by Sean Doyle
When, at 39, I was trying to decide whether to pursue training in positive psychology , I made for myself all the “practical” objections. I was already a successful lawyer, had a wife, kids, mortgage and typical routine. My wife, however, knew that deep down it was something I really wanted […]

Last summer, the journal Insulin published What people with diabetes want their caregivers to know: Development of the TCOYD patient concensus statement” based on the results of a workshop I ran at the 2004 Raleigh Taking Control of Your Diabetes conference. I’m going to look at three items from the patient consensus statement and show […]

The design for the opera house was the result of a world-wide competition in 1955-56. Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect submitted the winning design, but it did not meet the criteria of the competition and had drawings described as “simple to the point of being diagrammatic.” One of the judges did a crayon sketch to use in presenting the winning design to the Permier and public. The design was so far different from the prevailing state of architecture (though not entirely without precedent), that one widely reported story about the selection process relates that Utzon’s design was discarded in the initial pass and only reconsidered when a late-arriving judge demanded to see the discarded entries, recognized its genius, and brought it back into consideration.

Morality is an essential part of human nature. Morality is also a central element […]

“Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies.”
Albert Camus
I have been caught up recently in reading different books and articles about the law industry in order to get a more in-depth understanding of my new, interesting job. Accidentally, I came across an article from another PPND author Dave […]

We’ve all heard the sayings: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”� “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”� “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”� “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
But how accurate and helpful are these sayings, anyway?� I started to wonder about this […]

Make the most of your regrets: never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.Thoreau (1817-1862)
This semester at the UEL MAPP program, I’m working in a small team on a consultancy project with the aim of applying Positive Psychology […]

I had the pleasure of hearing Mike Morrison, VP and Dean of University of Toyota, speak at last month’s Global Well-Being Forum (formerly the International Positive Psychology Summit) at Gallup’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The room was jammed packed with both business and academic people interested in Mike’s talk “Personal Leadership: A Psychological […]

Our time gives us the extraordinary challenge we call sustainability: to collectively change the way we live to be in balance with the planet. It is very easy to talk about sustainability in a way that drains the energy for change out of people. Talk only about the immensity of the problem and then watch a room full of people move into either denial or depression. So how do we talk about sustainability in ways that lead instead to hope and personal responsibility? We can use the Appreciative Inquiry model of Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny.

My Dad’s father understood the power of the subconscious. When I couldn’t figure something out when I was growing up, my grandfather used to say, “Take a walk. Clear your mind.” He believed that if you set aside your issue for a little while, you would allow your subconscious mind to bring forth new and better thoughts, not just the few you already had. As a result you would come up with a better idea.

My Dad’s father understood the power of the subconscious.