My focus on six-word wisdoms last month generated much positive reaction, quite possibly because our attention spans have shrunk to under nine seconds – less time than it’s taken you to read this sentence aloud! Here are a few more, for fun: Ask, “In what ways might I?” You’ve been trained your entire life to … Read more
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 … Read more
I love to play with tight language, which is why Haiku has always been my favorite poetic form (17 syllables and rigid rules, yet infinite possibilities). I also love the brutal simplicity of six-word essays, a format over which I obsessed in high school (see https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com for more) Since January I have attended 28 … Read more
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
Some of my best ideas emerge from challenges posed by my clients. I was recently asked to create a keynote for a client’s All Staff retreat to tie Positivity into their overall theme, Speaking About What Matters. The final product blended my Happiness work with my core teachings on Conversation as Action. “What if,” I … Read more
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 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
Do The Holidays Make You Stressed? Next week in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday rooted in our agricultural past, when all would gather to give thanks for a good harvest that would see the community through a harsh winter. I confess that, for all the holiday’s focus on gratitude, I am not … Read more
Story: I’m sitting in a coffee shop, writing. Background music creates a white noise, masking multiple streams of conversation I only half-notice from within my envelope of concentration. Whenever a new customer walks in, the bright-eyed, caffeinated barista asks, “How are you this morning?” Most respond with a simple “fine,” or “okay.” Some brave a … Read more
Happiness is Noticed for its Absence… Picture this: I am sitting in a room with a leadership team who are frustrated with high levels of behavior often associated with employee disconnection: turnover, absenteeism, gossip, backbiting, lack of discretionary effort, cliquishness, zero input during meetings, constant griping about even the tiniest things, and a pervasive sense … Read more
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.