My mother’s reaction was so predictable. Every time I would share my dreams, my vision, or how I wanted to impact the world in some way, she would listen and then say, "Take care of yourself." I remember being triggered at times. One day, I voiced my frustration: "Is this all you care about?" ...

First published on Happify. When my four children were little, we spent a good part of one summer break creating vision boards. A decade or so later, I found the four boards up in the attic, stacked alongside school projects from years ago and old furniture they'd outgrown. As I brushed the dust ...

Some of us put our dreams on hold for decades. We keep waiting for circumstances to change before we start living our lives.  Does that sound like you?  Maybe you say things like “I’m waiting until the kids leave home to write my book” Or “I’m waiting until I’ve lost ten pounds t...

While ago I decided to take out time once a week to connect with friends in my circle who had perhaps moved away, or been lost in the busyness of life. And so I called up 3 friends I hadn’t spoken with for over a year. Although it was lovely connecting, I was moved by the struggles each was goin...

In 2018 we all got the shocking news of Kate Spade’s suicide. I found it hard to believe, having just returned from Toronto where her name was on almost every item I wanted to buy for my children. Diaries, journals, pencil cases, all had her brand – and then of course the satchels, handbags and ...

In our day and age, we do not generally take out enough time to celebrate our journeys for various reasons. Of course there’s the general busyness that characterizes our lives, and reflecting on the milestones we’ve already crossed or celebrating the successes we’ve already had is not always t...

This article first appeared on Happify Here's the wonderful irony: As a leadership coach, I spend a lot of time helping people let go of perfection. But when something important is at stake, I myself become entangled in its sticky tentacles. And so it was a couple of weeks ago. I began writing an ...

This article first appeared on Happify Have you ever had an opportunity come your way that's made you giddy with excitement? The next thing you know, you've said no and are now living with the regrets of your decision. Or have you mulled over and over an opportunity, reasoning with your passion u...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This article first appeared on Happify It's been a recurring theme in my life: Every time I'm offered an opportunity that stretches me beyond my comfort zone, an incessant mental chatter pulls the excitement out from under my feet: "You'll make a fool of yourself...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Life has a way of passing us by, even as we’re busy attending to its trials and tribulations. Before we know it, moments have shifted, seasons have ended, and years have slipped by—almost as if life were avoiding our gaze. Sometimes, as if life were sorry it d...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It's happened to all of us: We meet someone and we're instantly drawn to them. And I'm not talking about romantic love at first sight; I'm talking about that mysterious attraction that people often call charisma. Harvard psychologist Robert Kegan has found that cha...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We're told that we live in dark times—and it's not difficult to buy into that narrative. I, for one, feel an underlying angst from the uncertainty, volatility, and change I see around me. And I know I'm not the only one. But here's what I remind myself: Dark ti...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]French philosopher Sartre said, “Hell is other people.” Positive psychology says relationships are an important pathway to flourishing. As the most social animal on the planet, what are we to make of this? The answer may lie in the emotional contagion of the r...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There's a way of viewing the world that’s black and white. And then there's a way that sees the world in all its brilliant colors. We're wired for both. But the former is far quicker because it's been around much longer. It seeks out what’s bright and pleasura...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There's a narrative that constantly runs through my mind. Wherever I am and whatever I do, it has a way of creeping in and reminding me that I don't have much time. And it shifts me toward a heightened sense of stress from which I live my life. I've tried to cha...