If you want to observe bad parenting in action, start spending time in family restaurants.
I do my share of eating out, and I believe that family restaurants are hands-down the best place to watch parents making fools of themselves in public, not that I enjoy the spectacle, mind you.
Incident #1: The […]
As many of you know, I have a lot of experience working in software development. I also have a lot of experience with personal development. Every now and then, I run across a topic that applies equally to both fields of interest.
The other day, I was reading a book on software […]
If you’re looking for a quick way to remember the basic principles of happiness without going blind reading the latest research, this article is for you.
Let’s start with some helpful symbolism, shall we?
I like to think of happiness as a cake. That’s right, a cake. Chocolate, Angel Food, or Black Forest […]
This post is for anyone who’s ever felt trapped.
Workers trapped in dead-end jobs
Spouses trapped in unfulfilling marriages
Depressives trapped in despair
Addicts trapped in a helpless cycle of substance abuse, cigarette smoking, or binge eating
Lonely people trapped in emotional isolation
Poor people shackled by poverty
Anyone old enough to read this article has […]
Americans are lonelier than ever.
Research conducted by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that we have fewer friends and confidants than ever before. Loneliness is a real problem because it’s a breeding ground for unhappiness and despair. Research has consistently shown that people with strong friendships lead happier […]
It wasn’t long ago that researchers believed that every human being was born with a set “happiness point,” a fixed and unavoidable baseline level of happiness. On its face, the idea appears to have merit: Tsunami victims, amputees, and lottery winners alike eventually return to their previous emotional baselines. In other words, no matter […]
As a culture, we have a lot of silly ideas about what it means to live a fabulous life.
How could a woman struggling with substance abuse, rehab, divorce, custody issues, allegations of parental neglect, career implosion, and other happiness-crushing problems have been featured on a show called The Fabulous Life? The woman I’m talking about […]
When mainstream America thinks of the stereotypical “positive person,” they envision someone with his head buried in the sand, ignoring life’s challenges, smiling like a gomer as his life falls apart.
But devil-may-care personalities do not fit my definition of a positive person. A real positive person seeks to be a positive force in the world, to make a […]
If you look in the mirror, you’ll see the most influential force in your life staring back at you, but let’s talk for just a moment about all the negative influences affecting your life from the outside: billboards selling unhealthy food, friends pushing cigarettes, pessimists hawking gloom and doom, the harassment of mean people, the […]
Our lives are like clay on a potter’s wheel. Each day, the wheel turns anew, and with our decisions, we shape our lives; we are sculptures formed by choices, vessels crafted by free will. Your life: your masterpiece, your unique creation.
While it’s true that we all must decide for ourselves what shape our lives should […]
