Keep Your Mood Sunny When the Weather is Dreary
Most of you know this is my first winter in Northern Virginia after having lived for 8 years in Arizona. Fortunately, it’s been a mild winter so far, but
How to Set the Right New Year's Resolution
Beginning a new year with new resolutions calls to mind an interesting aspect of goal setting. Many of our new year’s resolutions are about things we want to accomplish
Tips for Increasing Your Well-being
In their book, Wellbeing, Gallup researchers Tom Rath and Jim Harter explain why we often make decisions that work against our own best interest when it comes to our well-being.
Choose Your Friends Wisely
In a previous blog I mentioned a study by professors Christakis and Fowler that found that kindness is contagious. In their book Connected, they site many other examples of social
Choosing a Career is Like Buying Shoes
In her book Working Identity, Herminia Ibarra argues that the best way to choose a career is to try out different things. She believes that doing and experimenting are more
Using Company Culture to Attract, Retain, and Engage Talent
Next week I’m moderating a conference, organized by the Northern Virginia Technology Council and sponsored by Invertix Corporation, entitled “Best practices for recruiting and retaining talent”. The panelists, winners
Act in Spite of Your Fear
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot
Walking for Wellness
Photo by Will Martinez A couple of weeks ago I joined faculty, staff and students at George Mason University for the 4th Annual Happy Heart Walk. We met at noon
Pursue Purpose Not Passion
There is a lot of talk today about “pursuing your passion”. I just googled it and there were 4,820,000 results! I think it’s great to do what
How You Think About Your Goals Matters
I’m reading Heidi Grant Halvorson’s book Succeed and it is full of fascinating research about setting and reaching goals. One of the things I’ve found most interesting
The Power of Positive Reinforcement
Our new puppy is giving me lots of opportunities to practice positive reinforcement. And believe me it is quite challenging at times! As a psychologist I know that the very
How you Frame Things Matters
Most of you have probably seen this picture of U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney after winning a silver medal in the vault competition at the 2012 Olympics in London. She
Don't Dwell on the Past
In my last blog I talked about how focusing too much on the future can make us unhappy because it often leads to anxiety. Another source of unhappiness comes from
Avoid Anxiety by Staying in the Now
I have never seen the link between mindfulness and happiness as clearly as I have this summer. In May we sold our house, packed up our belongings, and sent them
Don’t Fantasize, Visualize!
Visualization can be an effective way to help us achieve our goals. It lets us “rehearse” desired outcomes by imagining the future the way we want it to be. Sports
Embrace Simplicity
One of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s many lessons in her book Gift from the Sea is the value of simplicity. She describes a channeled whelk shell as simple, bare and
Appreciating the Ebb and Flow of Life
“Your joy is divine and so is your suffering. There’s so much to be learned from both.” ~ Wayne Dyer Spending a week at the beach inspired me to re-read
Saying Goodbye with Gratitude
The movers are coming tomorrow. I think I’m ready. But it is so hard to say goodbye! I could easily have spent the last three months wallowing in the
The Benefits of Saying “No”
I’ve always had a hard time saying “no”. It’s because I’m a people-pleaser. When someone asks me to do something I tend to say “yes” right away,
Shake Things Up
We need routines in our lives. They help us feel comfortable and safe and turn positive behaviors into habit. Routines promote automated thinking, giving our brains a break by reducing
Keep Things in Perspective
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty good at making mountains out of molehills. I can spend way more time worrying about making a decision than I
Exercise your Willpower
Willpower increases the likelihood that we achieve our goals. It takes willpower to go to the gym. It takes self-control not to eat the donut in the conference room. Willpower
Realize your Strengths
According to Alex Linley, “realizing our strengths is the smallest thing we can do to make the biggest difference”. Using our strengths makes us happy and is the surest way
Boost Positivity with Spring Cleaning
Our annual church rummage sale was this weekend and I always look forward to it because it motivates me to do spring cleaning. I go through all our closets and
Positivity can Enhance Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence has a strong positive impact on job performance. In fact, it is estimated to be twice as important for performance as IQ. So what exactly is emotional Intelligence?