I recently watched a TED talk about a remarkable study. It’s the longest known study on happiness, tracking more than 700 men over 75 years. The conclusion: happier, healthier, and longer lives was highly correlated with having quality relationships. Some of my takeaways: The number of friends is less important…
As I’ve written, and as I say at every one of my speaking engagements, smiling helps your happiness. The act of smiling releases chemicals to your brain that make you think you are happy. And that feels good. Similarly, I strongly recommend saying, “Great” when people ask how you are.…
I was listening to a happiness episode on one of my favorite podcasts, the TED Radio Hour. One of the speakers, Matt Killingsworth, talked about a study done to track happiness in real time. An app was given to 35,000 people who received survey questions on their smartphones, on a…
As many people have done, I have written about the importance of gratitude as a happiness habit, or as I also like to say, as an act of proactive positivity. I was listening to an episode of one of my favorite, weekly podcasts, The TED Radio Hour. During the episode,…
Since 2011, when I published my book and began blogging, I have also been a regular reader of other blogs. My favorite, Becoming Minimalist, has countless useful posts to help you have a simpler, better life. Reading Becoming Minimalist, and other minimalism blogs, led to several changes in my life.…
Making time for exercise is a big challenge for many people. Whether it's about exercise or anything else, time management is about making time for your priorities. As I've written before, if someone says they don't have time to exercise, I like to challenge them by explaining it's not that…
I’ve written a lot about gratitude as a happiness strategy. When you spend time thinking about ways you are grateful, and things and relationships in your life about which you are grateful, it’s hard to be unhappy at the same time. Gratitude is a proven activity of proactive positivity. But in a…
I heard a funny conversation on the street between a 20-something man and a 20-something woman. He asked, "When is your birthday?" She replied, "Well, there's my legal birthday and there's the day I celebrate." She explained she was born on April 1, but "that's the worst birthday because you're…
“Be Organized” is the fourth of my Six Simple Rules for a Better Life. I read a piece in Fast Company about the secrets of the most productive people. Following are some of the “Be Organized” strategies shared in the piece, along with some additional thoughts from me: Belinda Johnson…
I made sure I taught my kids, if someone sends you an e-mail, a text message, or any other type of communication, you need to respond. If you don’t have time to give a complete reply, acknowledge receipt and tell them you will get back to them later. And then…
Not long after I published Six Simple Rules for a Better Life, I read a book called Willpower, by Roy Baumeister & John Tierney, which had come out the same month. In my book’s introduction, I talk about how to make changes that stick. I knew my method worked, but…
I’ve been working on a new habit. I’ve been trying to resist getting a second scoop of ice cream when I go into ice cream shops. I don’t go into ice cream shops often, but when I do I nearly always get two scoops, or some other “large” option. It…