Selfish people earn less money, writing your eulogy could help your career, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

Bad news for Machiavellians: Those who take an interest in the wellbeing of others earn more money than their more self-centered counterparts, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The researchers found that a majority of individuals they surveyed expected selfish people to earn the most. Instead, the moderately altruistic – those who were giving without sacrificing their wellbeing – had higher earnings, despite the fact that they ended up also having more children. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Need career help? Start writing your own eulogy. When we imagine our own deaths, and even write drafts of the way we’d like to be remembered, we can examine our priorities and goals from a broader perspective. Executive coach Daniel Harkavy encourages the CEOs he works with to draft two eulogies: the one that would be read today, and another that encompasses all of their future achievements. Comparing the two can help you reevaluate how you are spending your time and the decisions you are making. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “I have been struggling with many parts of my life the past few years: challenging divorce, aging and dependent mother, dissolving relationships, child with mental illness and, most recently, the loss of my job. Fortunately, most of these challenges have resolved themselves or at least stabilised. To improve the probability of making choices going forward that are right for me, what questions should I ask myself? What part does one’s gut instinct play?” — Sasha Alexander, senior risk & assurance advisor at OMAFRA

• “First, congratulations on persevering through tough times. To move forward, consider both your goals and values. Goals are concrete achievements you can check off on a list, but values are what guide you along the way. As for your gut instinct, here’s how to tell whether your intuition is guiding you toward your goals or fear is leading you astray. Intuition is knowing. It could be knowing something good, like this is the person you will marry, or something bad, like you’re about to get scammed. Fear, however, is not knowing. Fear feeds on uncertainty. Listen for your gut’s whispers of, ‘Yes, this is the truth,’ and ignore fear’s cries of, ‘Oh no, what if this is the truth?’ I've written previously about how to listen to your gut and make the right decision every time – check out the four methods here.” – Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist and author of “How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety”
• “Sasha, like many people, you’ve been through a lot, and I truly feel for you. Going forward, I think these three questions will help you make good choices and take good paths: 1. What strengths inside myself have I drawn on to deal with my challenges? (Knowing your strengths is a positive focus that will increase your confidence and effectiveness.) 2. What regular activities and relationships will most develop my overall level of well-being and functioning? (This is the base from which everything else happens, and it is a person’s most highly leveraged investment.) 3. What is actually under my influence – and how can I help myself be at peace with what is not? (This is the essence of the famous Serenity Prayer.)” – Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of “Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness”
• “Asking yourself questions will bear fruit if you are quiet and present. Especially when stressed, a daily mindfulness practice can guide you to presence and awaken your intuitive wisdom. Practice by sitting still, relaxing obvious tension in your body and then resting your attention with your breathing. When your mind gets distracted, return gently to the breath. Witness without judgement the changing flow of your moment-to-moment experience. Before ending, ask yourself, ‘What do I really care about? What do I want to remember today.’ Even a few minutes of practice a day will help you in making wise decisions and living true to your heart.” — Tara Brach, psychologist, author, meditation teacher

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

A better way to have an argument: While it may be tempting to throw out a slew of facts and statistics to make your case, resist that urge, writes Vox’s Brian Resnick. Instead of stats, which will likely push your conversation partner to dig in their heels, offer a willing, open ear. Listening to others express their views, then asking open-ended questions, encourages what psychologists call active processing, which gives people time and space to change their opinions. ? Here’s what people are saying.

For working parents, quality time beats quantity. A child’s emotional health is influenced more by the kind of time spent with parents than the amount, according to research from Wharton’s Stewart Friedman. When parents are physically and psychologically available during the time they have together, kids are less likely to have behavioral problems. Children are more likely to be emotionally healthy when parents viewed their work as a challenging, positive environment, no matter how many hours their spent at home versus the office. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  Many of us fall into the trap of believing that our achievements are mostly a function of our own efforts. But Goldman Sachs’ Dane Holmes reminds us that, in many ways, our good fortune is a product of the community we inhabit.

“At work, any success we have or happiness we experience is highly correlated to the people who surround us. Without the ideas, engagement and energy of others, work quickly loses its purpose.“

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster