Photo Credit: a n i. Y. via Compfight April is “Stress Awareness Month” as sponsored by the “Health Resource Network” and April 16th specifically (the day after Tax Day) is “National Stress Awareness Day” in the United States. When I first heard about these “holidays,” I thought it was pretty ridiculous. I think it’s safe […]
Photo Credit: Viewminder via Compfight Tomorrow is “World Happiness Day,” an official holiday recognized by the United Nations to honor “a fundamental human goal,” the pursuit of happiness. Thanks to the burgeoning field of positive psychology, there has been a deluge of new books and information on the secrets to human happiness: Authentic Happiness, The […]
A tragedy of unimaginable proportions played out in one of our schools this week. Twenty children—innocent beyond belief, filled with hope and potential for the future, and loved deeply by many—were gunned down at random in the sacred halls of an institution where they are supposed to feel protected and nurtured. Like any parent, I […]
Photo Credit: mark sebastian via Compfight When I moved to New York (over six years ago now) from Southern California, I experienced a significant cultural shift. I was moving from the laid back California beach culture to the hustle and bustle of New York city life. One of the first things that I noticed was […]
My home away from home is Long Beach, NY, where I spend every weekend for half the year surfing, playing beach volleyball, splashing in the ocean with my kids, and hanging out with my friends generally enjoying life. So my heart has been broken lately to see the total devastation that Long Beach has gone […]
One of the most fascinating aspects of my studies in positive psychology has been to see some interesting overlaps and themes between what modern researchers are studying and some of the teachings of ancient eastern philosophies. Mindfulness, for example, which has been a core facet of Zen and Buddhist philosophies for centuries, is increasingly being […]
Photo Credit: JD Hancock via Compfight Economists will tell us that a free market system is the most efficient way to exchange goods (and even wellbeing) within a society. Using the money of markets, we place values on the things that we have and the things that we want, giving people an easy way to […]
Photo Credit: HidingHeart via Compfight The idea that success was based on more than just cognitive intelligence or IQ became popular when Daniel Goleman published his research and book on “Emotional Intelligence.” He showed that there are several other skill sets that are critical for human success and thriving that are not captured by IQ. […]
A few weeks back, I wrote an article called, “You Could Lose it All,” about confronting the risk of tremendous loss. Coincidentally, the week I wrote that article, my mother almost “lost it all” in a freak car accident on a stormy night. She was driving home from San Francisco to San Jose on a […]
People often ask me how I do everything that I do. Writer, blogger, teacher, father, spa industry leader . . . I wear many hats (and try to wear them well.) I usually don’t know how to respond when someone asks me what my secret is, but I think I’ve finally figured it out: I’m […]
