As I was taking a break from work, I looked out my office window and saw a half-grown starling perched on the branch of an olive tree. It seemed as if he hadn’t been flying very long and appeared to be excited about his new-found freedom. He hopped from place to place on the branch,…
All of us would like to be happy for a number of very good reasons. Research has shown that happy people live longer, are more productive, less selfish, experience better health and make more money than those who are not. In addition, they feel better about themselves, are more creative and have closer personal relationships.…
Kindle eBook edition download now for $2.99 from Amazon.com British writer Dr. Samuel Johnson once said, “People need to be reminded far more often than they need to be instructed.” This is especially true when it comes to getting the most out of life. We all know the things we need to do, but we…
There was a time when I had to go to a hospital twice daily for seven weeks to receive an infusion of an antibiotic. On one occasion there was a man receiving a blood transfusion who was going through chemotherapy. His wife was there with him. Sitting next to me was another woman who was…
When someone smiles at me, it makes me feel better and it puts a smile on my face as well. The same holds true when I smile at someone else. Smiling is a powerful behavior that causes many good things to happen to us. Research has shown that people who smile feel better, look better…
American chef, Sara Moulton, dedicated an episode of her Public Television show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals, to her former mentor Julia Child. Sara said she learned many things from Julia that she still carries with her today. The things she mentioned are excellent advice for living a happy and successful life. First, “always strive for excellence.”…
I came across a blog post on LinkedIn Pulse by Jeff Haden titled, “10 Habits of Genuinely Charming People.” As it turns out, we’re naturally attracted to charming people— “…individuals who are genuinely polite, modest, agreeable, kind.” Note, the watchword here is “genuinely,” you can’t fake this stuff. I have listed several of the 10…
One of my observations from being on Facebook is that there are a fair number of people who are trying to live in the past. They regularly post videos from YouTube featuring musical groups and recording artists from “their era” and they talk about going to dances featuring bands and music from the “good old…
Nancy, a friend of mine since high school, made the following post on Facebook: “Well, I did my good deed for the day. I went to City Hall and the bank and on the way home it started raining. As I drove down the road that leads to my house, I noticed an elderly lady…
I’ve been talking with someone who is not particularly happy with how he’s doing financially. It turns out that he’s one of those people who’s extremely knowledgeable about sports—especially football. On several occasions I have suggested that he start a newsletter to share his vast knowledge with other interested people. Each time he comes back…