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The Positivity Project’s theme for February is Practicing Self-Compassion. It couldn’t come at a better time for me. I’m already beating myself up over things I vowed to start or stop doing in 2021 that I didn’t stick too. Why do we do it? Why are we so critical of ourselves? We think nothing of…

Many of you have taken the Gallup Strengthsfinder© Assessment, an assessment that identifies your top 5 strengths. When we leverage our strengths, we are happier, less stressed, more creative, more productive, more likely to achieve our goals and more able to grow and develop. Yet a strength that is overused can become a weakness. I…

  You deserve a hug today! If you’re been around as long as me you might have that jingle from the 80’s in your head (You deserve a break today). Can you believe we’ve almost made it to the end of 2020? This year we have witnessed political and social unrest, devastating forest fires, economic…

A question was asked of me lately, “How do I heal so I can cope with what’s going on around me?” I have given this question much thought. In all honesty, when I consider myself, I wonder what kind of healing I need. I’m healthy, employed (working from home) and settled in a comfortable home…

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…