Empathy is an important skill for all of us. The ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes helps you to understand their situation. And if you understand, you will be able to treat them with compassion. I recently heard an example of someone putting himself in the shoes of…
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, lost her husband to a tragic accident. Sandberg, who is quite famous for her book, Lean In, is writing a book with Adam Grant, the author of two of my favorite recent books, Give and Take and Originals. In a commencement speech at…
As part of our corporate wellness program, I listened to a webinar on stress. Here are some of the things the speaker shared: It’s understandable that so many of us feel stress at work and at home because the demands on our time and our energy continue to increase, but…
I've changed the way I eat in small, but important, ways once again this year. The changes began with my goal of eating more unprocessed whole grains. At first, I moved from cereal made from processed whole wheat (Grape Nuts, made from whole grain wheat flour) to granola, made from…
"Be Organized" is one of my Six Simple Rules for a Better Life. I felt very qualified to write about that subject because I'm about as organized as a person can be. That also makes me feel very qualified to review the new book, Super-Productive: 120 Strategies to Do More…
Back in December, I wrote about an extremely enjoyable and edifying discussion I had with Michelle Gielan. Michelle is the author of Broadcasting Happiness and, along with Shawn Achor (author of The Happiness Advantage, one of the great books I read during the last few years), has created Inspire Happiness,…
A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about all the things I've been clearing out of my house. For many years, I’ve been good about throwing out or donating things I don’t use. My house is not filled with clutter. We have very few toys from when our kids…
I read a New York Times Magazine article by Jennifer Kahn called “The Happiness Code”. Kahn spent time at the Center for Applied Rationality (CFAR) in Berkeley and reported on the experience. The idea of tying rationality to happiness habits appeals to me. Many of my habits come about because…
I've written before about the importance of letting go of anger. I've also read quite a few blog posts by others on anger, including several I published after they were submitted to me for this blog. I recently read Originals, the second book by Adam Grant, whose Give and Take I enjoyed…
Last year, a friend of mine helped orchestrate his parents’ move from their house—the one my friend grew up in—to an apartment in a high rise. In the high rise, they would no longer be responsible for maintenance of their home, the cleaning would be reduced dramatically because the apartment…
A piece I read last year in the New York Times on healthy eating greatly appealed to me. First, I like its title, "Simple Rules for Healthy Eating." It's pretty obvious: I like simple rules. I wrote a book called, "Six Simple Rules for a Better Life" and you are…
I've always liked the designs of the "Life is Good" t-shirts. I was recently given Life is Good, the Book, written by Bert and John Jacobs, founders of the Life is Good company. It's a nice, happiness book, and an easy read. After explaining optimism as the philosophy behind their…