Storms make trees take deeper roots. – Dolly Parton This quote got me to thinking about something I read in Martin Seligman’s book Flourish about post-traumatic growth. Yes, that’s right growth, not “stress.” Turns out that a sub-set of soldiers returning from combat actually grow from the terrible experience of combat. Another interesting finding is that most of…

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities. – Aldous Huxley Success, like happiness, is not something to achieved or arrived at. It’s not a destination, it’s more of a by-product. To use the example of a tree, Success isn’t the leaves of the tree, or…

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but also the parent of all the others. – Cicero When we are grateful we create constructive, useful and, yes, positive, emotions. It is with these constructive emotions that we can move forward and take action. When we are grateful we focus on what we have already…

I had an idea this morning while making my coffee. Laws are not necessarily to prevent people from doing evil things, from being “bad” people. Of course, some are, like laws against murder, rape and assault. But some laws are designed to both prevent egregious offenses, but also to keep good people from doing things…

When it comes time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived. – Henry David Thoreau A great way to live while you’re alive (something I love to say and think about… ) is to write your obituary, as you would like it to read. Write an account of your life that…

You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration. – James Allen We are so often kept small by the thing that must remain the same. Or the thing we must control. (Some form of) Fear is what keeps us clinging to this “thing.” We think that if we…

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson Results are important, no doubt. But the measure of our lives, and their direction can’t always be discerned at the end of each day, or week, or month. I want you to be careful with my…