Did you know that the way you explain negative events has a significant effect on your mood and motivation? If you view negative events as having causes that are personal, stable, and global, you...
May 10, 2012
Eating well has been an issue for centuries. Epictetus wrote, "Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you and be silent." (Easy for Epictetus to say; his time didn't have t...
May 10, 2012
Being an attentive listener means hearing every word being spoken to you. It means not thinking about what you will say while the other person is talking. Attentive listening is not allowing the...
May 10, 2012
Optimists have a habit of talking to themselves constructively. They describe events in a way that facilitates positive emotions and a sense of competency. Optimists may be unhappy, sad, or frust...
May 10, 2012
The Real Benefits of Gratitude
Feeling gratitude seems to open the heart and quiet the mind, so how could it not be good for you? Studies have been done showing that keeping a gratitude attitude...
May 10, 2012
Gratitude is a celebration of the present and it magnifies good feelings. Familiarity breeds boredom for most of us. A new relationship is exciting, but eventually you become very familiar with e...
May 10, 2012
Brainstorming is a powerful technique for group and individual use. The purpose is to find fresh ideas and problem resolutions. It gets teams working together and gives each person a chance to co...
May 4, 2012
What do you do if you want to address a problem but your information is incomplete? You can build a straw man (or first draft) to generate feedback and criticisms for future planning and final de...
May 4, 2012
The six differently colored hats represent different ways of addressing a problem or issue.
By looking at a problem one “colored hat” at a time, problem solving does not become a confusing mess o...
May 4, 2012
The Six Hats
Each hat represents one way of looking at, or thinking about, an issue or problem. The hats are identified by color.
White Hat: means identifying the problem; looking at the informa...
May 4, 2012
The psychologist Abraham Maslow discovered that people who had blossomed their potential to a high degree had similar qualities or character traits. Maslow called these personal-growth people sel...
Apr 23, 2012
Incentive Theory
Is it only external rewards that motivate us? That is the idea behind incentive theory. We do things because we are biologically motivated to get our needs met. The rewards are t...
Apr 23, 2012
Not all of us are “go-getters” by nature. The world needs hares and tortoises, and everything between. Being more of a tortoise is only a problem if you find yourself stuck in a rut, dissatisfied...
Apr 23, 2012
Many people have trouble identifying their goals because they think too big too much of the time. Goals can be ordinary; grand destinations are usually reached by completing a series of short jou...
Apr 23, 2012
Respect
Children have a lot to learn, but they are people. Like all people, they thrive when treated with respect. They are individuals and should be allowed to grow their independence with a sen...
Apr 20, 2012
Attention
Children know whether they are being seen or listened to, or if an adult is just “faking it.” Showing sincere interest in a child’s feelings, thoughts, and activities, and spending time...
Apr 20, 2012
Attachment Theory: Secure and Insecure Attachments
An attachment style is how we connect, or do not connect, with others.
Attachment theory suggests that the relationship children have with their...
Apr 20, 2012
Attachment Theory: Secure Connections and Emotional Well-Being
Humans are highly impressionable during infancy and early childhood. Research in neuroscience supports the idea that experiences we...
Apr 20, 2012
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, lived from 384 - 322 B.C. His teacher was Plato and one of his own students was Alexander the Great. As the instigator of Western Philosophy, he is known for his w...
Apr 17, 2012
Sooner is better than later
The best reason to get things done right away is that it feels good. When tasks get stuffed into the basement of your mind their presence is felt, even when you’re not...
Apr 11, 2012
