Yom Kippur, forgiveness and leadership
Tonight, for Jews around the world, marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, a 25 hour fast and Day of Atonement. It is not an isolated event but rather the culmination of 10 days of preparation for the new Jewish year. Although it can be seen as a deeply sad day punctuated...
Cultivate forgetfulness
Optimists tend to have selective perception. (e.g. your partner is pregnant. Suddenly there are pregnant women everywhere, they were always there, they had no significance so you just didn’t notice). Optimists opt to see the good and minimise the time they spend...
De-clutter your brain
Have you seen those house programmes where everything is put out on the lawn. Only what is beautiful or useful gets back in. Consider doing that with your mind. Look at all the time wasting trivia and aims that you give space to. Decide what to recycle and what is for...
Go on a strengths date
We all have strengths which tend to be different from other people’s. They may be creative while you are prudent. They have amazing courage and you are great with people. Find novel activities which combine your strengths. Creativity and prudence might combine to...
As easy as A B C
Negative thinking robs you of happiness and can be persistent. Here’s the ABCDE of breaking the pattern: A. Adversity, what triggered it? I failed. B. Belief that underpins it? I’m rubbish. C. Consequence of the thought? I’m miserable. D. Debate the evidence I only...
Live with hope
Some choose to be afraid by being hopeless and helpless in difficult times. Hope for the best, see the big picture and concentrate on your dreams. Belief in a better future makes you motivated to face serious challenges head on and work for success. Hopelessness makes...
Top 10 happy music
I heard, Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow by Fleetwood Mac the other day and realised how irresistibly positive the tune and lyrics were. Make your own top 10 list of the songs that leave you feeling upbeat and full of joy. Just be aware that they may not have the...
Bounce back
Everyone faces challenges and trauma at some point. Strengthen your capacity to bounce back quickly to previous levels of emotional wellbeing. Be confident of your strengths. Develop some emotional literacy so you can manage your own and other’s feelings. Above all...
Make a happy workplace
Work can be a major sources of happiness yet often isn’t. Lots of people just sleep walk at work. Research shows that flourishing teams, successful on a range of economic/business measures, are fundamentally different from languishing teams in three ways: Positive to...
Reasons to be cheerful
Happier, richer and a bit fatter. . . . Wealth, environment, good government and community spirit all contribute to our ratings on life satisfaction scales. People in the West are on average more satisfied with their lives than ever before. Some room for improvement...