The Secret
On the walk back toward Greg's Ice Cream for post-sushi dessert, Simon received an invitation from Shane to join him and a few friends for The Secret, a motivational video about the power of positive...
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Reality check! Things are awesome
Dan Pink shares this reality check from the comedian Louis CK: It’s easy to take progress for granted. Amazing things become commonplace. It’s even easier for Generation Yers like me to ignore all the...
View ArticleEven the dentist’s assistant thinks I’m happy =)
I remember brushing my teeth under the watchful gaze of a small wooden sign on which was painted these words: “Be true to your teeth or they will be false to you later.” I’m a little paranoid about my...
View ArticleWork-life balance and the good life
Over a two-hour Skype conversation, Jason Watson (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia) picked my brain for ideas for a Web 2.0 course. One of the things he mentioned was that...
View ArticleMy week starts with Mondays, and other ways perspective influences life
On my blog, the calendar week starts with Monday. This is standard practice in Europe, but not in the Philippines or Canada, where the calendar week typically starts with Sunday. I like starting the...
View ArticleHappy-do, epiphanies, and relentless improvement
It’s funny how much the way you think influences what you experience. I think of this as happy-do: the martial art of happiness. It gets even more interesting when you reflexively do it. I was never...
View ArticlePatternicity, how things come together, and happiness
I’m fascinated by how things come together. When we look back, we weave almost-random elements of our lives into a coherent story, one thing leading to another. For example: I’m marrying W- this...
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Happiness at work
What makes you happy at work? It’s good to know what specific activities make you happy. That way, you can work with the organization to do more things that fit you. It’s also good to know what general...
View ArticleThinking out loud: happiness
Is it true that most people don’t know what they’re good at? That’s interesting. Maybe I can help. I may not be the world’s best expert, but I’m good enough to enjoy writing, programming, drawing, and...
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Happiness
(click for a bigger version) I must be the happiest girl in the world. =) Watching I remember learning that you can’t help the face you’re born with, but you earn the face you have when you die. I saw...
View ArticleLiving an awesome life: Not a Greek tragedy
SCHEDULED: 2010-07-26 Mon 08:00 (There’ll be more on this later, but I wanted to think about and share this now. =) ) Cate Huston and I were celebrating the respective awesomeness of our lives when she...
View ArticleWhat’s success, anyway?
SCHEDULED: 2010-07-30 Fri 08:00 Cate Huston and I are figuring out happiness and success. She wonders if happiness inhibits success, and if that jolt of insecurity is necessary for greatness. I’m happy...
View ArticleHypercubes, happiness, and serenity
I remember reading an excerpt from Flatland in Childcraft when I was growing up, and wondering: how would a flat square understand this three-dimensional world we live in? In high school, I read a book...
View ArticleSometimes you have to work at being happy
Here’s one of the secrets to happiness: Sometimes you have to work at being happy. This is normal. Preparing makes it easier. When I find myself getting frustrated or annoyed about something, I make...
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Sketchnotes: Gretchen Rubin, Happiness Project book tour
Full-size version of my sketch notes from Gretchen Rubin’s talk and book signing of the Happiness Project, Chapters Indigo Bay/Bloor Toronto, January 17. (You can also click on the image for the large...
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Embracing Pollyanna
Happy people are sometimes derided as unrealistic Pollyannas, other people’s way of bringing them down to earth. I’ve heard it from people who don’t yet understand how I can be so optimistic. The...
View ArticleIt turns out that “I suck” moments are more negotiable than I thought
I was unpacking my bag at home before I realized I had forgotten cash at the bank. In the middle of catching up with W-, I found a mental void when I grasped for my memories of my errand, like sitting...
View ArticleOptimism, happiness, and being young
Someone remarked that I’m clearly an optimistic person, and asked me how old I was. When I told him that I’m 28, he laughed and said that I’m optimistic because I’m young, and that he’s cynical because...
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