David J. Pollay

Recently Dawn and I were asked two interesting questions. One person asked, “Your parents do so much for you guys; why do you think they are so giving?” A couple weeks later, someone asked the second question: “You and Dawn do a lot for your parents; how come you do so much for them?” Until …

You cultivate three things in the process of building a Gratitude Chain™: awareness of what and for whom you are grateful, curiosity about what makes something you value possible, and memory of what is good. And when you link together your Gratitude Chains™, you experience a powerful appreciation of the important people and things in …

Our brain automatically tries to keep us safe. We are wired not to hurt or kill ourselves. The challenge is that the brain has an alarm system that can be hypersensitive. We often receive physical and emotional alerts to warn us of problems that pose no real threat. As a result, we are left to …

Gratitude is a bridge to your positive future:  It is your passageway to success. Think about a bridge crossing a river.  It must have strong supporting foundations on both banks.  Without the foundations securely anchored, the bridge will collapse; you cannot make the crossing. And so it is with your bridge to your positive future.  …

Focus + Humility + Questions = Momentum© Let me check something out with you.  Pretend for a moment that your friend, child, spouse, employee, or your boss said to you: “I would like to learn from you.  It would mean a lot to me if you would help me.”  How would you feel?  My bet …

Be clear on what’s expected of you in your job.  Agree on what success looks like.  Don’t be shy.  Ask how you’re going to be judged.  I learned how important this is when I interned for Procter and Gamble in the summer of 1986.  I wanted my own apartment near the office, but my budget …

Show me the trunk of your car. Hand me your luggage. Step back. I’ll find a way to fit it all in. I’m a good packer.   No car, no mini-van, no SUV scares me. I can squeeze anything in no matter the vehicle. You can call my trunk-packing a sort of strength; I can …

I reached for the one on top. It was a letter. It was addressed to Dawn. I read the first two lines. “Thank you for your recent visit to our facility. Your digital mammogram shows no evidence of cancer.” Then I had what I call a “gratitude moment.”

It was 1977 and I was in the sixth grade. I joined the Boy’s Choir. I really didn’t like singing in choirs, but I joined anyway. All my friends had signed up, so I did too. I can still remember our two performances. I stood in the back row of the choir and mumbled my …

It was 1976. I was in the fifth grade. The fifty-yard dash record for Lake Bluff Elementary School in Shorewood, Wisconsin was set in the mid 1950s. I had a chance to break it. I walked past my classmates and stepped up to the starting line. I looked at my gym teacher, Mr. (Buddy) Wolf. …

A few years ago I was sitting in my office, by myself, and I wasn’t feeling good.  Yes, it’s true.  I research, write, and speak about Positive Psychology, but I admit it, I wasn’t having a good day.  So, here’s my first question:  Where do you look when you’re feeling bad?  Most of us look …

Mom was an opera singer who could sing high C’s beautifully. And she had the chance to sing them often. Mom was a leading soprano with The National Opera Company, and with The Community Concert Series of Columbia Artists after her undergraduate and graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her repertoire included …

I love peanuts. I like them salted or unsalted. I like them sweet or savory. You can put them in my dinner or in my dessert. I never met a peanut I didn’t like. It is a joy to eat peanuts! It’s also a challenge to eat peanuts. Peanuts pack a caloric punch. Too many …

Have you ever said something like this to yourself? “I have a dream. I want to do what I love every day. Yet, I don’t know how to get there. I am too busy. I have too many responsibilities right now. When things slow down, I’ll figure out what to do.”Most of us are affected …

Everything good that happens in this world is the result of a chain of events.  No matter the size, each event has a history of activity.  Unfortunately, most of us are unaware of the many good chains in our lives.    Consider the last time you opened a can of beans.  Did you think about …

Special Note to Positive Psychology News Daily Friends This month I am posting a column that I wrote a number of years ago known as The Law of the Garbage Truck™.  My column is now widely traveling the internet in mass emails and blogs.  I want you to have it too.  You can find my …