“This is Torture” and How Perspectives Impact Happiness

“This is torture”, I heard from the woman standing next to me. I was standing in line waiting for food at a Wendy’s restaurant in the Montego Bay airport. The woman beside me was visibly annoyed due to the long wait. The words struck me like a bolt. I’m aware of the negativity bias we…

The Courage to be Disliked

I’ve learned from research that as social beings, connection and feelings of belonging are strong drivers for our happiness. So when a friend introduced me to the book The Courage to be Disliked, which claims to change our life and show us how to achieve real happiness, I was intrigued. I dove into the book…

Love like you love your cat

This Valentine’s Day my cat Jackie reminds me what unconditional love is and the importance of having an open heart. As I woke up and reached over to stroke my cat Jackie’s furry coat and gently kiss his head while he purred softly, a feeling of unconditional love washed over me. I wondered aloud, how…

Change and mindfulness lessons from a kitten

Every day provides an opportunity to practice mindfulness. As we welcomed a kitten to our family and introduced him to his new home this week, he reminded me of lessons in change management and gave us an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Here’s our story. . . How did a “non-cat” person end up with a…

Who’s More Important, a Doctor or a Priest?

The moment when I truly realized that I am just as important as anyone else was one of those life-changing perspective shifts for me. The lesson started for me one wintery Sunday morning. The Game We were gathered in the large gym at our church for Sunday School. My boys were quite young at this…

You are the CEO of Your Life: Perspective is everything

Do you ever feel like you have little control over things in your life? In a previous blog post, I share how the current pandemic has taught me that I don’t have control over many things in life outside of myself. Happily, I’ve realized that there’s something I control. In fact, I have a very…