What do you consider an occasion worthy of celebration? Graduating college, getting a promotion, giving a good presentation? There are no rules for when it’s appropriate to party, but where you set the bar says something about how you feel about yourself and how you define success. On one extreme, there are some objectively successful people who, sadly, find it impossible to celebrate even great achievements because they are consumed by their perceived failures. On the other

In film and in literature, there’s nothing more captivating than a good mystery. Whether it’s a hidden message encoded in a priceless painting, or a dusty robot carrying a plea for help, it’s easy to get drawn in by the mystery. When it comes to turning the camera around, however, we’re generally not as eager to explore mysteries about ourselves. We may occasionally wonder why we react strongly to certain kinds of people, why it’s difficult for us to open up about specific to

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” observed the writer George Santayana. That holds true for global affairs, and it’s certainly the case when it comes to personal growth. In order to make positive changes in your life, it’s often helpful to spend some time exploring your past. Here are 3 reasons why your past matters: #1 Information Before beginning the process of changing unhealthy patterns of thought and emotion it’s essential to identify what

Have you ever watched an ice cube melt? It’s not the most exciting way to spend an afternoon, but it conveys a valuable lesson about the process of change. An ice cube in a typical freezer has a temperature of around 0°F (-18°C). If you take it out of the freezer and set it on a countertop you’ll need to watch it for quite a while until you seen any signs of change, as ice begins turning to water only when it reaches 32°F (0°C). It may seem as though this overt change occurs

It’s tempting to play the blame game, to point a finger at other people and fault them for your problems. If others have caused you harm, whether family members, friends or colleagues, there is legitimate reason to feel upset. It’s certainly helpful to validate those feelings of frustration or disappointment, but blaming others for your problems ultimately backfires because it means giving them control over your life. That’s why you can never win the blame game. An essential

As children, we learn how to feel, think and act. Over time, we reinforce these ways of feeling, thinking, and acting until they become psychological habits deeply ingrained within us. Unfortunately, some of these habits may get in the way of happiness, causing emotional harm to ourselves and straining our relationships with others. Thankfully, as adults, we have the ability to change these habits. The first step is gain insight into our habits and where they come from. This