Browse Happiness

One of the most singificant problems human beings face as a general population is how to handle stress. As a life & career expert, and an acclaimed advice columnist, I have compiled eleven of the most significant ways that you can reduce stress in your life. You may not always be able to make stress dissappear, but you can manage it with some very simple techniques.

Thoughts, for the most part, are conditioned and can be changed. Although blaming the way we think on our parents and how we were raised may in fact be accurate, as adults, it is our responsibility to change the way we think. Our thought processes can be changed through awareness and effort, which is a typical combination for any change. From my personal experience, this is a gradual process, so don’t get discouraged if the change comes slowly. It took years to develop our present thought processes and it will probably take years to change them.

Several years ago while meeting with a woman who was interested in my Zen Gardens, she said something that struck me like the ol' proverbial frying pan to the head. She said: "Money is nothing more than love in an alte ate form. It's ENERGY. If you're struggling with it, you're looking at it from a very skewed perspective. Just think about it." Now, all these years later, her voice comes back to me. I hear it as clearly as if she were sitting right beside me. And yes, it makes me smile.

It’s time for a pep talk, you and me. Ready? You’re not going to want to hear this, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Here we go. You can do it. Yes, you can. Do yourself a favor. Remove the “can’t” from your vocabulary, right now, because if you don’t, you’re going to have an awful time finding success in your life and in business, and especially on the Web. Period. End of story. So unless you’re telling me you want to be un-successful, then you must listen to my advice and digest it and then live it. Really live it. It can’t be faked.

What are you? Ask that question of a thousand people and the vast majority will likely respond with their occupation or job. I am a parent, teacher, lawyer or a whatever-I-do-to-ea -money-and-fill-my-day. Yet this is not who we are. We are not what we do. Think about that for a moment; while it sounds simple, do you really know who you are when extricated from the identity a profession, role or achievement provides? Can you tell me what you are without naming what it is that you do? The most accurate answer to that question is actually the same for each of us.

I am a fan of happiness. I like to read about it, write about it, teach it and live it! Happiness comes easily to me but I understand that that isn't the case for everyone. I've come up with what I think is the exact formula needed. Excitement + Freedom + Joy + Inspiration + Love = Happiness It might look a little complicated, but it really isn't. You can start small and look for small ways to incorporate more of those states into your life. Excitement By excitement, I don't necessarily mean jumping up and down, or heart-pounding situations.

“Only when you've been to the deepest valley, can you know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain” The title of this book is “livethislife” - Metal Mindset. Before we create a Metal Mindset, we need to first understand and define what negativity is and how it impacts us. Isn't it strange when a person complains about not having enough time to be happy, yet, they have ample time to be sad?.

You dread dealing with the staff. No one gets along, everyone feels overwhelmed and the negativity is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Even if you increase sales, your money leaks out in turnover and absenteeism. This is going to shock you, but you could easily solve this problem if you would learn how to facilitate an effective staff meeting. The problem is most managers don’t know how to hold an effective meeting, much less bring up sensitive issues in a way that fosters team building and open communication.

We spend our waking hours focused on things we have to do, have, buy and think. It’s the thinking part that leads us towards or away from living a happy life. My goal is to help you become keenly aware of what you’re thinking for just 10 minutes a day. These thoughts that you begin to “hearing” will help you understand where your thinking is causing you pain and suffering. These captured thoughts will then be questioned and it's doing this that sets you free to begin thinking truer thoughts that begin moving your life in a more positive direction.

"Yossi Ghinsberg was lost in the Amazon for 20 days and learned many lessons about our inherent ability to survive and tap into our true instinctual selves." While in Puerto Rico, my wife Michelle and I had the privilege of seeing Yossi Ghinsberg. We'd never heard of Yossi before, but we became instant fans. Yossi shared his story about being lost in the depths of the uncharted Amazon for 20 days -- without food, equipment, or companionship and in the midst of the rainy season.

Having discovered EFT* (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in 1999 and used it consistently since, EFT has now become part of my daily practice and is now an integral part of my profession. Some days I have a quick tap during my morning walk or in front of the bathroom mirror, and some days (every couple of months) I spend a couple of hours tapping on myself using m y inner spiritual guide to help me navigate through the emotional quagmire of the mind. I also make an appointment with an EFT Practitioner every 6 months or so for what I now call my EFT Service (Energetic MOT session) and Tune-up.

Positive affirmations -- do positive affirmations really work or not? You may have heard that "affirmations do not work" or perhaps you find yourself wondering whether affirmations really work or how do affirmations work. The answer of course is "it depends". It depends on the affirmation and it depends the person's level of belief ... or more accurately your level of disbelief. If the affirmation you say or write doesn't feel true or believable to you, more likely than not it will not manifest for you. You have to "feel" good about your affirmations.

Happiness isn't something that suddenly appears in our lives when we have everything we want; happiness is a choice we make in every moment. Sometimes it's just not possible to feel on top of the world; for example if we've just lost someone we love, nothing is going to make us feel happy right now. In those circumstances, probably all we can manage to do is accept how we feel and maybe find a little relief. These tips are for the times when we wish we felt better and need a

There is a somewhat widespread notion that this statement is valid: FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real As it turns out, upon examination, this concept is not always, and not even often, valid. The key to understanding why this concept is not valid is the way our brains actually work. Human brains are wired to protect us and have sensory circuits which bypass all cognitive functions. If you hear a lion's growl 10 steps away, your body reacts instantly, BEFORE you can think about it.

If that title causes some resistance, start tapping now. Sadly, the word “work” is going to scare away a lot of folks who could really benefit from this article. Ah well… Thomas Edison once famously offered this observation: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Somehow or another, we’ve been programmed to see work as a “four letter word.” Some of us might even squeak like Maynard G. Krebs: “Work?!?!?” This is why so many of us are so quick to hear the message of the Law of Attraction as,

Have you ever said to yourself, "Someday, I'm going to..."? Three years ago, I moved to London, Ontario from Edmonton, Alberta. If you check the map, you will see that I am now living in the southern part of the country, compared to Edmonton. It is so gorgeous here, that it feels a bit like Paradise to me. There are so many fabulous lakes and beaches, compelling fruit/vegetable markets, incredible bike trails, etc. etc.

There is no passion to be found... in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. ~ Nelson Mandela I was just on a phone call with a very close friend and we were discussing the content of my articles over the past few months. The title of this article is actually one of the statements she made in the course of our conversation.

Learning how to manifest your desires with segment intending is one of the most powerful manifestation tools available to you in your mastery of law of attraction. Perhaps you already know about and you already practice segment intending, but if you don't this is such a powerful technique that will benefit you ... starting right now. From each moment to moment throughout your day, you are living in segments. For example, whenever you enter a room or have a new conversation with someone you are in a new segment. Are you in control of each segment throughout your day?

Who are you? What do you do? These are common questions as we go about our daily lives. These are very difficult questions for many people who are currently unemployed, newly retired, 'stay at home' Moms, and so on. In today's society, we place so much value on what we do - our label, if you will. As women, we typically grow up as 'people pleasers'. We lose sight of who we are, really; if, in fact, we ever figured it out! As women, also, we tend to compare the inside of us to the outside of everyone else. That needs to stop.

On the one hand, understanding law of attraction and how it works seems simple enough, but on the other hand figuring out the secret to how to make law of attraction work for you can often feel incredibly complex. I don't know how many times I've thought I was on the right track, became very focused and specific in my requests to the Universe, and followed the manifestation process explicitly as it's described by so many of the law of attraction and self help gurus. Yet still, nothing. Nada.

When buying anything, the first thing you ask is how you can find the best one. The same thought process applies to acoustic guitars. The answer is that there is not a "best" acoustic guitar to buy. Choosing the best acoustic guitar depends on the individual player and their needs. Of course, when you think about best Acoustic guitar brands , some common names come to mind immediately. Gibson, Fender, and Ibanez are but a few of the ones that spring up. All have a quality ins

"DO you want to live an authentic life?" What would it take? What changes do you need to make? It all begins with the way we think. "If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting." You've got to change something for something to change. If you sincerely feel that it's time to remove the mask(s), then you must ask yourself some serious questions: 1. What mask have I been wearing when at work? 2. What mask have I been wearing when with different family members? 3. What mask have I been wearing when with friends? 4.

Complaining and negativity is difficult enough in the workplace, but what do you do when a relative or friend, (Sally, Sam, or Sue) occupies your time with venting, complaining and negativity? It’s difficult to see someone you care about go through hard times but it seems that this is more of a pattern than a particular situation. Negativity breeds negativity and research shows that venting only makes things worse. Here are four choices to stop your drama with your family and friends! Unplug I have a saying: it takes two to play games unless you are playing solitaire.

In every party, you should not forget about the food, drinks and most importantly, music. Good songs can become one of the many reason people will enjoy the event you set up. As the organizer, you need to make sure that you hire the best DJ you can find to guarantee your guest of a splendid night they can remember. But how can you know that the person you are hiring? Fortunately, Steven Sluyter has a few things you need to consider before hiring a DJ for your party. Here are

As I was 'out and about' these past few weeks, visiting different networking groups in the local area, the first question that is typically asked is "Who are you and what do you do?" Now, that question can evoke a ton of emotion within us.

I am so very proud to call myself a Canadian this week as we host the Olympic Games in Vancouver. I was spell-bound as I watched the Opening Ceremonies and jumped out of my chair with great joy when Alexandre Bilodeau won the first Gold medal for Canada! "If you only care enough for a result, you will almost certainly attain it." – William James We know that the Canadian athletes are feeling tremendous pressure to perform. They have already put in the time and effort, and have goal-set to 'get to' the Olympics – now it's all about the mindset to 'win at' the Olympic games.

"Educating" Teensr My wife and I were talking today about our oldest child, who is almost eleven years old. He is a very bright, compassionate, and mature young man, and he has been a great help to us with chores and in dealing with the younger kids. But he is getting quite bored, maybe even burned out, at school. We’ve been wondering what to do about his education after the sixth grade. You see, his Montessori school only goes up to the sixth grade.r

Here we are, at the end of November 2009 already! Time flies! It seems like only yesterday that there was so much 'to do' about the new millennium and here we are, facing 2010 already! I used to set goals for the year but now, as I age (gracefully), I find that I am setting goals for the next decade. One year just isn't good enough for me anymore! I've had some interesting conversations with some of my coaching clients over the past month. In Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving in October and, after the holiday, my clients were sharing their holiday experiences with me.

This week, we celebrated International Woman's Day – not something I take lightly. I honor, respect and celebrate the women who have 'walked before me' – without whom I would not be living this life of freedom and opportunity. This past weekend, I spoke at the Amazing Woman's Day event in Toronto – the Canadian launch of this international initiative. Wow! Words cannot describe the experience.

Americans are currently drowning in a sea of debt--experts warn that increasing personal debt among U.S. consumers poses a severe threat to the nation's economy. Not only that, money troubles are the most common cause of divorce in America. American consumer debt is larger than the gross domestic product of some foreign countries. Money--too little of it, how to invest it, how to manage daily expenses for long-term goals like college education, retirement and critical health

My Gratitude journal, for the past week, is overflowing. I am so blessed, and grateful, to be doing the work that I truly love. As an entrepreneur, however, there are those moments and those times when I sit back and wonder......am I really making a difference?

“Fashionably late” is no longer in fashion. In today’s heavily scheduled world, it is the punctual who are respected and admired. Even though most of us know this, some people are always late, no matter how much time they have to get ready. You may be one of them. Do any of the following sound familiar?nn** You're always rushing at the last minute, even though you've promised yourself countless times that you wouldn't let this happen again.nn** You've tried setting your

I have been on the 'speaking circuit' a fair bit over the past few weeks and have met hundreds of really special people. I am grateful for the invitations to share my information as I know that it really does make a difference in the lives of these people. However, sometimes I hear comments such as: 1. I know 'this stuff'. 2. This is all common sense. 3. That's nothing new. 4. So what? Who Cares? (Those comments, along with all the positive feedback that I get - of course!) Those are the statements that really speak to my heart.

Give your creative family lifestyle dreams a try out. If you followed the advice in the past, you have been doing a lot of thinking lately about what sort of creative family lifestyle you could be following. Now it’s time to get your feet wet. Up to this point, everything that you have done has been in your head. You have imagined your creative family lifestyle involving your family in all sorts of adventures together. You have visualized a more proud; more alive you living a new life of real meaning.

Have you ever wondered if venting was a useful way to release your emotions? Simply put, is venting good for you? I guess that depends on what you mean by venting. If by venting you mean screaming, yelling, ranting or raving about your problems, feelings and emotions with anger, then no, venting is not good. Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “yea, but releasing my emotions that way is necessary, if I keep them bottled up inside, I’ll explode one day.” That would be an understandable way to think, but not a wise one.

What is Beauty? What is beauty? Is it a perfect profile or a perfect smile? Is it hope? Is it the energy of positive expectations? Is beauty simply the opposite of ugly? Is beauty the absence of ugly? Is ugly a lack of hope? Is it a surrendered soul; a bitter heart? Every day around me, I see beauty and I see ugly. Mostly, I see beauty in young people. I see ugly in the old. I see an empty look of a life that has been spent; like a salmon that has laid its eggs and is now waiting to die. Is that what we are? Are we slaves of instinct? Are we not better than a salmon?r

One of the greatest problems that families have in improving the quality of their lives together is the common reality that the parents themselves don’t always agree on what the family priorities should be. In fact many men find themselves confused and saddened by their family life; especially as it relates to their relationship to their wife.r

What is Deep Listening? From "Slowing Down to the Speed of Love" Deep listening occurs when your mind is quiet. Your thoughts are flowing rather than crowding your mind with distractions, interpretations, judgments, conclusions, or assumptions. Your mind is open, curious, interested -- as ...

My happy place is Ashland, Oregon. (I actually have another happy place - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil - but I've only visited once, so I'm not counting that one for now) My very first encounter with Ashland was when my father, my brother, and I drove from Seattle to San Francisco to move half of my belongings for college. I remember driving past the sign that says "Ashland, Oregon - Home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival" thinking "Who in their right mind would make a Shakespeare

Rahu : According to Hindu Mythology Rahu swallows the Sun or the Moon causing eclipses. The story of Rahu is quite interesting. According to the Puranas, Swarbhanu, the son born to the Asura King Viprasithi and a Queen Sinhika, consumed amrut by disguising himself as a God and sitting in between Sun and Moon. Once Mohini (a Lord Vishnu avatar as female) who was distributing the holy nectar of immortality noticed the mistake Sharbhanu was assaulted with the ladle resulting whi

When someone is mildly depressed, the first remedy that comes to mind: Exercise. In just a few minutes exercise burns off stress hormones and raises endorphin levels (the happiness hormone); now that’s a quick fix. This makes the depressed person feel better, more uplifted ...

Recently, researchers have begun to reach beyond burnout and explore the impact of Vicarious Trauma on professionals in the field of human service. What is Vicarious Trauma? The technical definition of Vicarious Trauma is a permanent transformation in the helper’s inner experience resulting from empathic engagement with the client’s traumatic material (Pearlman, Saakvitne, & Figley, 1995).

So What’s Wrong With Dead Bunnies? Ahhhhh! Splat! Ewwwww... My kids have been complaining about the Internet filters we put on our PCs to prevent them from accessing inappropriate content. It’s a parent’s right and duty: right? My oldest is quite the crusader and may just be a budding Civil Rights lawyer. Nevertheless, these things are necessary. In protest, they have changed the background on one of our laptops to an image of a cartoon with a circle and slash over it, the image that they see indicating that inappropriate content was being accessed;r

Every day, in so very many ways, people from all walks of life avoid taking responsibility for their actions, using denial and obstructive tactics. Even something as simple as accepting responsibility for parking their car outside the designated zone is unacceptable to them. While there are ...

4 KEYS to Developing Your Courage nnCourage is not the absence of fear. It is the strength to be who and what you are-- despite the fear! Here are steps we can take to develop courage and let go of the fears that stop us from achieving our goals. nn1. Recognize the fear. Don’t make excuses and call it something else.nYou cannot overcome or move through your fear if you don’t recognize it as such. You can blame someone else, you can call it impossible or you can just admit

When we think about contemplating our happiness, there are many things that come to mind. Most of them are for the most part a little self-centered. By nature, we think of ourselves first I guess. I suppose this is based on our instinct of self-preservation, which is built into our genetic ...

Fear scares people. That’s what it’s supposed to do; it’s just a matter of how much and how often do we really need to be scared? Basically, there are two kinds of fear. Real fear allows you to save your butt in challenging situations (like being chased by a predator or facing imminent danger). ...

How to prioritize, delegate, systematize, define your purpose, values/principles, and goals. Identify and eliminate time-eating habits. Overcoming procrastination, perfectionism and other time robbers. Finding more time. How to integrate a calendar system: paper or electronic.