The past week has been an eye-opening journey for me and my students. For the first time ever, I incorporated short TED-style speeches into my course curriculum. The only real guidelines I gave my students were to follow the traditional style of TED speakers, and to simply “be awesome, have fun,” as Brene Brown had…
About a year ago, by some stroke of luck, I hit it off with two new part-time college instructors who I met on campus during the Spring 2015 semester. One was an author and speaker, and the other had just chosen a new career path after a stint in the corporate world. The funny thing…
During a group presentation my students gave the other morning, it occurred to me that life has so many simple pleasures to offer. Whether it’s watching my students’ hard work pay off, creating a class activity that I hope might motivate others, or appreciating the flexibility and satisfaction that my lifestyle provides, I have so…
Psychology has been a fascination of mine for as long as I can remember, and so has the idea happiness. So naturally, Flourish by the father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, has been on my list of books to read for quite a while. I’m not done listening to the borrowed audiobook, but so far…
We all excel in different areas, and we’re each particularly awful in others. I happen to be really bad at committing to anything that doesn’t feel 100% right. I strongly encourage you to be terrible at it, too. I used to think it was a weakness, and so did my parents (I’m sure other millennials…
The trend of sleep-deprived and overworked Americans is widely acknowledged. Unfortunately, these days, it’s a badge of pride to say you’ve been “too busy” to work out, call a friend, prepare real food to eat, or even sit down. From time to time, I feel myself falling into each of these categories. What’s so great…
The library was closing, and I desperately needed another audiobook to listen to. In the last 2 minutes before they shut the doors, I grabbed this book because it seemed like something that was almost up my alley. The Likeability Factor: How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life’s Dreams by Tim Sanders. Starting…
I wanted to write my recent book to add a new element to my classroom, and it all turned out better than I had hoped. I’m starting to see the results, and the value of hard work and optimism. I’ve always refused to believe that you can’t squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of life’s…
I’ve been camped out on my living room couch for most of the summer, writing, reading, and sleeping longer hours than normal. A needed respite, and a much-appreciated perk of having summers off. Yesterday, however, marked a return to campus to teach a 6-week-long Summer class at my usual 8 am time. Despite having to…
There’s something about being in the mountains. As I sit here looking into the woods from my makeshift office space, the familiar smell of wood and the sight of trees, as far as the eye can see, put me into a different frame of mind. There’s a calmness about it all that makes every part…