Happiness

I accepted his instructions affably, but with little faith, then popped open a bottle of beer and started to get into the rhythm of relaxation. Cast, tug, reel. Swig. Cast, tug, reel. Swig. Cast, tug, reel... Whoa! Something hit my line. Hard. Really hard! I’d never felt anything like that before. My line started spinning out of the reel with a high-pitched whining sound. I cranked it back in as fast I as could, but the drag was set too low and the fish was pulling it back out faster than I could turn the handle. Read More

Many experts complain that people do too many things at the same time. We are told to quit with all the unnecessary web-browsing, texting, twittering, music-listening, eating, and drinking. The key to productivity, competence, and even happiness is to focus on one thing and do it right.  Read More

My husband and I record The Office and watch it together, so I felt a little guilty for catching this scene on live television the other night, until I realized it was a re-run. But I couldn’t turn the channel – the scene featured my two favorite characters, Pam and Jim, and I’d never seen it before. Read More

Months ago the New York Times ran a piece about the Stefanski family, who recently splurged on a boat instead of putting away money for the kids' college funds. The father rationalized the decision by viewing the boat as an investment in their relationships. Read More

I am passionate about doing therapy. While people often bemoan the lack of meaning or importance in their jobs, I feel gratitude for what mine offers. What could be better than making your living doing what you enjoy AND doing something that helps others?

Basically, I am driven to be a therapist by what psychologists call intrinsic motivation. It arises from within and creates a drive to do something. We all experience it, though in differing areas of interest. Read More

I travel a lot each year, the kind that most people get anxious about, involving 10+ hr time changes. People are often surprised at how little this affects me and I am often asked to share my techniques. So I thought I'd take some time to write out what I have learned. Read More

50 Million People Watch the Oscars! Why? Read More

      This is why the old have such a deserved reputation as complainers. If we become preoccupied with our physical selves when we are young we are thought of as hypochondriacs. When we think (and speak) primarily of our aches when we are old, we are just bad company.

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The other night, I saw psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi speak about his very influential concept of "flow." This is the state we reach (on a good day) when we are completely and utterly engaged in a task--when time loses meaning, we forget ourselves Read More