You’ve heard of soft skills. They are part of the hidden curriculum that includes interpersonal communication abilities like showing empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution skills, as well as demonstrating emotional self-awareness, self-regulation, perseverance, and creative, independent problem-solving. At school, work and life, we depend on soft skills. I’ve spent my career working with people who have tried and struggled to build self-regulation and...Read More
Are you presently satisfied with your life? Most people say they are. You probably would like to be more than just satisfied, though. It’s kind of meh. Actual positive emotions have great benefits beyond happiness. They broaden attention and thinking (great for managing attention) encourage higher-level and creative thinking (great for problem-solving) build cognitive, social,...Read More
Imagine that you could guarantee your happiness. How happy would you want to be? Would you go for “Can’t complain,” or maybe “Delighted,” is more your style? Perhaps you’d want to be “Jubilant” or even “Ecstatic!” If some happiness is good, is more even better? If so, when? For thousands of years philosophers have debated...Read More
You take pride in your one-of-a-kind Resilience Pie, so you want the result to be the best that you can make it! Your high-quality ingredients and skills will go a long way to making it good, but how can you rocket your Resilience Pie to masterpiece level? You’ve got resilience factors within and all around...Read More
As a resilience pie-baker, you’ve heightened your awareness of your body, feelings, and thoughts. Each moment you’ve noticed yourself is a piece of data. You now have a lot of data, so what do you do with it? How can you use your observations to actually become more resilient? How can self-awareness help you build...Read More
You want to learn how to bounce back from adversity and leap towards opportunities. Easy as pie, right? Except that, like baking a pie, building resilience isn’t always easy. Good news! Like baking a pie (or quiche, or another layered dish that you love to eat), you can cultivate resilience by following a series of...Read More
When I was a kid, I watched a lot of musicals. In the movie musical South Pacific, the leading lady sings about being a cockeyed optimist. My grandma has always described herself as a cockeyed optimist, too – someone who is determined to see the bright side of everything. As an adult, I wonder, “Is...Read More
It’s the last minute of the big basketball game. I watch a player set up for a 3-point shot. He misses. His face crumples, and he slumps onto the floor. I’ve seen him miss that shot in practice, but that time he fought for the rebound. Why did he bounce back in practice, but assume...Read More
I hear the blaring alarm clock at the homeless shelter. It’s time for me to get up and prepare breakfast for the residents. I know that I should pop up and help, but I want to fake sleeping so I can rest longer. I know what I should do, but I’m tempted to act otherwise!...Read More
I wake up, the same as I do every morning, about to unthinkingly dive into my routine. Then it occurs to me: today doesn’t have to be just like yesterday! I can learn from everything! I hear a knock at the door and open it for the mail carrier. Instead of just accepting the package,...Read More
