2008
I am amongst other things the Secretary of the Howard League in Scotland. John Howard was the 18th century founder of the penal reform movement: between 1775 and 1790 he toured Europe seeking humane forms of penal provision and promoting these in Britain. In 1921, under the guidance of Margery Fry, the Howard Association […]
Topics: All, Pathway 3 "Meaning", Resilience, Spirituality, _2 Positive Traits
0
2008
Social contagion is a term for moods spreading from person to person. We are physically constructed to make this possible. Daniel Goleman in Social Intelligence (2007) writes about mirror neurons that fire in response to observing behavior or emotions in others. “For instance, when volunteers lay in an fMRI watching a video showing someone […]
Topics: All, Business, Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), Resilience
7
2008
Rabbits are ancient symbols of fertility and so symbolize the return of spring. In thinking of them, of Easter, and of Sherri Fisher’s excellent article, Positive Psychology is more than happiness, I spoke with a friend who had just returned from working near the equator. “What did you miss most?” I asked. Quickly came the […]
2008
I’ve been a bit of a grump today. Not a bad, grump. Just some tacky, negative comments. I said as I started out this morning that I was feeling that way, and I know I was a bit terse with my staff a time or two during the day. When I got home this evening, I was still […]
2008
If you’ve never seen a wrestling match, you’ve never seen one of the grittiest athletic spectacles known to man, and one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to watch as a nervous mother (through laced fingers over my eyes, to be honest). And if you haven’t heard about Dustin Carter, you’re about to learn […]
2008
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 […]
2008
I have always been drawn to the quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that “Freedom is to struggle with no hope for reward.” There a great deal of courage in that line. There is comfort in the notion that something can us keep us going, even when the circumstances seem insurmountable. As I have maneuvered the various […]
2008
Our brains are attics - they have to be, storing all our past stuff. But we live when we can in the dizzy day-room delights of children’s laughter, family chaos and even work. Spring seems to arrive earlier each year. Well, Easter is earlier this year than for ages, even lunar ages. […]
Topics: Awe, Global Policies, Mindfulness, Resilience, Savoring / In-the-Moment
2
2008
“Raindrops on roses and
Whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and
Warm woolen mittens”
Julie Andrews sang about them. Oprah has them. And so I now want to do a fun column about “My Favorite Things,” too, to pay homage to some of the things that bring happiness and contentment to my life in the hopes […]
Topics: All, Awe, Coaching, Communication, Goals, Gratitude, Habits, Health, Love, Money, Optimism and Positive Thinking, Pathway 1 "Pleasure", Pathway 2 "Engagement / Flow", Pathway 3 "Meaning", Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), Resilience, Savoring / In-the-Moment, Sports, Strengths, Three Branches, Three Pathways, _1 Positive Experiences, _2 Positive Traits, _3 Positive Organizations
6
2008
In the spirit of the Oscars, I nominate Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want for best single book about positive psychology to have on the shelf. There are many great books around these days, including books that go into specific topics in more detail. […]