#006: 5 Ways to Increase Happiness

Believe it or not, answering the question, ‘are you happy?’ or even ‘what makes you happy?’ is very difficult for most people. When you spend time with those questions, other questions seem to crop up that get in the way. Usually, it’s questions like, ‘why aren’t I happy’ or esoteric internal psychological inquiries like ‘what IS happiness?’. Here are the five ways I find to best determine your happiness level AND I believe it is a good barometer to help you know what to do to avoid prolonging unhappiness and even depression.Smiley Face

#005: 13 Things I Learned From 13 Years with Sunny

I admit that this post is mostly for me. Call it therapy… grieving or whatever you like but sometimes painful things feel less painful when you address them head on. That’s my experience anyway. If you have never had a dog in your life for an extended period of time, or you are not a dog lover, this post may seem silly but that’s okay. As I said, this one is mostly for me. Today, we said goodbye to Sunny, our dog of 13 years. I thought it may help to ease the situation for me to reflect on the things I learned over that period of time and perhaps you can relate. Sunny3

#004: How To Convert Fear Into Faith To Achieve Positive Results

Let’s face it. We have all had it. Perhaps it’s a conversation that needs to happen with a friend… Maybe it’s an audition, try-out, or job interview… it could be more serious, like a dreaded Doctor’s appointment or a public speaking engagement. Whatever the situation FEAR grabs you by the back of your neck. We know deep down that fear is our enemy. Left unchecked, it always produces negative results. So HOW DO WE CONTROL IT? Is there even a way to do so? I believe that you can convert fear into faith and always achieve a positive result. HOW? See these seven steps:

#003: The Complexity of Simplicity

Over the past few years, I have felt an urgency to simplify my life. I’ve talked to many others who feel that same pull. It’s amazing to me how many devices we have purchased to make life simpler while at the same time piling more on our plate. It’s no secret that lots of things have been simplified by the computer. In my own experience alone, using Excel for spreadsheets versus hand writing actually simplifies by saving lots of man hours. The complexity comes from having literally hundreds of spreadsheets, as a result of the simplification. Certainly, having a portable phone would simplify our lives… unless we become glued to it. The statistics for addiction rates to cell phone usage are staggering.