Tag Archives: happiness

Reality Check: The Dashboards of our Lives

For some of us, a “dashboard” refers to a collection of lights and indicators in a vehicle. For others, a dashboard brings to mind a webpage that shows system status and controls. In either case, a dashboard provides information about … Continue reading

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Reality Check: To Fill a Caring Gap

When we’re not able to satisfy our basic needs, we’re unhappy. So I proposed examining our needs. Find out whether our needs are being met. If not, where are the gaps? You may be thinking, it’s all well and good … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Getting in the Mood

Are we prisoners of our moods? Some days we feel great from the moment we wake up; others not so much. Why? We could blame the weather. Maybe it’s that incomprehensible jumble of hormones inside our bodies. Or it could … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Encouragement of Youth

The recent passing of Prince Philip reminded me about the Duke of Edinburgh award, and that it’s important to encourage youth in positive directions. Encouragement—or a lack of encouragement—can make a significant difference for us, whether we are youthful or … Continue reading

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Reality Check: A Morning Outlook

How’s your morning outlook? Sunny and bright? Cold and dreary? Maybe it’s unsettled; you’ll wait to see how the day goes. These outlooks could be describing the weather forecast, but our internal outlook is more interesting. What control do we … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Companions on our Journey

If you associate Pythagoras with unhappy high-school math memories, then you might be surprised to find a quote attributed to him about friendship and happiness. Here it is: “Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Finding the Good Thing

Humans seem to be wired to easily recognize bad things—danger, fear, hostility—and skip over good things. I’m sure there’s a perfectly sensible survival-related reason for that. However, if the lens we look through shows us only negatives, it makes for … Continue reading

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Reality Check: A Look at Happiness

What does it mean to be happy? Is it selfish to want to be happy? Do some people seek happiness in a bad way? Is there a formula for happiness? So many questions; so few answers. But as we come … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Five Second Rule

Do you know the five second rule? Maybe it’s the ten second rule. Either way, it’s the rule/myth that when a piece of food hits the floor, it’s still edible if it’s picked up right away. You know, of course, … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Another Positive to Negative Ratio

Last time, I had suggested an experiment for you to try if you have a relationship that you’d like to improve. Essentially, the experiment starts by keeping track (in your mind) of how often you offer a “compliment” (encouragement, appreciation, … Continue reading

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