavior won't change until the way you see yourself does

In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear explains why habits are so difficult to break.

It's because we tend to focus on surface-level actions.

Most people start by focusing on outcome-based goals like...

“I want to lose 20 pounds.”
“I want to write a best-selling book.”

But these are surface level changes.

achievement, change, decision making, goal setting, growth mindset, leadership, motivation, personal growthNaphtali HoffOctober 19, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingbehavior change, habits, self identity, change, change management, actionComment

Lead from values

The fifth and final component of this step is to be sure to lead from values. Values are the core components of a person’s deepest beliefs, the concepts that they hold most dear and that drive decision making, or at least should. When a leader takes the time to identify her deepest values, she is likelier to make satisfying choices and remain consistent in her actions and choices. Moreover, if she is effective in articulating her values then others will understand her reasoning and be more inclined to support her process.

leadership, values, productivity, motivation, idea sharingNaphtali HoffSeptember 19, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingvalues, leadership, clarity, purpose, direction, achievementComment

Give, and you shall receive!

“More than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse.” Talmud (Pesachim 112a)

Parents are natural givers.

They want to give even more than their kids want to take.

Which is why it’s so gratifying to be able to spend quality time with our kids and contribute to their happiness.

So, as much as my son was excited for me to join him at a camp water park a couple of weeks ago, I was happier to be able to bring him joy with my presence and participation.

This Talmudic principal, in my view, applies to teachers and coaches as well.

achievement, goal setting, leadershipNaphtali HoffAugust 29, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingmastermind, mastermind group, collaboration, networking, network, peer supportComment

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 😟

We all tend to get dragged down and overwhelmed by things that accumulate over time and end up cluttering our minds.

When we identify them - even if we're not prepared to do anything about them right now - we raise our awareness and naturally start to handle, fix, and resolve them.

Start by making a list of what you’re putting up with at work and at home to determine what might be cluttering your mind and slowing you down!

Examples could be: incomplete tasks, frustrations, problems, other people’s or your own behavior, clutter, shoulds, unmet needs, crossed boundaries, unresolved issues or guilt, lack of exercise, eating habits, being indecisive, procrastinating, lack of sleep, etc.

achievement, change, coaching, leadership, mindset, perspectiveNaphtali HoffJuly 11, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingcoaching, tolerations, getting stuck, breakthrough, mindset, attitudeComment

Tales of an Introverted Leader

They thought that I was hiding. Or worse, disinterested.

As an introverted head of school, I would often close my office door.

It helped me focus, think, and get more done.

And I didn't think much of it.

But others did.

Largely because my predecessor kept an open door policy.

And was always accessible.

When people lack information, they typically assume the worst case scenario.

leadership, perspective, relationships, school leadershipNaphtali HoffJune 20, 2022Impactful Coaching & Consultingintroverts, extroverts, leadership, leadership style, personality type, communicationComment

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