I. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? Does It Matter?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? When I was a kid, this question always pulled me into a philosophical mindset, and I can remember many conversations and/or debates working it from both a logical and emotional point of view. What I most remember about those sessions is that we’d often end in either … Read more

Happiness is Yours to Create

Happy 6th Birthday, IDOH! The United Nations created the International Day Of Happiness in 2012 on a unanimous vote by all 193 member nations (a rare occurrence!), and the day has been celebrated since 2013. The UN Resolution recognized the pursuit of happiness as a human right and a “fundamental human goal.” The founder of … Read more

Life Hack: Why You Should Breathe On Purpose

Recently I was guest on the Leadership Hacks Podcast with my esteemed colleague, Jill Windelspecht, a fellow executive coach and organization consultant. Jill invited me to bring my best hack (shortcut/workaround) to the conversation, so I showed up with the most basic tool in my box: Breathing. You’ve heard me say it before: if you … Read more

My Top Book Recommendation for 2018

My top book pick of last year: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi In my life I’ve read thousands of books. I am typically reading two books in hardcopy, another on my Kindle, and one via Audible in my car. I am generally a one-and-done reader, though I do have handful of books I’ve … Read more

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, … Read more

A Happiness Reading List for Beach or Business

It’s the first full day of summer… and aren’t you excited about the long, warm summer evenings ahead, where the evenings are long and breezy and you can sit on your porch with some cool lemonade and a good book? (or in my case, iced coffee or dark beer, and my iPad!)
To help you focus on some great reads, I’m sharing my 12th annual compilation. Click on the link above to go to the blog and learn more.

Happiness Is Wanting What You Have

Back to Basics – What is Happiness? For my 150th newsletter I decided to revisit a basic: what is it?  When I deliver a keynote talk on Happiness I start by asking, “How do YOU define happiness?” Once audience members share their ideas, I offer two definitions I favor: One is from the dictionary:  Happiness, … Read more

HOW TO BE KIND, CONFIDENT, OR HAPPY, RIGHT NOW

In January many people create new goals for their work and life, most of which focus on achieving a metric, e.g. starting or stopping, completing or letting go, or making progress in a specific direction. They are about DOING (Or NOT Doing) Something. There is a place for DOING goals. Life is filled with projects … Read more

Give Thanks, Get Results

Dear tribe members: If you celebrate the Great American Holiday of Thanksgiving, you will soon gather round a meal and give thanks for your blessings. Enjoy that moment. Know also that I appreciate you; Thanks for being part of this conversation. AND that’s not what this quick note is about. This is about the workplace, … Read more

WHAT TO DO WHEN LIFE KICKS YOU IN THE BUTTOCKS!

In the past eight weeks I’ve spoken at conferences in six states, slept in ten different beds, flown four different airlines, negotiated three different time zones, and lived in two different homes. Yes, it happened. We finally moved into our new home…   …and a new, multi-generational living arrangement.       For over a … Read more