by Kim Childs In recent years, I’ve become a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to holiday gifts. It’s not that I don’t want to give to the people I love, I just dislike the whole shopping scene and the enforced buying of things that I’m not sure they’ll even like. Lately, I’ve been trying something else: If I don’t find a truly meaningful present for someone, I give them my presence. I’m offering brunch, lunch, movie, and other...

by Lynda Wallace One of the best parts of life is spending time with people we love. And one of the best steps we can take to really enjoy that time is to actively appreciate the ways in which our loved ones enrich our lives. So let’s turn our attention to appreciating the people who help make our lives good—with two questions to consider and one small step to take. Question One: Who are some of the people who add joy, laughter, or love...

by Kelly Fredrickson My good friend Maria Sirois wisely says, “No is a sentence—learn how to use it.” Like everything else that is worthwhile to do, it is great in theory but hard in practice. During My Year of Whittling, I learned that the only way to truly change my behavior and live a different way was to practice the way I wanted to be. I did a series of 30-day practices and learned that the brain is plastic and can be...

Gratitude is a practice that can be cultivated and grown, bringing greater joy and appreciation to our lives. Learn more about gratitude and other practices that can help you discover the best in yourself, and the beauty in those around you, in the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology. Thank you for being a part of our community, and helping to make this world a more beautiful...

by Kim Childs Nearly 30 years ago, I was driving solo along the highways of New Mexico with some books on tape to keep me company. The most memorable of these was Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, a self-help classic by the late Susan Jeffers. In addition to offering good ideas about managing fear, Jeffers suggests that we take time each night to write down 50 things for which we’re grateful. “Did she say 50?” I exclaimed, rewinding...

by Louis Cinquino The greatest gift of our emotions is the awakening they provide us. When we can stay with our emotions, even our most difficult ones, they become stepping stones to being fully alive in our humanity. In the third and final step of renowned Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön’s “Three Steps to Courage: Working Compassionately with Difficult Emotions,” I share with you my understanding of the teaching she provided to hundreds of...