You’ve probably heard the cliché that no one on his death bed wishes he’d spent more time at the office. But while I was there as both my mother and stepmother died, I don’t have any great insight into the psyche of the dying and what they wish they had or hadn’t done with their time on earth. So I…
So many people are stressed out today about so many things: why is my brother always late? will these lumps come out of the gravy? can you even believe how long that security line was at the airport? In a country of people who don’t really cook, we maintain this annual tradition of huge dinner parties, making foods many of…
My fabulous friend Sara Grace recently wrote a blog post inspired by a study of how men and women behave differently at work. Some statistics cited: Men are 25% more likely to take breaks throughout the day for personal activities 7% more likely to take a walk 5% more likely to go out to lunch 35% more likely to take…
This spring I wrote a freelance story for LSA Magazine at University of Michigan, profiling several Michigan grads working to reinvent New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, followed by the catastrophic failure of the city’s levees, flooding much of the city and turning Katrina into the costliest natural disaster in American history. Elsewhere, time is measured…
In spite of my unabashed adoration of George Clooney, this is not just a thinly veiled excuse to get his handsome face on my blog. Parade magazine recently featured Clooney on its cover, then ran a related Q&A on its website. The article, headlined What Drives George Clooney, included this snippet that’s a perfect fit for Newvine Growing: You’ve talked…
My recent post on whether people can change generated a nice conversation over on Facebook, so I’m bringing those comments in here to share other perspectives: Margaret Yang I voted yes. People can change. The thing is, most people don’t want to! Don’t we all think we’re just dandy the way we are? Jeffrey SaugerPeople can change their synapses. They’ve…
Reading NPR’ s app on my way to the office recently got me thinking about one of my favorite questions — whether people are really capable of change. Terry Gross on WHYY’s Fresh Air did an interview about the new HBO series called “Enlightened,” and talked about that, among other things: Can people really change? That’s the question Laura Dern…
Earlier this week I shared advice Ira Glass gave to beginning storytellers. Here’s a follow up from my Brooklyn pal, Amanda Hirsch, who wrote a tongue-in-cheek 10-step plan to being an artist. You get the idea when you read Step 1: Refuse to do the work. Avoid it at all costs. If you want to write, you should instead check…
Deepak Chopra doesn’t seem to think happiness is all that complicated. In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, Chopra said happiness comes down to generosity, and that attention, appreciation and affection are the keys to generosity. Chopra is the author of numerous books including “Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,” “Creating Affluence” and “The Ultimate Happiness Prescription,” as well as…
One of my first bosses had a rule: if I was going to take a problem to him, I had to have at least one solution in mind. It didn’t have to be perfect, but I had to take the time to consider some options before dropping the issue on his desk. It was excellent guidance because it put the…
If you’re a social media geek like I am, you might know Chris Brogan as the intensely prolific oracle on all things new media. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sVVdAB41Zg&feature=player_embedded] But his wide-ranging blog also tackles issues about living life, and recently, my friend Scott Daris pointed out one of Brogan’s posts — the story of a builder. Brogan tells the tale of a builder…
You might not go to Harvard Business Review expecting a long, personal tale of faith, morals and values — but I love HBR for knowing success means so much more than increasing profits. Clayton M. Christensen wrote a powerful essay called, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” Not to spoil it for you, but one of the more moving parts…
If you have not read The Bloggess, you are missing out on some of the best writing I’ve found online. Her genius post “And that’s why you should learn to pick your battles,” follows the kind of mundane argument most married people can relate to, except that most married people don’t buy a five-foot metal chicken to make a point.…
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Who will you spend time with this weekend? Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project blog recently featured a post with eight tips for making friends and this explanation of why it’s important to put in the time and effort to cultivate quality friendships: Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree: strong social ties are a key — arguably the key — to happiness.…
I have been wrestling with what to say on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. How can I write a blog about change and not address something that so transformed our country? What had me stumped was that beyond Sept. 11 having national and international implications, it profoundly changed my adopted hometown — but I wasn’t here 10 years ago.…
Twenty years ago this week, I started my senior year at Central Michigan University. Half a lifetime has passed since that last fall I spent in Mount Pleasant. And though I got another run at buying notebook paper and folders for business school, there’s something special about that undergrad experience — moving away from home, living surrounded by thousands of…
Money can’t buy love. Money can’t buy happiness. We hear these clichés frequently, but I loved this article from investment firm Vanguard that suggests you can, in fact, buy happiness — if you spend your money on the right things. A snippet from a Q&A with MP Dunleavy, author of “Money Can Buy Happiness: How to Spend to Get the…
