Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Positive Psychology Articles
We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Positive Psychology". If you have expertise in Positive Psychology and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
- Are You Exaggerating Sticks While Downplaying Carrots? - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2017 from Rick Hanson"Tell the truth." It's the foundation of science, ethics, and relationships. But we have a brain that evolved to tell lies to help us survive. As I've written before, over several hundred million years our ancestors: Had to avoid two kinds of mistakes: thinking there's a tiger in the ...
Views: 1126 - Are You Feeling Cross? - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2016 from Rick Hanson[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 1102 - Are You Feeling Unneeded Pain? - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2015 from Rick HansonPainful experiences range from subtle discomfort to extreme anguish - and there is a place for them. Sorrow can open the heart, anger can highlight injustices, fear can alert you to real threats, and remorse can help you take the high road next time. But is there really any shortage of ...
Views: 1098 - Are You Feeling Unneeded Pain? - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2018 from Rick HansonPainful experiences range from subtle discomfort to extreme anguish - and there is a place for them. Sorrow can open the heart, anger can highlight injustices, fear can alert you to real threats, and remorse can help you take the high road next time. But is there really any shortage of ...
Views: 1132 - Are You Full to the Rim? - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2016 from Rick HansonOnce upon a time, a scholar came to visit a saint. After the scholar had been orating and propounding for a while, the saint proposed some tea. She slowly filled the scholar's cup: gradually the tea rose to the very brim and began spilling over onto the table, yet she kept pouring and pouring. ...
Views: 1165 - Are You Getting Rope Burn? - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2016 from Rick HansonAs a rock climber and a parent, I know some physical kinds of clinging are good - like to small holds or small hands! But clinging as a psychological state has a feeling of tension in it, and drivenness, insistence, obsession, or compulsion. As experiences flow through the mind - seeing, ...
Views: 1139 - Are You Guilty of Stinkin’ Thinkin’? - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2013 from nancy traversThe other day a friend tripped over her own feet, and I overheard her say to herself, “You are such a klutz.” A harmless putdown, perhaps, but with enough negative talking to yourself, you could create an unhealthy environment that works against you. This is an example of stinkin’ ...
Views: 1076 - Are you happy? - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2013 from Cheryl CharronWhat makes you happy ? Truly, genuinely and authentically happy? Is this state of happiness easily reproduced every day or just sometimes? You can be in a state of happiness everyday if you would like to be. Your overall state of happiness is based upon how you perceive your past, present, ...
Views: 1220 - Are You Living or Just Existing? - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2016 from William FetterEver just go through the day and feel as if you can’t change your life for the better? Everything has been decided for you and you have no choices in what you do, wear or say? Some days can feel like that, but have too many in a row and you just might be drifting aimlessly through life. Then ...
Views: 1370 - Are you making this HUGE happiness mistake? - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2018 from Martha BodyfeltI thought my world had ended back in January. I had this job and career that made me comfortable and paid well. It was not necessarily a job that I loved, but it made me feel secure and gave me the validation that I thought I needed. Until I was laid off. I started to panic, because ...
Views: 1233 - Are You Nurturing Your Body? - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2016 from Rick HansonWhy? [Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture.] The easiest and usually most effective way to replenish your body is through good nutrition. Most of us have a diet that is very different from the one that we are adapted to through millions of years of evolution - a diet of mainly ...
Views: 1091 - Are you over programmed in life? - by Submitted on May 30, 2018 from Joan Marie WhelanAre you one of those people who have made so many commitments that you are having a hard time keeping them? You have compromised your health and sacrificed your family life because you had a strong need to help others. You are a leader in your community, but you fail your family. So how do ...
Views: 1341 - Are you receiving your symbols? - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2014 from Krysti TurznikHave you ever noticed that when some people find a penny on the ground they evaluate it to see if it came in the "appropriate" form for which they will allow themselves to receive the gift of abundance. Was it facing heads up or heads down? Because one must certainly be bad luck, right? ...
Views: 1087 - Are You Right? Or, Do You Only Think You Are ALWAYS RIGHT? - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2012 from Jay PolmarNothing is Right or Wrong - only thinking makes it so, to paraphrase Shakespeare. You're not right all the time, nor are you wrong all the time. But, too often our egos or our internal babbling voice within (I call it THE BABBLER), can't keep our mouths from engaging and spewing some statement, ...
Views: 2088 - Are you seeking for gratification or happiness? Understand between what is gratification and happiness - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2013 from Mykim TranDo you think it is important for you to take action to improve your community or society? Have you ever stop yourself from taking action to try to improve your community or society because you believe that one person cannot make a difference? Do you feel like it would be a waste of your time to ...
Views: 686 - Are You Self-Nurturing? - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2016 from Rick Hanson[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 1067 - Are You Stressed or Upset? - by Submitted on May 02, 2016 from Rick HansonThere I was recently, standing in the shower, my mind darting in different directions about projects in process, frazzled about little tasks backing up, uneasy about a tax record from 2010 we couldn't find, feeling irritated about being irritable, hurrying to get to work, body keyed up, internal ...
Views: 1087 - Are You Taking Care Of Yourself? - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2016 from Rick Hanson[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 1053 - Are you the worst case scenario type thinker? Here is what you can do to reclaim full ownership of your life - by Submitted on May 08, 2017 from Felicity MuscatDo you know many people compulsively find themselves seeing the worst scenarios in situations they find themselves in? Do you know this leads to unnecessary amount of stress, anxiety, panic attacks, despair, depression, energy depletion, unhappiness, failed relationships, health concerns and ...
Views: 887 - Are You Thinking Too Much? - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2017 from Rick HansonThe traditional saying that's this week's practice has been sinking in for me lately. Thoughts have been swirling around like a sandstorm about work, things I've been reading, household tasks, finances, concerns about people, a yard that needs mowing, loose ends, projects, etc. etc. The other ...
Views: 1152 - Are You Working Together? - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2016 from Rick Hanson[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 1074 - Are Your Emotions Working For You Or Against You? - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2013 from Dennis SimsekEmotions are multi-faceted. They can connect you to the world in a positive way, but they can also disconnect you from the world around you when they are profoundly negative. People who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression often become trapped in an endless cycle of worry, ...
Views: 1085 - Ascension & Leaving The Matrix of Social Work - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2013 from Zarla LeahI’ve always wanted to help the poor, at least ever since my high school days back in the sixties. Many years later, after having gone through several other careers, I got back into my dreams of doing social work and landed a good job in this field. For quite a while, I was very happy with this ...
Views: 1070 - Ask Questions - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2020 from Rick HansonMy dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood - you may have heard it elsewhere - that's: "You learn more by listening than by talking." Sure, we often gain by thinking out loud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings ...
Views: 680 - Ask Questions - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2023 from Rick HansonMy dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood - you may have heard it elsewhere - that's: "You learn more by listening than by talking." Sure, we often gain by thinking aloud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings ...
Views: 381 - ATTITUDE: Thinking Your Way to the Top! - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Jeff GarofaloPossibly the greatest obstacle we face in achieving success in anything is our own "negative thinking!" Self-sabotage has stopped more people from living a life filled with passion. We ask ourselves to many questions in the wrong context. You never know how really good you are until you step out ...
Views: 1512 - Attitudes that Lead to Success or Failure in Making Changes to Your Self-Confidence - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2020 from Vivian Harte“Change,” “growth,” “learning,” and “self-discovery” are all terms that signify the same process. When you change and grow, you begin acting differently and are seen by others as a new person. You must encourage the old you to step down and allow the new you to blossom and take its place. ...
Views: 6885 - Avoid The Rush - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2021 from Rick HansonAs I was meditating one morning, our cat hopped up onto my lap. It felt sweet to sit there with him. And yet - even though I was feeling fine and had plenty of time, there was this internal pressure to start zipping along with emails and calls and all the other clamoring minutiae of the ...
Views: 520 - Avoid The Rush - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2024 from Rick HansonAs I was meditating one morning, our cat hopped up onto my lap. It felt sweet to sit there with him. And yet - even though I was feeling fine and had plenty of time, there was this internal pressure to start zipping along with emails and calls and all the other clamoring minutiae of the ...
Views: 258 - Awaken Your Potential - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2008 from Mark BlackPsychologists performed an experiment where they put a pane of glass in the middle of an aquarium full of water. They then added two fish to the tank. One fish was the natural predator of the other. They put the predator on one side of the glass and the prey on the other. What happened next ...
Views: 1852 - Awareness - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2016 from Charlie MooreAre you aware of your awareness? I call it room awareness. I sold Time Share for years and we would train our Sales People about room awareness. If you ever been to a Time Share Presentation you know that everyone sits in the same room at different tables and each table is close to every other ...
Views: 1123 - Awareness - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2019 from Murray CohenThe dictionary defines “awareness” as “knowledge or perception of a situation or fact”. I define “caught up” as being totally absorbed in an activity or situation without knowing you are totally absorbed ( to the exclusion of everything else going on around you or mentally inside you). ...
Views: 846 - Awesome Activities to Keep Your Kids Active and Happy During School Holidays - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2019 from Kashmira KarandeStressed that the children will ricochet off the dividers in sheer weariness amid the school occasions? Or on the other hand they'll be stuck to kid's shows or playstations all late spring? Here are some approaches to keep them engaged, dynamic and out of inconvenience. At next to no or no ...
Views: 999 - Back to Basics - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2023 from Rick HansonIn middle school, I thought it would be cool to play a musical instrument and picked the clarinet. My wise parents rented one rather than buying it, and I started practicing. (In the garage because it sounded pretty screechy.) After a week or two of doing scales, I got bored and picked my way ...
Views: 304 - Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 14 ESCAPISM - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2021 from Ronald RossIf you want to escape reality, you have a lot of help. There are many industries ready to free your mind as they take your money — the gaming-industry is one of them. The global video game revenue was around $180 billion in 2020, making it a bigger moneymaker than the worldwide movie and North ...
Views: 570 - Bad Mood Busters - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2015 from Mary Ann V. MercerAre you in a bad mood or just unhappy? Don’t worry. There are easy ways to beat a bad mood or even a bad day. Good moods or a peppy personality is not a disposition you are born with or without. And, you’re not doomed to stay unhappy the rest of your life. Your level of happiness is a ...
Views: 1204 - Be a monkey OR a human. The choice is yours. - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2011 from Chandresh BhardwajWhile on my traveling in India, I was passing through a mountainous area. Besides the breathless beauty of huge mountains & lush green trees, a female monkey caught my attention who was carrying a baby monkey with her. I realized that the baby monkey looked dead & even its skin was coming out. ...
Views: 482 - Be Amazed - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2025 from Rick HansonHere are my top five inner practices for helping this year be a good one for you and others (click the links to see the first four): Drop the stone Let it flow Learn as you go “Us” all “thems" Be amazed By “be amazed,” I mean staying open to a sense ...
Views: 37 - Be At Peace With The Pain Of Others - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2025 from Rick HansonHumans are an empathic, compassionate, and loving species, so it is natural to feel sad, worried, or fiery about the troubles and pain of other people. (And about those of cats and dogs and other animals, but I'll focus on human beings here.) Long ago, the Buddha spoke of the "first dart" ...
Views: 36 - Be Benevolent - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2023 from Rick HansonBenevolence is a fancy word that means something simple: good intentions toward living beings, including oneself. This goodwill is present in warmth, friendliness, compassion, ordinary decency, fair play, kindness, altruism, generosity, and love. The benevolent heart leans toward others; it ...
Views: 341 - Be Friendly - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2022 from Rick HansonFriendliness is a down-to-earth approach to others that is welcoming and positive. Think about a time when someone was friendly to you - maybe drawing you into a gathering, saying hello on the sidewalk, or smiling from across the room. How did that make you feel? Probably more included, ...
Views: 411 - BE HAPPY BABE! - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2011 from Sheila Pearlby Sheila Pearl, M.S.W. How are you feeling today? What is your energetic state of being today? How do you see your life today? Are you content, restless, depressed, sad, numb, happy, excited? Whatever your answer, I've learned that it's entirely your choice. It took a series of ...
Views: 900 - Be Helpful - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2024 from Rick HansonWhy? I'm doing a series on my personal top five practices (all tied for first place). I have so far named three: meditate (including mindfulness, self-awareness, and, if you like, prayer), take in the good, and bless (including compassion, generosity, and love). I saw one way to ...
Views: 210 - Be Home - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2024 from Rick HansonThroughout history, people have wondered about human nature. Deep down, are we basically good or bad? When the body is not disturbed by hunger, thirst, pain, or illness, and when the mind is not disturbed by threat, frustration, or rejection, then most people settle into their resting ...
Views: 262 - Be Mind Full of Good - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2025 from Rick HansonIt's kind of amazing: right now, what you think and feel, enjoy and suffer, is changing your brain. The brain is the organ that learns, designed by evolution to be changed by our experiences: what scientists call experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Neurons that fire together, wire ...
Views: 47 - Be the Best Version of Yourself: Mind and Body Health Tips - by Submitted on May 25, 2020 from Luke DouglasKeeping your mind and body healthy should always be your imperative. Without a strong mind and vigorous body, you wouldn't be able to do your daily activities well and you'd easily lose focus. Living a hectic life filled with work tasks and other everyday life errands can easily make us lose ...
Views: 714 - Be the Body - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2023 from Rick HansonAs a kid, I was really out of touch with my body. I hardly noticed it most of the time, and when I did, I prodded it like a mule to do a better job of hauling "me" - the head - around. This approach helped me to soldier through some tough times. But there were costs. Many pleasures were ...
Views: 282 - Be The Change You Want To See In The World - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2011 from Zahib ZiaweetYou are reading this because you want to obtain the true happiness in your life and you are most likely wanting to be the change you want to see in the world. But then again, you might be ignoring the most valuable thing in your life. “What is the most valuable thing in life” you might ...
Views: 1544 - Be Who You Are - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Geoffrey CanavanFairytales may not be quite as fanciful as they appear at first glance. Think of the frog who was really a handsome prince, or the Sleeping Beauty and Snow White who just needed a kiss to restore them to life. The hidden message in every fairytale can teach us a very valuable lesson. The ...
Views: 1889 - Becoming a Positive Person - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2012 from Cathleen O'ConnorHave you ever met a person that instantly made you feel more capable, more productive, more inspired or more effective? I think that most of us have and we always find these individuals valuable members of our family or group of friends. Just what makes someone so positive in another person's ...
Views: 1054