Perhaps one of your 2018 resolutions is to try some meditation. You’ve been reading about the benefits of meditation and now that it’s gotten scientific validation and has been westernized, you’re ready to see if you could actually quiet that incessant chatter in your head. Before you embark on apps like Headspace or Calm and YouTube videos that walk you through a mindfulness experience consider the possibility that you already create a peaceful state of mind through mindlessness. Mindlessness is...

As I reflected in my annual year in review exercise I asked myself the question about what gave me deep meaning last year in my work. Despite have done some great work with my client companies the one clear message that came to me was my work done in my volunteer activities. Research tells us that to create a sense of well-being in our life, we benefit more from achieving meaning and purpose in our lives than in pursuing happiness,...

When my friend Jack posted on Facebook that his wife Kate was going out for her run when the wind chill was -4 degrees, he asked his followers “foolish or impressive?” Responses were mixed but mine was clear. “She is building hardiness…Go Kate.” I suspect that Kate had to get herself up for her run with some kind of mantra like “I got this,” or “I love my runs” or “hey’ I’ve been doing this every day for three years,...

I’ll be taking some time this week between visits with family, doing some cooking and playing around to reflect on 2017 and to consider what I hope to achieve in 2018. I don’t think of this activity as work as much as mindful reflection. I’ll wind up writing my ideas down as I’ll look to review them at this time next year. Some of the questions I’ll be asking myself: What brought me deep satisfaction and enjoyment this year? What...

The sun will reach its nadir tomorrow at 11:28 AM EDT and for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it will begin its 6-month march back to its zenith at the next moment. It’s no wonder that we are built for resilience as nature showers her experiences of recovering from the depths of winter’s darkness towards the fullness of summer’s long days like the clock that she is in our lives. At our home on the Allegheny River, we...

I’m starting to see the flood of articles showing up in my Google alerts about the “Seven Ways to Survive Holiday Stress,” or “Six Ways to Make This the Best Christmas Ever…Without Getting Stressed Out.” We were out shopping over the weekend and as we approached the overcrowded parking lot, I first thought, “oh boy, we’re not even going to get close.” I gave myself a second to consider my options and then just asked Sheila if she was up...