What Do You Believe?
Last week I had the privilege of moderating a Veritas Forum discussion on well-being between Dr. Todd Kashdan, professor of psychology and senior scientist at Mason’s Center for the
How You Think About Stress Matters
There is a lot of research showing how bad stress can be for our health. And it can be! But it doesn’t have to be. In her book, The
Accepting Change
Our son leaves tomorrow, off to Georgia Tech to start his freshman year of college. I’m having a much harder time with this than I imagined I would. There
The Secret to Achieving Your Goals
Sustained commitment is required for achieving most any goal. You can set a goal, devise a plan for getting there, and anticipate obstacles, but the most important factor for success
Work Hard But Let Go
ABC News anchor Dan Harris has written a hilarious book called 10% Happier. In it he tells of his journey as a journalist covering the worlds of spirituality and self-help
Celebrate Other People’s Good News
How do you respond when something good happens to someone else? Do you celebrate with them? Or are you more likely to say “that’s great!” and continue on? Actively
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
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
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
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
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
Love Thyself
The Bible teaches us to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. It’s a great idea except for one thing: most of us aren’t very good at loving ourselves. Our
It's OK to Ask
I was raised in the South where we were taught that it’s not nice to ask for things. If I got thirsty while playing with my friends in the
3 Tips for Calming Your Mind
Rick Hanson recently wrote a series of blogs that I found fascinating. In them he explains how we can calm our mind for greater peace and happiness based on an
Keep Thoughts and Conversations Positive
My favorite summer book so far has been Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders. In it, he encourages people to read books, to think purposefully about what they have
Learning Goals Keep You Positive
According to Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Standford University, the way people view their intelligence depends on their mindset. In her book Mindset, she explains how some people believe
Meditation: Just What the Doctor Ordered!
Last week there was a story featured on ABC World News about the amount of doctors who are now prescribing meditation to their patients. Over 6 million Americans have been
Being Positive Can Bring You Good Luck
Would you like to be lucky? It turns out that you can create your own luck. Research by Dr. Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, shows that “lucky” people
Celebrate What's Right
According to Dewitt Jones, a photographer for National Geographic, “celebrating what’s right with the world keeps us open to possibilities and gives us energy.” When he is on a
Beat the Holiday Blues by Practicing Positivity
The holidays are a festive time of year when families come together and everyone is happy. Or not. The truth is that for many people the holidays can be a
Yoga, Neck Pain, and Being Intentionally Positive
The need to be intentionally positive came to me very clearly the other day in my yoga class. It was the day before Thanksgiving, so our teacher asked us to
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"
I’m sure many of you saw the news last week about the cruise ship Carnival Splendor. An engine fire left the ship dead in the water and without electricity
Positive Priming For a Competitive Edge
I just dropped my son off to take a high school entrance exam. In the car on the way there I told him to think of something that made him
On Becoming an Optimist
Being an optimist increases your positivity and can help you to be more successful. So what if you tend to be more of a pessimist? No worries! Optimism can be