Like so many people, my smartphone has become a seemingly indispensable part of my life. I love much about it. I love looking up stuff on google, checking the weather, and accessing various social media. It's gotten me back into taking pictures, which I hadn't done (other than pics of…
Last summer I went whitewater rafting with my wife and a couple of wonderful friends who had very graciously invited us to stay with them at their upstate New York time share. We departed the lodge at 7:30am and arrived at the rafting place around 9:00am. It was a long…
This is a guest post by Morgan Johnson. A couple of years ago, as a result of an unsuccessful marriage and stressful job, I found myself suffering from a prolonged period of feeling very down. Fortunately, after months of self-regret, and living in a house which looked more like a…
Another September 11 is upon us. This is essentially a repeat of the post I wrote last year. I've been putting a lot of effort into being mindful again this year. As another anniversary of 9/11 comes, I realize that the events of September 11 are never something that takes…
My 16-year-old cousin Kyra (aka Kiki) is chronically unique (a term she invented.) Please watch her video and you will understand. It's 15 minutes in length and if at any point you decide to fast forward, make sure you watch the last 3.5 minutes to learn valuable happiness lessons from this amazing…
This is a guest post by Stephen Joseph. When I first saw the name of his article, I was thinking that the topic was a bit more specialized than we normally publish. On reading and enjoying it, I saw that its advice can be helpful in a variety of applications,…
Early this year, I ran a post called “Make New Friends Monday”. I explained that when my kids were home from college for winter break, the subject of Instagram came up. My daughter Cara said, “You have an Instagram? What’s your name? I want to follow you.” I told her…
This is a guest post by Jane Bongato As a child, I was always a bit of a loner, although not necessarily by choice. I was tall for my age and a bit awkward and uncoordinated when it came to taking part in sports at school. This meant that I…
A couple of years ago, I read a book called The Go-Giver. The book’s lessons are delivered in the form of a parable about a young go-getter who is introduced to an older, wiser man, who teaches him about go-giving—putting others’ interests first and adding value to their lives. It’s…
To make a long story short, here's what I want you to do tomorrow: If you’re in college, introduce yourself to someone in your dorm or in one of your classes. If you're in high school, introduce yourself to a classmate you haven’t spoken with before. If you’re at work,…
The father of one of my favorite people passed away this year. I almost always cry at funerals and this one was no exception. It's generally not the deceased I cry for, but the living—my friends who are dealing with the pain of loss. I also often laugh at funerals…
In May of this year, I wrote a post about a story from the early part of my father’s career. In Everybody Has a Story—What’s Yours?, I explained that we all have stories to tell; learning that can help others. Soon after that post was published, while speaking with a…