Happiness

VACATIONS ARE NECESSITIES, NOT LUXURIES

Dear Neil: Could you settle a disagreement between me and my wife? I want to save more money, and she wants us to take a vacation and spend our extra money. I grew up learning that is was important to always save for a rainy day, but she says we haven't gone anywhere in 3 years, and she wants us to plan a trip. I say it's a waste of time and money---not to mention that we also lose money by taking time off from work. She says it's important. I say it's a luxury we can't afford. Who do you agree with?

Wanting to Save our Money in Las Vegas

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Wanting What You Have

It has been sad and disquieting to watch the Tiger Woods story unfold, because his story reflects something about all of us as human beings.

Tiger Woods is arguably the best golfer ever. He is considered one of the best athletes in the world. He has earned a billion dollars, has a gorgeous wife, two beautiful children, all the fame and fortune that goes with being a megastar cultural icon/hero---and he's young and good looking to boot. Reasonably speaking, he has it all.

Helping Yourself Flourish

Note: This is the second of two-part series.

The following is a continuation of the traits that are associated with flourishing and thriving in life. This list was stimulated by the book Flourishing (Edited by Corey Keyes and Jonathan Haidt, American Psychological Association). These traits give people the inner experience of well-being and are associated with a life well-lived:

Creating Feelings of Personal Well-Being

Note: This is the first of a two-part series.

Quick. Without thinking a lot about it, can you say what makes your life worth living?

Abundance

Are you trapped in the treadmill of always striving for more? More love, more money, more clothes, better car, nicer house, nicer furniture, more recognition, more appreciation, more validation? More respect? Not that you shouldn’t strive for being the best and having the best, mind you, but have you noticed what such striving does to you? If you’re not careful, you’ll be trapped in the more-better-best treadmill that much of our culture is caught in—and that has led to a whole lot of unhappy, unfulfilled, envious and angry people—who have very little inner peace or

Aging Well

Feeling older? Most of us do, although it’s obvious that some people are aging better than others.

Aging well is not a secret. It’s a series of steps anyone can take. It’s about making sure that the various aspects of your life (health, your relationships with others, inner peace, future goals, gratitude, having fun, etc.) are all functioning well, and none of them are getting ignored or short-changed.

18 Ways to Have a Great New Year

The following are rules to live by if you desire a happy, more fulfilled life. Honor these suggestions and your New Year will be a lot happier and more satisfying:

Cleaning Up Your Attitude

Do you have an attitude? Do you go about your day sour, out of sorts, angry or irritated a fair amount of the time? Are you sharp, cutting or sarcastic? Burned out, tired or quick to the trigger a lot? Willing to believe the worst about others? Mistrusting or cynical? Are you often resentful, argumentative, critical, demanding or hostile?

If so, you have an attitude.

But it’s now New Year’s. Time to decide what you’d like to change about your life for the coming year.

Lessons Life Teaches Us

Here are some of the unspoken lessons our lives and intimate relationships teach us when we have the presence of mind to pay attention:

The Other 5 Commandments

Did you hear the joke about Moses descending Mount Sinai? Carrying heavy stone tablets down the mountain was arduous, and balancing them was very difficult for him. When he reached the bottom he said to the awaiting crowd, “My fellow Hebrews. I have with me these three tablets with these fifteen…oops.” One of the stone tablets falls and breaks into hundreds of little pieces. Moses looks at the destroyed tablet, looks at the crowd, clears his throat and concludes: “I have with me these two tablets with these ten commandments.”