Thoughts can be sticky. So sticky that we can’t tell where they end, and we begin. We believe our thoughts and identify with their message. We give them our attention and coddle them, even when it would do us better to think about something else. With this characteristic in mind, which thoughts do you want to make stick? Because the ones that stick determine your outcome — who you meet, what you see, and what you know.

Keeping bees, attending the garden, minding the baby — these small acts of focusing our attention can change the way we talk, what we talk about, even what we dream. In these moments, we develop keenness in thought, vision, and hearing that pours over into the rest of our experiences…

Collective rituals are an important way to make connections, especially during the quarantine. They help mark time, create connections, and give meaning to others that otherwise would not have shared in these experiences. Think back to a time in your childhood, maybe you played a team sport. For me it…

New ways of being demand new ways of thinking. At each moment, we get to choose what to take with us and what to leave behind. Moments such as this, a pandemic that stops the world from working, magnifies our opportunities to adjust our values. Making a choice means engaging…

Know your emotions. Acknowledge them. Release them. — Multiple studies show that engagement is one of the primary keys to happiness. When you participate with an enthusiastic, whole-hearted emotional investment, you are like a bubbly child on a playground. Understanding and then releasing emotions is the key to the kind of meaning that makes engaging worthwhile. When you…

Thank you for caring, delivering, picking up, supporting. Compassion is a state of being, a quality of self. It’s not an emotion; there’s no pity or sympathy, or even empathy for another. Hospital workers are the face of compassion right now. Along with other essential workers, they are currently the…