Our habits of mind can play incredible tricks on us. One of the first things I learned to do as a nurse was to accurately name things… once we have the accurate assessment, then the right remedy can follow. This simple principle can help us self-regulate, get unstuck and acknowledge and remedy unspecified stress or...Read More

You cannot step into the same river twice. Heraclitus [Philosopher 544 BC – 483 BC] Parenting teenagers forces us to operate in unknown territory. I have found it to be complex and ever changing. It is not intuitive and what works in one situation or kid, doesn’t work in another. Parenting forces us to be...Read More

And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good. —John Steinbeck When you do something that is classified as boneheaded, be quick to acknowledge your humanness. Launching into mean-spirited self-talk lands us in the valley of suffering. This dark valley is a place where we may brutalize ourselves based on our...Read More

We are willing to pursue any vile task as long as it allows us to avoid something worse. Piers Steel, author The Procrastination Equation   When we put off that which is most important to us, the first remedy is to study our own reluctance.  Yet if we approach all projects without delay, we may...Read More

Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing Quincy Jones Play to your strengths.  New research from the field of positive psychology and beyond has been providing the scientific underpinnings for why this matters and the benefits...Read More

Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.                     Thomas Edison When a designer attempts to solve a problem, they first offer up several options and experiment. They know that the solution to any problem can be solved in...Read More

What you don’t do determines what you can do. Tim Ferriss Feel like you are treading water to stay afloat? Are demands on your life leaving you feeling besieged and depleted? One remedy is the ‘Don’t List’.  Most of us need to say NO more (however, there are some of us who need to say Yes more. I highly recommend a TED talk on...Read More

Mistakes are the portals of discovery. James Joyce I came across an astonishing document published by Engineers Without Borders that applies to the human condition as much as engineering projects. The Canadian division produces an annual “Failure Report” in which they make clear that well- intended engineering projects go bad, often. The topics include forthright...Read More

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive. -Hafez (Poet 1325-1390) Noticing how a person smiles can give you great insight into the degree of authentic happiness a person feels. Duchenne smiles occur when there is genuine joy felt, the involuntary muscles of the eye crinkle (crow’s feet) and the cheeks...Read More

In a scientific dialogue amongst social scientists and the Dalai Lama, published under the title Destructive Emotions the notion of American compassion was raised. It was explained that in the U.S., many people have great compassion for others, yet suffer greatly with low self-worth and self-contempt. Our American understanding of compassion applies only to others...Read More