This page is divided into two somewhat lengthy sections: Articles, then Blog. You can use the search function (the magnifying glass icon at right in the nav bar) to search for articles and blog posts on specific topics of your own interest, or click through the “Categories…” sidebar for articles on specific topics of interest.
Articles represent the most recent content in five most-read topics – kind of a greatest hits in applied happiness. The Blog section below it is a straight feed of ALL my articles, listed from newest to oldest. There are hundreds of posts, going back to 2008 – so if you’re intent on exploring the unfiltered blog at length, you might want to access it on this alternate page, so you won’t have to scroll past this intro and the Articles section every time you load another page of older posts.
Articles:
I welcome you to use these articles individually and/or reprint them in your own publication. Feel free to edit the articles to best fit the needs of your readers, but be sure to follow these guidelines for reprinting procedures:
- When you download the article, please email jim@theexecutivehappinesscoach.com with your intent to use.
- Include Jim’s bio just as it appears at the end of each article.
- Send Jim one copy of the e-zine or item it is published in.
Everyday Happiness
- Act Happy Week 2023, Day 5: Self-Expression
- Act Happy Week 2023, Day 4: Self-Talk
- Act Happy Week 2023, Day 3: Self-Work
- Act Happy Week 2023, Day 2: Self-Care
5 Prescriptions for Happiness (downloadable PDF)
Strategies for Personal Change
- Book Reviews – Top 2 for ’21
- Done is Better than Perfect
- ThanksGETTING – How do you receive a Gift?
- I GOT A BALLOON!
Leadership and Workplace
- How To Ask For Coaching
- ThanksGETTING – How do you receive a Gift?
- Three Simple Rules
- ACT HAPPY WEEK, DAY 5: WHAT’S THE ONE THING?
Happiness Principles
- #6: Tolerate Nothing (downloadable PDF)
Annual Planning Kits
- Jim’s Annual Planning Kit for Couples (downloadable PDF)
- Jim’s Annual Planning Kit for Individuals (downloadable PDF)
Blog posts:
Rapid Communication is the Most Powerful tool
When I was a young supervisor fresh from college I was thrown into a turbulent division experiencing 400% growth. The lead underwriter took me under her wing and taught me valuable lessons for dealing with that kind of chaos. “Never leave a problem file sitting on your desk over a weekend,” Jackie taught me. “Problems … Read more
Get to Know People's Stories
Just as you hold a story about yourself, you hold assessments about others. This is a human thing – to create assessments about others as a shortcut to interaction. Notice that when you are in a leadership role, your assessments matter a great deal more than if you are merely a coworker. The theory of … Read more
Every Story Can Have a Happy Ending – Even Yours!
The root of human suffering lies in our inability to know the difference between an assessment and an assertion. ~Byron Katie, Loving What Is If you’ve ever taken a personality assessment (like MBTI, DiSC, or a host of others) you know that for all the uniqueness of the 6 Billion people on earth, we all … Read more
Read more articles like this one in: Everyday Happiness, Executive Coaching, Practicing Happiness, Relationships
What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Smarter
I practice yoga, and over the winter I attended a workshop on Inversions (all the “upside down” and hand balancing poses). For the past two years I have worked my practice daily, and achieved a Headstand last year (imagine, at age 55, learning to stand on my head!). The next level of challenge for me … Read more
Play that Happy Music!
One of my mantras is that you — and you alone — are responsible for your own happiness, that it is your decision. And if no one else can “make” you happy, it stands to reason that you cannot make other people happy either. Right? Well, sort of. Just because you can’t make someone … Read more
Read more articles like this one in: Everyday Happiness, Happiness, Happiness Tips, Leadership, Practicing Happiness, Relationships
Happiness is Hard Work
This video animation offers a great primer on the difference between traditional psychology and Positive Psych. In many ways, it’s taken directly from many of my talks — of course the reality is that I studied with Martin Seligman and Mihaly Czikszentmihaly and apparently learned this explanation directly from the source. The core message: Creating … Read more
Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Executive Coaching, Happiness, Happiness Tips, Meaning, Practicing Happiness
A Recipe for Happiness
How do you feed your soul? Do you grab pre-packaged Pleasure from the freezer, microwave it, and eat on the run; or do you cook up your Joy from scratch using organic, locally-sourced ingredients? Perhaps you have a saucepan of Gratitude constantly simmering on a back burner? Or do you wait for others to invite you … Read more
7 Great Questions to Use Everyday
Inquiry and curiosity are powerful tools for personal and professional growth. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, leader, or follower, questions serve as a tool to help you advance yourself and those around you. Here are seven powerful questions that can serve you every day. They never expire and always have an answer in … Read more
Leadership Made Simple
When you are in charge (and whether you like it or not) everyone looks to you for a “mood reading” every day. What you bring into work flows down to everyone in your reporting stream. If you’re having a toxic day, that affects your team – the same is true when you’re having a good … Read more
Nine Simple Strategies for Happiness
If you are totally organized and always know what you need to do next, always have control of your tasks, and always correctly forecast how long something will take… I am insanely jealous of your skillset. Starting last October, even as I started to declare 2013 as my Year of Happiness (my 15th anniversary in … Read more
Read more articles like this one in: Everyday Happiness, Happiness, Happiness Tips, Practicing Happiness