Magic Numbers: 10-13-15-100. In the year 2013 I will celebrate: The 10th anniversary of…The 13 Principles of Happiness, plus My 15th year of business, and… The 100th edition of this newsletter In 2013 I will celebrate all year with new projects, publications, some public classes, and lots of exciting offerings of Happiness and Leadership, and … Read more
Simplify is a suggestion to avoid overindulgence as a lifestyle. When you surround yourself with all the best and the newest, or indulge in richer and more exotic pleasures, you actually narrow your options for experiencing happiness (because you’re weighted down for the “chase”). When you live a simple life, you increase your opportunity for awe.
Do you have things or situations in your life that cause you to go, “ugh!”? I call them Tolerations — things you “put up with” in your life. Because they are often small and invisible, they create stress without your awareness; they drain your energy. Happiness Principle #6 reads: Tolerate Nothing. Continually identify and eliminate … Read more
Gifts for the New Year: Be the Real You Notice all the places in your life where you feel distracted and stressed by how you’re behaving. Happiness Principle #13, Be Authentic, reminds that when you stop trying to “play a role” to fit what you think other people expect of you, you give yourself the … Read more
We Create Our Own Stress Do you ever find yourself thinking: “I have too much to do — I feel overwhelmed!?” How we are is a result of choices we make and the way we surround ourselves with stuff and challenges. Sometimes our choices can leave us busy and full — yet unhappy. That’s when … Read more
For the past 32 years I’ve been married to an amazing woman who has partnered with me in raising a great family, but who pretty much left me alone when it came to running my coaching and consulting business (except for balancing the books!). A few years ago, however, she started to pay more attention … Read more
I just finished the most overwhelming month I’ve encountered in a LONG time. I had a major client project coming to a close (with tons of final meetings), an enormous amount of work for a training program I’m enrolled in myself, a peak of client work, and several out of town trips for work… PLUS … Read more
Last Sunday was Valentine’s Day, when we turn our thoughts to the important Others in our life, the people we love. Clearly, it’s important to acknowledge the loves in your life, but… what about you? I coach many different people, yet see a very common human concern show up often: a struggle with self-acceptance and … Read more
I came across an incredibly fun and visually creative Web 2.0 site today: www.wordle.net. It brought a smile to my face, and I decided to share! You link to or paste in text (e.g. from a blog, article, whatever) and the site creates a Tag Cloud (visual word cluster — such as you see at … Read more
I received a Christmas card from someone whose name I did not recognize. Inside was one of the most poignant messages I’ve ever received from a workshop participant: “Jim, I attended your Happiness Seminar at the Cleveland VA Medical Center in October. It could not have come at a better time for me. I had, … Read more