Personal Power - Happiness

December 28, 2011

Interview with Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the book The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want

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Mike Carruthers:
What does it take to be happy?

Sonja Lyubomirsky:
Well, researchers define happiness as having two components and one of those components is the experience of frequent positive emotions like joy, contentment, pride, curiosity.
 

December 27, 2011

Interview with Pat Pearson, author of the book Stop Self-Sabotage: Get Out of Your Own Way to Earn More Money, Improve Your Relationships, and Find the Success You Deserve

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Mike Carruthers:
Do you ever sabotage your own success?

Pat Pearson:
The issue is that you set a goal, and then you shoot yourself in the foot and you make sure you don't achieve it and it all has to do, Mike, with deserve level.
 

December 23, 2011

Interview with Daniel Amen, M.D., author of the book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness

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Mike Carruthers:
It appears that you actually have more control over your brain than you may have thought. For example…

Daniel Amen, M.D.:
How you think (moment-by-moment thoughts) have a huge impact on how your brain works.
 

November 17, 2011

Interview with Peter Walsh, author of the book Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less

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Mike Carruthers:
If you want to feel really great about yourself take a few minutes to de-clutter and clean up a room.

Peter Walsh:
You cannot imagine the transformative effect that it has when you de-clutter a space and let it breathe.
 

November 14, 2011

Interview with Jessica Cassity, author of the book Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You

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Mike Carruthers:
We now know so much about how to be happier and improve our lives for instance simply getting rid of clutter.

Jessica Cassity:
If you live in a cluttered house you probably notice that looking at all of that junk piled up can really get in the way of focusing. And this is another one of those tips that researchers found, “Nope, there’s really something to that.”
 

November 9, 2011

Interview with Karl Pillimer, PhD, author of the book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans

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Mike Carruthers:
If you were to ask 1200 people over the age of 65 what they think about getting older you’d probably be surprised by what they think.

Karl Pillimer, PhD:
And it is remarkably different from what any younger think. One of the key lessons is being old is way better than you think.
 

September 12, 2011

Interview with Mathew Kelly, author of the book Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction

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Mike Carruthers:
In order to live a satisfied life you may need to give up the idea of living a balanced life.

Mathew Kelly:
The reality is we’re most satisfied when we’re working hard or playing or resting hard. We tend to live our lives in extreme and I think the idea of trying to balance everything up is actually destructive.
 

September 9, 2011

Interview with Robert Biswas-Diener, co-author of the book Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth

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Mike Carruthers:
What do happy people tend to have that less happy people don't?

Robert Biswas-Diener:
They tend to have very high quality, trusting and intimate close social relationships.
 

July 14, 2011

Interview with Gretchen Rubin, author of the book The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

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Mike Carruthers:
While happiness means different things to different people one thing we do know about happiness is…

Gretchen Rubin:
Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree that the key to happiness is strong relationships with other people.
 

June 30, 2011

Interview with Dr. Rebecca Gladding, author of the book You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life

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Mike Carruthers:
How you look at the world and filter events will determine how happy you really are.

Dr. Rebecca Gladding:
If I’m looking for bad things I’m filtering my experience through a negative lens - whereas if I’m looking for positive things I’m then filtering through that positive lens.