Gail Schneider

I am on the move again for the fifth time in my adult life. As I am a New Yorker, my moves have always had a certain “Woody Allen-esque” quality…

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.

There are times in our lives when we are tested, when the unexpected occurs, or our worst fears are realized and we are forced to face new realities that are both uninvited and unwelcome. Can we transform these fiercest moments of life, the ones that threaten to overwhelm and overcome us, into moments of grace? I think we can and positive psychology can help us do it.

It’s that time of year again. If you are anything like me – Type A, and goal-oriented – your annual list of New Year’s resolutions is beginning to take shape. In prior years, I would construct my new resolutions on the shaky foundation of last year’s failures. …This year, I am determined to change it up and see what happens when I focus on what has worked rather than what has not.

I live in New York City. Perhaps because it is the financial capital of the world, anxiety about the economy is everywhere. In Starbucks people sit grimly reading the Wall Street Journal and the patois overheard is about Lehman Brothers, AIG and bailouts. With every lurching move of the Dow, you can feel the collective panic or collective sighs of relief. In this environment how can positive psychology help?

A comedian on a late night talk show was recently discussing how he felt about turning 50. He said his friends tried to cheer him up by telling him that “50 is the new 40.” To this attempt at positive re-framing, the comedian promptly retorted, “Yeah, and rain is the new sun!” There is no escaping the “graying of America” as a demographic fact.

Gail A. Schneider, J.D., M.A.P.P., brings to positive psychology an extensive background from the world of big business. She began her career at a large Wall Street law firm followed…