What is the role of spirituality in living a happy, healthy, productive life? Let's look at some answers to this important question.

How much attention do you give to your spiritual side?  Now I'm not necessarily talking about participation in an organized religion, although this may be something that is important to you.  I believe spirituality can be expressed and explored in many ways. 

In my experience, people who are able to stay energetic and enthusiastic over the long haul tend to have a strong spiritual connection.  Not that they all go to church, but I've noticed that there are… >>>

Yesterday, we talked about the valuable skill of "Context Reframing" and how it can help you turn negatives into positives. Today, let's take it one step further. 

Are you locked into your behaviors - trapped and controlled by them - or are you in charge of your actions, and fully accountable for the results you get in life?  If you want to take charge, one of the most important things you can do is to learn how to interpret your experiences in ways that help and support you rather than in ways that undermine and obstruct. 

You see, every experience… >>>

Today, I'm going to tell you about "Context Reframing," a technique you can use to help shift your perspective from negative to positive. 

Our past experiences influence our ability to see what's happening in the world and to interpret it. However, there are many ways to experience a situation. One of the keys to living a successful life is to consistently interpret your experience in ways that support you in getting the results you want. 

Context Reframing is a technique that can help you do just that. It involves taking an experience that seems to be negative and imagining how… >>>

How's your education coming along? I know you are probably out of school, but I hope you haven't stopped learning. 

When I think about the people I've known, who are most fully alive, invariably, it is those who have never stopped learning who come to mind. It is also those who have developed creative strategies to keep themselves from becoming stuck in a rut, no matter how comfortable that rut may seem. 

For example, I know a retired couple who felt that their evenings at home in front of the TV were becoming dull. So, they agreed to turn off… >>>

Have you heard about the Law of Entropy? Whether you have heard of it or not, keep reading. We'll talk about how this law can help or hinder you. 

In physics, the Law of Entropy says that all systems, if left unattended, will run down. Unless new energy is supplied, every organism deteriorates. In my opinion, the same law applies to individuals and relationships. 

A marriage doesn't continue to thrive simply because two people love each other, are compatible, and get off to a fine start. You and I, no matter how good our lives seem to be, won't continue… >>>

Today, let's talk about compulsive behavior - how it starts, and how to stop it. 

Are you compulsive about anything? Maybe you can't stand to be late or you have to make the beds before you leave the house. Have you ever thought about how you got that way or asked yourself what it costs you to continue? 

Suppose, for instance, that you are compulsively punctual. You probably got that way through fear feedback. Possibly, when you were young, you were trained to be on time by scolding or spanking or humiliation. What did you learn? "I can't be late,… >>>

Do you feel that half the things you do turn out all wrong? If so, take heart, because today I'm going to tell you how to fail successfully. 

After nearly forty years in business, I consider myself highly successful. The company my wife and I started in our basement is in over 60 countries, and the education in seminars I once gave to small groups of teachers and coaches now reach millions of people every year. Many of these recipients are world leaders and corporate executives. 

But one of the reasons I am successful is the same reason that Ty… >>>

How badly do you want to succeed in life? Let's look at the importance of passion and determination in getting what you want. 

Do you know anyone who is afraid to want something very badly for fear that they may be terribly disappointed if they don't get it? Maybe you feel this way sometimes yourself. This kind of negative thinking can sabotage your efforts and create a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Many years ago, a young man, who wanted to become a lawyer, wrote to Abraham Lincoln for advice. Lincoln replied, "If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself,… >>>

Perhaps it is because of the shortening of daylight hours (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), but autumn seems to be a time when inner reflection comes easier to a lot of folks. I keep journals of my thoughts, ideas, new affirmations, and sayings that resonate with me. This one speaks to me every time I read it:

"We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak." (Native American saying) 

It reminds me of a line from a cable television movie of several years ago. The movie was set in Africa, and… >>>

There seems to have been a spate of suicides in the last few weeks, most especially in that most vulnerable of age groups, teenagers and young adults. A very talented young woman committed a very public suicide, just last week at the University of Washington. Those closest to her are still having a hard time understanding why.

The United States military is experiencing an explosion of suicides amongst personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, far beyond what has been considered "normal" in such wartime situations.  In the last few weeks, several teenagers have ended their promising young lives, as a… >>>

Yesterday, I explained what a downward spiral is and how we might get caught in one. Today let's talk about some things that can help us climb up and out. 

If you've ever been caught in a downward spiral of failure and negative thinking, you know how hard it can be to find your way out. But there are some things you can do that will make it easier. You can list things you've succeeded at or felt good about in the past. Read the list every day, remembering as vividly as you can what each experience was like and… >>>

Do you know what it means to be caught in a downward spiral? Well, it starts with a belief. Let's say you believe you're not good at something. Now, if you expect to fail, you don't use much of your potential, do you? You don't take action that is confident, assertive, or energized. And what kind of results come from this kind of attitude and this kind of action? Pretty dismal ones, right? 

These dismal results reinforce the original belief that you're no good at it. Which in turn produces even less effort and even worse results - and down… >>>

Do you know what you want out of life? Or do you have trouble answering this question? 

Do you know anyone who seems constantly lost in a fog of confusion? They go one way and then another. Sometimes, they latch on to something as if it's the solution to all their problems, only to downgrade it a few months or weeks (sometimes days) later and move on to something or someone else. They just don't seem to know what they want. 

Maybe you're a bit like this yourself. If so, I want to encourage you to get back in touch… >>>

Do you believe that opposites attract? Personally, I very much doubt it, and I'll tell you why.

One of the ways we build alliances and strong relationships with others is to build on what we have in common. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend."  

How do you do this? Well, first of all, by feeling like a sincere friend. As a rule, friendships are built on common experiences, common backgrounds, and common values. Now, when people have enough in common, an element of difference… >>>

Today, I'm going to suggest to you a way to ask questions that will help you change your focus from problems to solutions. 

If you want to make your communications as effective as possible, and if you're interested finding solutions to problems rather than becoming bogged down in them, I have a suggestion that will help. If you ask the right questions, you can direct your communications to get answers that are genuinely helpful. 

For example, if you ask someone, "What's wrong?" you will get an answer - often a long one - which will focus on the problem. But… >>>

How flexible are you? Now, I'm not talking about your body, though that is important. What I want to know is, how flexible is your thinking? 

Flexibility is something that all effective communicators have in common. They know how to change their behavior and their style until they get what they want. They know that they can't pressure someone into understanding their point of view or hope, by forcibly repeating themselves, to get through to another person. They also realize that, "If you always do what you've always done, you will continue getting what you've always gotten." 

Now, flexibility doesn't… >>>

How well do you wait for things? Today, let's talk about what happens when we're forced to wait for something.

These days, everywhere you look people are in a hurry. Timesaving devices are cropping up as fast as weeds, because, as we all know by now, time is money, and we're all in a mad rush to either save it or spend it. But what happens when you are forced to wait for something? You have a 4:00 dental appointment, but you don't get in until 4:45. You are on the end of a line that is ten people long… >>>

Today, I want to talk with you about one of the secrets of being a good communicator. 

As I travel around the world giving seminars and consulting with leaders of nations, government, business and industry, I'm often asked about how to be a more effective communicator.  A really complete answer would require more time than I have with you today, but there is one thing anyone can do to make a quantum leap in the ability to communicate, and that is to become a better listener. 

You know, good listeners do far more than simply remain silent while someone else… >>>

Are you a perfectionist? Do you know anyone who is? Today, I want to talk about the drive to be perfect and what it can cost you. 

What's so bad about being good?  Nothing at all, but trying to be perfect can cost you a lot in terms of mental health and harmonious relationships. You see, people who can mobilize themselves in the face of tough problems are usually folks who don't worry about being perfect. They're happy to move ahead with a partial solution, trusting that they'll invent the rest as they go along. 

Now, perfectionists will try to… >>>

Sometimes, "a lick-and-a-promise" is a lot better than nothing and can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. I'll tell you what I mean.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by a huge task that is facing you? Do you ever feel paralyzed because you can't see your way through to the other side? Henry Ford once said that any task, no matter how large, is manageable if you break it down into small enough pieces. 

A very busy and wonderfully efficient woman I know says she belongs to the "lick-and-a-promise" school of housekeeping: because of her busy schedule, she doesn't have time… >>>