Of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin asked the following question: Are Midwesterners different when it comes to happiness – or enthusiasm, or friendliness?  When she was traveling the states she noticed people in the Midwest seem less hurried, clerks in stores are more willing to strike a conversation, and drivers are even more courteous to pedestrians.  Larger metropolitan areas are busier and therefore people are more hurried so they don’t take the time to be courteous to other people as often as in smaller areas.  Read Post

The workaholic: hides from life by consuming themselves in their work.  The prisoner of success: little time for social life because they crave the pressures of a full load at work.  The person who can’t say ‘no’: everyone takes advantage of you because you are too nice to say no – you’re so “pleasant” and “accommodating.”  Ask yourself some of these questions to assess if it’s time for a change: how many hours a week do you work, can you easily forget work when you aren’t there, do you bring work home, do you miss family events because of work, are all your friends from work, how many hours do you spend just for yourself, do you feel guilty when you take time for yourself, and if you aren’t doing something ‘productive’ is it time wasted? Read Post

World Sauntering Day: A day to saunter here and there, wherever you go.  Sauntering is a form of strolling.  Take this day to slow down the pace and enjoy your life. Read Post

At Harvard University the most popular class is Positive Psychology having 855 students enrolled last semester.  The course concentrates on the psychological aspects of a flourishing and meaningful life.  There are two parts to the course: first, the academic – readings and lectures, and secondly, the practical – applying the principles in real life. This class empowers people and teaches them to find their own way. Read Post

Why do we find it so difficult to express our gratitude?  Dr. Terrence Real, therapist and author of I Don’t Want To Talk About It, thinks that there are three main reasons that people have a hard time expressing gratitude.  The reasons for having a hard time are: negative emotional baggage from childhood, feeling it’s a sign of weakness, and having expectations – feeling like we don’t need to thank someone because they did something that had to be done anyway. Read Post

Success is about working hard for what you want and going out there and getting it, and it differs from happiness because happiness is when you feel really thankful for what you have and appreciating it all. You can be successful without really being happy. Sometimes this is an obstacle for people because they don’t truly know what they really want. Make the decision to be happy, take the time to figure out what matters most and appreciate all the things you have going for you in your life. Read Post

 The good news about happiness is that it seems to be a skill we can acquire and develop- Men’s Health Magazine. Read Post

The Latest Tips For Surviving Workplace Assholes, by Bob Sutton.  These tips include: escape if you possibly can, start with polite conversation, limit your contact with the person as much as possible, find ways to enjoy small wins over “assholes,” practice indifference and emotional detachment, keep an asshole diary, (document what they do to you and when it happens) recruit fellow victims and witnesses and take legal action if you must but only as the last possible resort.  Use your experience as a lesson, learn whatever you can from it and try to keep a level head in any situation, and don’t take your feelings out on yourself or anyone else. Read Post

Penelope Trunk offers this advice on getting back to work after returning from a vacation: instead of diving straight into work, take some time to catch up with your associates.  This gives people the chance to talk to you about the things they may have had on their mind but didn’t want to bother you with right away.  Take time everyday, not just when you return from vacation, to get away from your desk and to give yourself the space you need to reflect.

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MTV/AP Survey released.  1,280 people between the ages of 13 and 24 were asked 100 questions regarding what makes them happy.  The number one answer to the survey, spending time with family; 75% of those surveyed said that spending time with their parents makes them feel happy.  The second highest answer was spending time with friends and the third was spending time with a significant other.  Barely anyone said that money is what makes them happy, and being sexually active might actually decrease the happiness is people aged 13- 17. Read Post