The benefits from laughter are amazing: laughter strengthens our immune system, helps us heal more quickly, reduces food cravings, stress, anxiety, and anger while providing us with a better night’s sleep. And the more we laugh, the more of these benefits we accrue. The problem is that most adults don’t laugh nearly enough.  Research has…

​Many people have bought into the myth that failure is fatal and is something that should be avoided. In reality, failure is nothing more than a very effective learning experience. Most of our greatest accomplishments were made possible through failure—learning to walk, ride a bike and drive. Why should the rest of our life be…

​This is the mantra of Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams. What this means is that success requires a lot of hard work along with commitment and discipline.  A lot of people don’t like to hear this; they’re looking for short-cuts. The problem is there are no short-cuts. This is the bad news! The good…

​My wife found this story on a Facebook page called, “I Grew Up in Iowa.” It’s a wonderful story about a kind act performed by the employees of a Hy-Vee bakery. “I just wanted to give a shout out to Wilson Avenue Hy-Vee. I ordered a cake from them earlier this week for my stepdad’s…

​A friend sent me this quote by American writer Kurt Vonnegut that contains a very important life lesson: “When I was 15, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists one day during our lunch break and he asked those kinds of ‘getting to know you’…

​My Wife’s cousin Linda has a morning ritual that has a positive impact on the lives of her family, friends, and herself. She spends a few minutes focusing her thoughts into several meaningful, inspirational sentences which introduce an accompanying photo on Facebook. For example, on a recent Thursday she posted, “Good morning my peeps! Grateful…

​There are some people who think that doing kind things is a sign of weakness. In reality, the opposite is true. I found the following quote on Facebook from an unknown author which explains why: “Being rude is easy. It does not take any effort and is a sign of weakness and insecurity. Kindness shows…

We’re coming out of a rough year and some of us feel a bit awkward when it comes to visiting old friends in person. My wife and I decided to reach out to some old friends during the past month, since we’ve all been vaccinated. Every single time, we’ve been so glad we did! It…

My wife sent me this post from The Contemplative Monk written by Jeff Foster and Titled, “Let Yourself Rest.” Seeing as how we are emerging from more than a year of very stressful times, I thought that it important that I share it. I think we all need some rest. “If you’re exhausted, rest.If you don’t feel…