Insights & Strategies for a Purposeful Life
Explore expert advice, powerful mindset shifts, and practical tools to help you overcome challenges, build resilience, and create lasting success.

The Power of POSITIVITY: 9 Key Traits to Transform Your Life
Positivity, or the power of positivity, is more than just a fleeting emotion—it’s a mindset, a way of living, and a powerful tool for success. Research has shown that people with a positive outlook experience better health, stronger relationships, and greater overall satisfaction in life. But how do you cultivate true positivity? One way is by understanding the essential traits that make up a positive mindset and embracing the power of positivity daily. Embracing the power of positivity can significantly impact your life. By harnessing the power of positivity, you can improve your overall well-being and create a ripple effect of positivity in your community. The power of positivity can transform your life in ways you never imagined. Using the

Success Comes in Cans
Success comes in cans, not in can'ts. From a purely psychological perspective, what happens right after we tell ourselves we can’t? The next step after “I can’t” is, “I won't even try. I’m done. Finished. Defeated.” “I can’t” is a toggle switch on the side of our brain that turns

Plumbing and Psychology
My dad still consults with me on a regular basis and is one of my trusted advisors. He and I share a fear of plumbing. Dad taught me that there are two basic rules of plumbing: Rule number one: Water runs downhill. Rule number two: Don’t lick your

Deliver Thanks
Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. Grateful guests will bring flowers to express appreciation and brighten the table of their host. Wednesday I will speak at the funeral of a friend. Consoling grievers will bring flowers to comfort the family and beautify the bier. I would rather speak to

How To Be Happy Now
What if you were to go to the elementary school to drop off a form at the office? While you are standing at the front desk, a man in a ski mask barges in through the front door brandishing a gun and yelling profanities. Unseen by the gunman, the police

Time Management
Time management? That is a misnomer. We can't really manage it can we? We can measure it, spend it, and watch it pass, but we can't save it, control it, or manage it. How will we spend it? When we spend our time on the activities that are ultimately most

Maybe It's The Love
David and Brenda have scheduled an appointment for some Pathologically Positive coaching. They are trying to save their twenty five year marriage. As is the case with far too many long-term couples, they are on the brink of divorce. There’s no real problem – and that is the problem. Brenda

Do About versus Do With
Perceiving problems as problems is the problem. Positivity is a practical approach to solve every problem. Pathological Positivity is not ignoring or avoiding reality, but intentionally and doggedly insisting on seeing possibilities in problems and finding or creating constructive tools to handle inevitable challenges. Imagine hearing a big commotion in your front

Solve Anything
What is the biggest barrier to success, happiness, great relationships? Anxiety and fear. Try this experiment: – Take in a deep, slow, intentional breath through your nose. – Hold that breath for a moment, allowing yourself to feel the stretch. – Release slowly, through the mouth. – Repeat two or

Light Prevails
Following the devastating events at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut, a number of friends, clients, even strangers, approach me wondering how to deal with this tragedy. The conversations focus initially on the Sandy Hook tragedy itself, then generally expand to address the question of how to deal with tragedy

There's No Such Thing as a Flashdark
When you turn on a flashlight, you see a little spot of light projected wherever you point the device. Have you ever seen a flashdark? This is a device that projects a little spot of dark wherever you point it. Not! Similarly, what happens when you open a dark closet

Face Your Fears
What is the biggest barrier to happiness, success, prosperity? Fear and worry. Fear gets in our way more than anything else I know. When we feel fear, we have a natural avoidance response. It is built in – automatic. Avoidance brings with it short term relief, but in the long run makes

Pathological Positivity
Is there a program or process that propels us predictably to unprecedented personal power, productivity, and profit? Yes. Pathological Positivity. Our planet is plagued with a pandemic of poisonous pessimism. The popular perception of painful or perturbing problems is pathogenically paralyzing. Pathological Positivity programs and positions us to perceive positive possibilities in problems. It

Questions in Disguise
Questions are power tools of change. Power tools work best when plugged in and turned on. Sometimes the questions we ask are not really questions. My friend and creative editor, Tom Cantrell, called me on this recently when he asked, “Was that a question, or a statement disguised as a question?” Here's a

That's Good!
The motivational master, Earl Nightingale promoted Pathological Positivity when he suggested that we learn to habitually respond to even devastating circumstances by saying “that’s good” – then engage our marvelous minds to discover or create what’s good about it. As a psychologist, I see the power in this strategy. Our

Believing is Seeing
Walt Disney was one of the most imaginative and visionary creators of our time. After the enormous success of Disneyland in California, Walt envisioned another park on the East Coast to compliment the one in California. Walt Disney passed away from lung cancer in 1966, almost 6 years prior to

What Doesn't Make Sense
During a morning run this week I came across this sign for a golf course. I quickly identified the golf bag and clubs on the right and the red rock outcropping on the left, but I couldn't quite make out what that white item was attached to the cliff –