I’ve recently been writing about various ways to nourish that unseen part of ourselves—our hearts or souls. Learning to nourish our hearts leads to feelings of peace and well-being, even in a chaotic world. One of the most powerful ways to nourish ourselves is the practice of mindfulness. This is a popular concept these days and […]

I’ve introduced, in the past, the ABCs of happiness: Appreciating, Becoming, and Connecting. I’ve also written quite a bit about appreciating in past blog posts. I define it as an attitude of gratitude, expressing thanks for the goodness of your life and what has made it so. Today, I want to turn our attention to […]

Here we are at the start of 2022—a new year, a new beginning, a new kind of resolution. Our brains like new starts. A 2014 study from the Wharton business school called it “the fresh start effect.” They defined this as a landmark moment in which we take an accounting of ourselves. We relegate imperfections […]

Do you live, primarily, from a scarcity or abundance mentality? Moment by moment you make this choice. The good news is that you don’t need to wait until you have achieved more, accumulated more wealth, status or power, or until you’ve overcome all your weaknesses to make this decision.

Success can feel hallow and empty if our lives are not balanced, filled with love, grounded in the present, and a deeper sense of personal purpose. In fact, chasing success (wealth, beautiful home, building a business, community status, power, etc.) are all outer symbols and expressions of a desired inner experience. It is the inner experience we really want—to feel peace, pleasure, aliveness, joy, love; to find meaning; to sense that our lives are full, and that we’ve somehow made a difference.

Fulfillment versus success–which is more important? I have thought about and studied these two concepts for many years. Although interrelated, they are distinct. Each is important and understanding the difference can help us find balance in the journey of life. So I want to share with you the following passage from my book, The Hero’s […]

We are continually coming and going and so “Hellos” and “Goodbyes” are a natural part of our lives. Even though small, these are actually quite meaningful moments as we greet and depart from each other.

In my last article, I discussed three ways of living or themes around which we organize our lives–survival, security and success. As I stated, we live from all three at different times or in different areas of life. However, we have less experience with a fourth paradigm–“Serenity.” Lots of folks believe that it will “happen” […]

“With a clue like this, by Christopher, we’ll have Flint’s treasure if it takes a year!” You probably remember the story of Treasure Island, although, depending on your age, your exposure to the story might have come via the original story by Robert Lewis Stephenson, the movie by Disney, the wacky Muppets version, or even […]

Remember the analogy you used when we started this quest for self actualization?  We compared it to a journey.  You’ve packed up your tools, assessed your strengths and weakness and gotten to know your traveling companions.  Now take your map out and spread it out on the table in front of you.  It’s time to […]