“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?” ~ Khalil Gibran Barbara Fredrickson is a psychologist who works at UNC-Chapel Hill and studies my favorite field of academic research, positive psychology. [...]

“To me changing a diaper is more important than changing the world. I take that back: changing a diaper is changing the world, for of such small labors is the world created.” ~ Sy Safransky One of my favorite mantras is “not busy.” Why? Because I strive not to be “busy.” I am usually very [...]

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” ~ C.G. Jung Julia Cameron, who wrote the fabulous book The Artist’s Way, created the idea of the Artist’s date—and I’m a big fan of the [...]

Hope and courage are not just ephemeral emotions. They’re also not abstract one-size-fits-all concepts put to work in poetry and political campaigns. They’re actually deeply felt neurochemical stances that our minds take toward our current circumstances—stances that alter our outlooks and our actions, as well as the life paths that unfold before us. Clinical psychologist [...]