Life Can Be a Permanent Vacation
Boy, oh boy, can we struggle! We can get upset when things don’t go the way we want them to. We can be upset when things change. And we hate it when something that was going well changes and starts going south. Someone we love has left. Our job has suddenly ended. Or an illness […]
The Consequence of Not Pursuing Happiness
In spite of all the tragedies and sadness in the world, happiness is possible. Regardless of our circumstances, we can find and keep happiness in our lives. But we must make pursuing happiness central to our lives. About twenty years ago when I first started in private practice, I had a young man come to […]
Why Addictions Are So Powerful and How to Overcome Them
We are going to look at the nature of addictions: why they are so powerful, why we turn toward them, and how we can turn away from them, as we must, because of the negative consequences they ultimately deal out. Addictions come in all shapes and forms. We can all think of stories about people […]
Mental Stillness and Being Present: Key Ingredients of Happiness
If you were to ask me, “What is the key, essential component of happiness?” or, “What is a fundamental element of happiness? my answer would be simultaneously simple , yet very complicated. Here, I’d like to explore the fundamental element of happiness. When we “get it,” when we understand it, when we live by it, […]
How Our Enemies Can Be Our Teachers
When I was young, I was very impatient with other drivers. I thought they were rude, disrespectful, and posed a challenge for me. I was working on myself as a person, and I didn’t like the frequent negative experiences I had with other people. One Christmas while I was in graduate school, something happened to […]
Waking Up at Princeton: It’s not always the degree you get that makes you smart
Many years ago, when I was working toward my first Master’s Degree at Princeton, I had an experience that really changed my life. This experience positioned me on a new path, and provided me with a new direction regarding how to live my life. I had accomplished many things at Princeton: I was graduating with […]
The Pursuit of Happiness: What Are You Seeking?
We all search for different things. Some of us seek money, some seek fame, some seek love, and some seek health. However, I believe that what we are all ultimately searching for is happiness. “I’ll be happy if I find the love of my life…I’ll be happy if I get that promotion and can purchase […]