Articles + Blog

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.

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:

  1. When you download the article, please email [email protected] with your intent to use.
  2. Include Jim's bio just as it appears at the end of each article.
  3. Send Jim one copy of the e-zine or item it is published in.

Everyday Happiness

Strategies for Personal Change Series

Leadership and Workplace

Happiness Principles

Annual Planning Kits


Blog posts:

Curiosity Can Conquer Fear

Into the unknown

There’s a moment in the movie Frozen 2 when Queen Elsa, haunted by a mysterious voice, decides to shift from ignoring it (out of fear) to pursuing it (out of curiosity). The song, Into the Unknown (watch it here), follows her transition from “I won’t” to admitting, “there’s a part of me that wants to go, into the unknown.” We can …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Everyday Happiness, Mindfulness, Practicing Happiness, Relaxation

Where’s Happiness in VUCA Times?

Girl-with-open-arms outside

Pandemic and all, this is still annual Act Happy Week. Watch for five 60-second exercises, starting today. Because even if panic is the emotion of the day, you get to choose. The focus of Act Happy Week is to educate the public about purposeful actions you can take to create chemical shifts in your body that drive Positive Emotions.  This is …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Everyday Happiness, Happiness Tips, Health

Slow Down or You'll Miss It

Slow-down-or-you-will-miss-it

  This month’s post was inspired by a blog from one of my favorite mentors in the consulting world, Alan Weiss. This short excerpt sets the stage and my thoughts follow: An asteroid three times the size of the Empire State Building shot by the Earth last week, “only” three million miles away and traveling 30,000 mph. In terms of …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Everyday Happiness, Happiness, In the workplace, Leadership, Mindfulness, Pleasure, Relaxation

Gifts I’ve Received This Year

Gifts-I-Received-This-Year

A New Distinction This year was insane. On more than one occasion I literally lost track of myself, needing to ask: Where am I? What day of the week is it? Where am I supposed to be? What am I doing? Or more accurately, WTF am I doing right now, and why? (excuse my language – I often use a …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Everyday Happiness, Happiness Testimonials, Happiness Tips, Health, Practicing Happiness

Talking About Death and Happiness

Talking-About-Death-Happiness

Talking About Death and Happiness Death—and its relationship to life—has been pushing onto my agenda in the past month, so much so that when I sat down to write this month’s post, I found it impossible to not write about it. “But Jim, “you are possibly thinking, “isn’t this site about happiness and leadership?” Well, yes. And as you’ll see, …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Happiness, Happiness Tips, In the workplace, Leadership, Mindfulness, Practicing Happiness

What Beer Taught Me About Mindfulness

What-Beer-Taught-Me-About-Mindfulness

Relaxation, Mindfulness, and Meditation Many of us suffer from FOMS (Fear Of Missing Something) so we approach life as series of manic, highly active episodes thinly sandwiched between inadequate layers of sleep. We continually pump our systems full of adrenalin and cortisol (and when those fail, more caffeine), and when those chemicals build to toxic levels we turn to pills …

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Read more articles like this one in: Everyday Happiness, Happiness Tips, Health, Mindfulness, Pleasure, Relaxation

How Habit Change Works

In coaching my clients, I continually cycle through a simple, four-stage process: Awareness, Exploration, Design, and Practice x 3. 1. Awareness Awareness is the first and most important step toward adopting a new habit. If you engage in a habit that’s not serving you, you must first realize you are doing it! Remember that habit is something that you’ve done repeatedly …

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Read more articles like this one in: Executive Coaching

HOW AWARE OF YOU, ARE YOU?

Imagine you have decided to travel. You call your travel agent or visit online and share, “I am going to Paris!”   “Great!” they respond, then ask. “From where are you departing?” And you say, “I don’t know.”   What will that agent tell you?  “Sorry, I can’t get you TO somewhere unless we know a FROM.  Don’t you know …

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Read more articles like this one in: Executive Coaching, Happiness, Leadership

WHAT IS HAPPINESS TO YOU?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I. What Is Happiness To You? I recently began work with a coaching client based in Taipei, Taiwan.  We are literally halfway around the world from each other geographically, yet both interested in the same topics.  As we began our work together, he shared that he was excited to work with a Happiness “expert,” and sent me a many …

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Read more articles like this one in: Communication, Executive Coaching, Happiness, Leadership

DO YOU EVER SAY, “THAT’S JUST WHO I AM.”?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I. Do You Ever Say “That’s Just Who I Am.”? I recently attended a small, multi-day conference that provided us—speakers, participants, and organizers— the opportunity to form a community beyond just the scheduled sessions. Our conversations over meals and breaks ranged across diverse topics, from applying our conference learning to work to travel adventures, raising kids, and sharing recipes. …

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Read more articles like this one in: About Happiness, Executive Coaching, Happiness, Happiness Tips, Leadership