My coworker, Ted, recently posted a link on Facebook. It was a New York Times article about social interactions in real life and online. That Ted and I work in the same building but converse more electronically than face to face is probably relevant here somehow. Charles Blow wrote in his op-ed for the Times: A report issued Wednesday by…
Some people idealize high school and college as the happiest times of their lives. I am not one of those people. You couldn’t pay me to be a teenager again, and my 20s weren’t much better. Naturally I found this recent HealthDay story interesting, reporting on a new Stony Brook University study that shows people over 50 are generally happier:…
Editor’s note: This post gets a lot of traffic from people searching phrases like “mothers day wishes for someone who lost their mom.” I love that so many of you are looking to offer your love and support, and would personally suggest following your heart with something simple like “Thinking of you and your mom today,” or “Are you doing…
I subscribe to the Quote of the Day e-mail from All About Gratitude. Most of them are pretty good, but this one recently really struck me: “The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.” ~ Chinese Proverb I love a blog about gratitude reminding me that life’s trials aren’t to be avoided but a path…
We spend a lot of time wishing each other happiness at this time of year — happy holidays, happy new year, merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah. So this recent NY Times article about who’s most happy and least happy seems especially well timed. a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of…
Zen Habits, one of my favorite e-mail newsletters, offered guidance this week on making New Year’s resolutions using the Six Changes Method. Here’s how it works: Pick 6 habits for 2010. Pick 1 of the 6 habits to start with. Commit as publicly as possible to creating this new habit in 2 months. Break the habit into 8 baby steps,…
Monday morning I caught the end of a piece about New Year’s resolutions on The Takeaway, a syndicated radio show produced at our NPR affiliate, WNYC. We’re joined by our family contributor Ylonda Caviness, longtime family and parenting journalist and mother of three, along with Andrea Price, mother of two; both discuss meaningful New Year’s resolutions (or “goals,” as Price…
Have you ever stood with your glass of champagne in hand and declared that this year is the one when you’ll run a marathon, lose 50 pounds or get a great new job? Then all you have to show for your half-hearted commitment is a champagne hangover? This week I’m blogging about making — and keeping — resolutions. Saturday I…
Have you ever stood with your glass of champagne in hand and declared that this year is the one when you’ll run a marathon, lose 50 pounds or get a great new job? Then all you have to show for your half-hearted commitment is a champagne hangover? This week I’m blogging about making — and keeping — resolutions. Yesterday I…
A great article in BusinessWeek … make that Bloomberg BusinessWeek .. addresses the cause and effect of happiness and work. Authors Marshall and Kelly Goldsmith reviewed a survey on short-term satisfaction and long-term benefit at work and at home. A few observations they made really got me thinking: There is an incredibly high correlation between people’s happiness and meaning at…
I feel strongly about supporting local businesses — they contribute to the character of my community so my job is to financially contribute to their success. Their job is to make that possible. If you make it hard for me to spend money in your shop, depending on how much I like you and your establishment, I might try try…
I’ve noticed that the socially appropriate way to answer when someone asks how you’re doing is not necessarily “fine,” but instead “busy.” Maybe you add a flourish like “crazy busy” or “swamped.”
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 11: Giving thanks for the people who have hurt us It was the prophet Don Henley who said: I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the heart…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 10: Instead of regretting the past, being grateful for the present This week I’m blogging about the reasons I’m not as grateful as I know I should…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Nine: Being grateful for what you have instead of wanting what you don’t have Over the years, I’ve read various studies about how watching television encourages us…
