A longtime New York City psychotherapist Robert Akeret wrote a book called Tales From a Traveling Couch. In it, he describes a cartoon; In the first frame, a man is riding on his bicycle to his therapist’s appointment and there’s a monkey on the man’s back. It’s a representation of a problem or burden that […]
gettinghelp, help, sharing
A caller to the Clark Howard Personal Finance radio show told of a habit she has: She puts a dollar in a box each night. And at the end of a year on her birthday she has $365 to spend on herself. Aside from that being completely charming, it’s also an example of how doing […]
actions, finance, results
I wanted to share with you a 15-minute exercise I do to prepare for the day in the morning. It’s not a physical exercise, it’s a mental or thought exercise and so you can do it while you’re doing other things, and that’s what I do. The first five minutes I spend thinking about all […]
exercise, positivity, tips
Roy Campanella was a Hall of Fame baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 50s and his career ended when he had a car accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. He was being treated in a New York rehab hospital and had really turned inside himself: He didn’t want […]
anxiety, worry
One of my favorite stories is in James Kirkwoods’ book, “There Must Be a Pony,” and it’s about a father of twin sons, age eight. One son is an incurable optimist and the other is a complete pessimist. The father decides to try an experiment because he’s a little alarmed about this difference: On […]
Joy, optimism, optimistic, positivity
If you have not seen the Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” or read her books, I’d highly recommend it. She’s terrific at helping people organize their homes, and she famously asks people to hold the objects or the items of clothing that they’re considering keeping or giving away and asking them if it […]
attachment, organization, psychology
When I was in college and on the track team, I asked my Coach how to run the 400-meter race. I didn’t run that event, but I was curious what his advice was because it’s a challenging race and it seemed to require as much a mental strategy as a physical one. He looked down […]
challenges, Motivation, obstacles
In one of the seminars I do, people are asked to take out their cell phone, think of somebody that they really care about — is important to them — and send them a text message. In the text, they are asked to share a positive thought about that person: Why they’re so important to […]
exercise, gratitude, thankful
On the lower left side of my computer monitor, there is a card that lists five tips I try to follow for having an outstanding day. Although it’s really just there as a reminder to me, visitors often ask about it, and I don’t mind explaining. Some of those things include: Going through my schedule […]
high tough, low tech, Productivity
In hospitals after someone has had a surgery, the medical staff will try to get them up and walking as soon as possible. There are a number of medical benefits to doing that. Psychologically, there’s one very large benefit and that is because of this elegant interaction between the brain and the body, when the […]
Stress, stress management, stress relief