Positive Psychology
The Force of Positive Connection
Early this morning on my way to the gym, I saw a disheveled homeless man convincingly arguing with a phantom antagonist. He was waving his hands in the air to emphasize an imperative point.
We call people like this homeless man crazy, but I wonder how much of his insanity stems from isolation and the need for positive connection. I wonder how many of us dog lovers have better conversations with our four-legged friends than with humans. I wonder if like this homeless man, we are all craving a little conversation and are willing to argue with ourselves just to feel the rise of human emotion, reminding us we’re still alive. Read the rest of this entry »
Practicing Mindfulness
Monitoring Social Media Usage to Live in the Real Moment Rather Than the Virtual One
Mindfulness today is hard to achieve especially living in our current, highly distracting information and technology driven society. Our gadgets have become highly addictive and often get in the way of ordinary social engagement. I am really guilty of this. Just look around for yourself the next time you are at a restaurant. Pay attention to how many people are not talking to those they are with and instead are glued to their smart phones. Read the rest of this entry »
Tap Into Your Inner Salesman: Improving Personal & Professional Relationships
Whether you wear a uniform to work or not, most people regardless of their professions can blend in a crowd when off the clock. But no one can disguise a salesman. You can’t tell if someone is a doctor or a lawyer when wearing everyday gear, but put a salesman in a room and you can spot him in an instant. He’s likely the all-teeth grinning, TGIFriday-peppy, Type-A personality jabber who’s dominating the attention of the group surrounding him.
How does he do it? He remembers the details of the people he meets. This is necessary in order to establish a relationship with them because ultimately everything comes down to locking in a sale. This often involves long lunch meetings, dinners or cocktails after work at some snazzy, overpriced joint. Regardless, what ever it takes to close a sale that is what will be executed. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s Not About the WHY, But the WHAT
You have a friend who has a lead foot. The dude’s always speeding. He’s gone 45 in a 15 MPH school zone with kids crossing but has never been caught, never even been honked at or yelled at by a fearful parent. He’s never going slower than 80 mph on the freeway. During lunch he brags about how his car insurance just went down again after receiving another good driver’s discount! He parks illegally in disabled spots for hours at a time, never pays for the meters cause he doesn’t carry around quarters and rarely obeys any traffic laws. This lucky SOB has never once been pulled over for a ticket and never has been in a crash. He’s even driven inebriated numerous times coming home from all sorts of parties and not once has he been pulled over. Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 