Career Management

Along with the recent omnipresence of “literally” and “absolutely,” is it even possible to count how many times you hear the word “definitely” in the course of a day? Is this an infuriating laziness, an epidemic of insincerity, an inattentiveness to language?

A man in a hot air balloon, realizing he was lost, reduced altitude and spotted a woman on the ground. He descended and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I don’t know where I am.”

After a social occasion, do you find yourself thinking over things you said, moments or vibes in the conversation, and cringing or feeling self-conscious? Maybe you’re thinking that you talked too much? To deconstruct your tendency to evaluate your performance—and regularly conclude that you were lacking somehow—ask yourself three questions.

Patricia Highsmith, author of the suspense classics Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, once wrote on the empty mirage of arriving at a place you’ve dreamed of.