Goals

‘Tis the season to give and get. This is the explicit message of the many advertisements that propel us into hypnotic holiday spending. Are your halls decked? Is your closet…

Imagine this: A corporate billionaire and a working class mechanic have nothing in common until they share a hospital room and realize that they both share a burning desire to spend the time that they do have left to accomplish unfulfilled dreams until they “kick the bucket.”

Neena is hoping to be back in college soon after a rather disastrous semester has left her “withdrawn/failing.” She has never been a stellar student, not even in elementary school.…

What can Positive Psychology say about being happy at work? Are there some people for whom happiness at work is easier? Are there actual ways to increase happiness at work? Yesterday, a few of us answered questions on a radio show with host and best-selling author, Karen Salmansohn.

In mid-September, I pulled my trusty bat globe out of the garage and set it up on my front lawn.  And like clockwork, the negative comments soon came my way,…

  If you’ve ever been unhappy, you would have benefited from a mood-repair tool kit. It could have helped you analyze why you were feeling miserable, for example, and helped…

In their recent paper, Capitalizing on one’s advantages: Role of core self-evaluations, Judge and Hurst (2007) take a different perspective. The focus of their research is on what distinguishes those who seize upon and exploit advantages, rather than on those who succeed in the face of misfortune, tragedy or oppression. It seems a legitimate research topic, given that most of us in the developed world live in such “benign conditions”.

So what makes some of us take advantage of, and flourish, given favourable circumstances, and others not? […]

Hobbling down the stairs and across the street I realized too late that I had left my wallet in the office. This meant that I missed the bus, and later had to get the train which sensibly stopped at the train station some two miles from the bus station. So, that evening’s plan for Jess – a student driver – to drive us home from the bus station was abandoned, as was the car which was, of course, a vital player in the plans for the next morning travels. Jess had a party to enjoy. For recovering from my broken leg I had clear goals (well advised) which included starting to drive again ten days hence. But returning from the train station I recklessly then drove down with Shelagh to get the other car, and drove back. I have been driving since. Events and circumstance accelerated both the motivation and achievement of my goal. […]

The calendar says that January 1 is the beginning of the New Year, but for millions of U.S. school children and their families, the real New Year begins each September.…

What about more “formal” forms of recognition, such as trips and conferences, that companies use to reward top performers? Do these programs positively impact employee engagement and productivity, too? I have anecdotal evidence from one company that they do – especially when a company rethinks who attends these events.

You wouldn’t use a paperclip to try to open a can. So why are you trying to use past skills to get a future job? Suppose I told you that with a small change in mindset, you could turn the paperclip into a can opener. Suppose I showed you a tool that would give you leverage toward getting the kind of job you really want.

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Memorial Day officially commemorates people who died in military service to their country. In many families, it is a day for remembering…

I’ve become “the license plate lady” to all of my children’s friends, who are now accustomed to riding in a carpool with me and hearing me suddenly yelp as I spot a terrific vanity plate, “Get a picture of that license plate!” Anyone with a good view of my target now knows to zoom in, get a few snaps, and show it to everyone for approval so that I can use it as a teaching tool about the power of words in shaping our moods. […]

Yikes! I’m turning 50 in ten days.  It’s hard to believe.  Where did the time go?  What have I accomplished?  What have I contributed?  What do I want to accomplish…

It’s hard not to notice the non-stop enthusiasm on television shows and in mainstream media for the phenomenon called, “The Secret,” which purports to tell us what we need to…