Why Not Get Your Hopes Up?

Are you waiting for potential good news but you’re not sure it’s going to happen?

Get your hopes up and enjoy those good feelings till the ballots are in!

If it turns out to be a no-go, you won’t be any less disappointed than you would have been anyway.

If the news is good and you get what you were hoping for, then you won’t be hoping for it any more; you’ll just be enjoying it. Read More

The More You Want Something, The More Elusive It Becomes

go with the flow for best resultsIt happened again.

I was standing on a corner waiting to cross a busy street.

I was in no hurry, lost in thought.

Just enjoying a pleasant walk in the neighborhood.

Before I realized what was happening, an approaching car had stopped to let me cross. There are four lanes, two each way, and all the other cars instantly followed suit.

Instead of having to wait for a natural break in traffic, I found myself hurrying across four lanes full of idling cars that had stopped for me without being prompted. Read More

Throw Out the Need to Be Right

Schoolboy tossing paperI recently read a book by Gail Blanke called Throw Out Fifty Things. It’s about clearing clutter, and it was a really good read. An eye-opener.

She talks in the book about not only physical but also mental and emotional clutter, and how to deal with it.

The need to be right is one that struck chord with me. I think the need to be right often gets in the way of my being the person I want to be. Read More

Are You Struggling to Be Happy?

Frustrated businessman-fdpHappiness feels so much better when it’s spontaneous, doesn’t it?

You’re walking in the woods with your dog, or letting your hair down with your favorite friends, and suddenly you realize that in this moment, life is good. You feel happy!

But those moments aren’t really within your control. Happiness happens when it happens. IF it happens.

In a way, we can’t help trying to be happy. We’re programmed to strive for it.

It’s the reason we do so many of the things we do, from getting a haircut to getting married to getting back into school later in life. Read More