January 2010

FOR 60 seconds last night, at the behest of a Buddhist monk, 250 people sat in silence at the University of Sydney contemplating happiness. The monk, Bhante Sujato, thought about gratitude, he told his audience when he broke the quiet reverie. Seated next to him on the...

25 January, 2010

I just found this meditation in the context of helping people with chronic pain conditions but I thought it might also be very helpful for any and all of us seeking more happiness and contentment in our lives. Try it and see how you go...

25 January, 2010

The first rule of negotiation is to always be willing to walk away from the deal. The first rule of happiness is to not be attached to pleasing moments. So how do we get into sealing the deal of happiness? We experience happiness as a...

25 January, 2010

In my workshops, I find that Chinese executives are receptive to positive interventions but something about Chinese culture gets in the way of their pursuit of happiness, and until these concerns are addressed, their pursuit of happiness will be a futile endeavor. Two weeks ago,...

24 January, 2010

Is Australia's biggest problem that we're not rich enough, because we aren't "productive" enough? The Government thinks so, and the Opposition agrees. In the first of his series of Australia Day speeches, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd suggested that a 2 per cent annual growth in productivity...

22 January, 2010

I don't usually watch much tennis (it's not really my sport) but last night I found myself watching Roger Federer (arguably the best player in the world over the last decade or so (and probably one of the best ever) cruise to a pretty easy...

22 January, 2010

Check out my latest article on babble.com.au Hello readers _ã_ and happy New Year! It_ã_s early January, and I hope most of you are thinking about the year ahead with excitement and optimism. Every December 31/January 1 brings new opportunities but with these new opportunities also...

21 January, 2010

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY   Being a friend of Chandler DeWitt's means never having to say "Where are you?" The freshman at North Carolina's High Point University says she and her friends have "six or seven ways" to get in touch most days: cellphone, texting, instant messaging,...

20 January, 2010

The emphasis of positive psychology on happiness and on building the best things in life and making people_ã_s lives fulfilling does not imply that we should ignore problems or dismiss the negative emotions that people experience. Positive psychology can make an additional contribution by offering...

20 January, 2010

What makes us happy? Nicolas Kristof recently wrote a thought-provoking piece in the New York Times on what makes us happy: "Our Basic Human Pleasures: Food, Sex and Giving." Since we are reading and writing a buddhist blog here, we probably are fairly familiar with...

19 January, 2010