The voices in our heads can be real buzz-kills. “I’m not whatever enough.” I should be (doing) X, I should be (doing) Y, I should be (doing) Z. Some call this voice “the gremlin” or saboteur. Whatever you call it, these voices have harmful effects. Our own, self-deprecating mind chatter can become our reality.

The arrival of the First Dog, Bo, into his new kennels at the White House, has got me thinking this month about how our canine companions contribute to our well-being. The health and well-being benefits of having a dog include making fewer visits to doctors, having less stress and anxiety, and having lower blood pressure.

Do right-brained people find it easier to express love than left-brained folks? I have been reflecting on it for the last month during a trip to India with my mother for the dedication of the new building for the Evershine English school for disadvantaged children. My gut tells me that folks who are more right brained have an easier time expressing love because they lead with their hearts over their heads and are more adept in the universal non-verbal language of love.

The theme of CAPP’s 2nd Applied Positive Psychology Conference was Creating flourishing communities: the smallest thing to make the biggest difference. Three keynote presentations painted pictures of positive social change inspired by individual action.

When clients come to us, whether in a coaching or counseling relationship, we assume they are ready to change. But what if you find they don’t yet appear ready for change. What can you do to get your client to talk more about change? There is a counseling approach called Motivational Interviewing (MI) that can be defined as a “client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change…”

As a kid, did you love taking a bath every day? I didn’t. Fast forward 25 years later, taking a shower is so ingrained in my habits that I couldn’t possibly fathom the idea of going to work without a prior healthy dose of body wash. …When a man at least ten years older than my Dad raced by me effortlessly in a 3-mile run, I realized that physical activity is an important part of personal hygiene. Why did I resist a practice I know is good for me, and then how did I break out of the resistance?

On a superficial level, it is easy to cast grit and mindfulness as polar opposites. One can mistakenly conclude that perseverance is an antonym for Kabat-Zinn’s concept of non-doing. To some, hooked on the adrenalin of achievement, of triumphing over one impossible goal and then another, the practice of mindfulness might seem like a colossal waste of valuable time better spent achieving something.

Today marks the 40th annual celebration of Earth Day in the United States. It is a good opportunity to tie together a few positive psychology themes with Mother Nature. We must learn to be good stewards of the environment and take care of the natural world around us so future generations may reap the same benefits.

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and Sharon Salzberg share the stage at the Rubin Museum in New York City talking about meditation practices as part of the Brainwave Series exploring the intersection of mind and matter. One of the most powerful practices is the loving kindness meditation that involves cultivating and sending out a sense of love and well-being to all sentient beings.

The “Positive Psychology Pyramid” is an approach to organizing positive psychology research to help those seeking “better” to move forward. What’s your metaphor or organizing image? (For those who like an organic theme, see the end of the post.)