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I’ve never been very good at journaling. I have to intentionally set time aside to sit down and write. So I approached the Reflective Writing activity this month with a bit of trepidation. What happened for me was pretty profound. I’m sharing it with you today not to preach or expect you to think like…

What does it mean to savor something? Savoring is defined as any thoughts or behaviors capable of generating, intensifying and prolonging enjoyment. One of the most important ingredients of happiness is to live in and savor the present moment or reminisce about the past. Empirical research has shown that savoring is related to intense and…

I’ve thought a lot about what to share today. I don’t feel clever enough to send out something profound. I thought about sending a blacked out email. That didn’t feel appropriate. I thought about going in the opposite direction of how I’ve felt lately and sending something humorous. That seemed naive and disingenuous. I thought…

There’s a thoughtful quote from the movie Saving Mr. Banks where Walt Disney says, “In imagination [because that’s what we storytellers do] we restore order with imagination, we instill hope again and again and again.” I love thinking about imagination as giving us hope. Imagination is much like cultivating optimism, which is the Positivity Project…

One of the most important ingredients of happiness is to live in and savor the present moment or reminisce about the past. Empirical research has shown that savoring is related to intense and frequent happiness. People who tend to savor are more self-confident, extroverted and gratified, and less hopeless and neurotic. They are also less…

For February, the focus of the Positivity Project is on practicing loving kindness. Some of my assignments lately have caused me to realize not every state employee has the luxury, or even the choice in some circumstances, to experience positivity like I do. I’m thinking of our correctional officers who work with our adults in…

Our focus this month is on the importance of creating connection both in the workplace and in life. Strong social connections make people happier and physically healthier, which can translate into work performance. How we feel profoundly effects how we perform. If you’ve been practicing any positivity exercises, you know what I mean! Work relationships…

The focused activity for the Positivity Project this month is practicing gratitude. Why is it important to develop and cultivate an attitude of gratitude? Maybe my own recent story will help illuminate this. Yesterday I was standing in line at the post office. I was especially happy because I had just one more day to…