After hundreds of gratitude programs and teaching thousands of people about building a gratitude practice, we’ve found that for some people, their practice sticks and for some, it doesn’t stick.

We’re continually improving the stickiness of our training but when we follow up, we discover a much larger number of people than I would like, have discontinued their gratitude practice.

So when I ask, “Why did you stop your gratitude practice ?”

The number one response is, <more>

According to the latest research, and it’s from here in Canada—humans have on average, 6200 thoughts per day. I don’t know how many are positive vs. negative but have seen statistics that claim 85% are negative and 95% are the same thoughts you had yesterday.

This is likely the result of what I call “The <more>

My last blog post was published on April 9, 2021—that’s 10 months ago. When I see a blog that's forgotten and ignored, I can’t help but think that the creator is asleep at the switch and is really not focused on their business.

When that creator is me, I can quickly go to feelings of guilt or shame thinking that “I should be writing content” or “I should be doing more” or “Who do you think you are—an expert but you haven’t posted anything fresh in 10 months—what a loser !”

But I’m not going to do that—instead <more>

Researchers in Chile released a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health this week confirming that gratitude at work (not my company, but the actual idea) reduces workplace materialism.

Workplace materialism is the tendency to <more>

We’re hearing a lot about finding the good in 2020 and being grateful for it. I fully support this idea, but we have to be careful in crossing the line into judgement. In spite of believing you can find lots of good in 2020, I don’t believe you should be grateful for <more>

A few weeks back, researchers released a study that found that a 10 day gratitude intervention in the workplace reduced incivility, gossiping and ostracism. Intervention is a strong way to describe making a gratitude list and 10 days over 2 weeks is not a lot of time when you consider the impact it had.

Researchers had two groups of employees journal at the end of each weekday for 2 weeks. One group was asked to write about what they were grateful for at work. The other group was asked <more>

I was driving into town this week and for some reason the street name on a road sign stood out.

CONSTRUCTION

ON BAYERS RD.

EXPECT DELAYS

I’ve walked, run, driven, and cycled on Bayers Rd. thousands of times and <more>

According to a recent survey by Modern Health, 47% of people feel more anxious now than at any other point in their life—that’s half of us !

In spite of feeling knocked off kilter, I’m back to enjoying one of my favourite <more>

I’ve been running for more than 30 years now but for the past 2 years it’s been very sporadic because of a nagging issue with my IT band (I ran only 7 times in 2018 and 2019). On the advice of a friend, two months ago I tested a knee brace and started back running and lo and behold—the acute pain was <more>

Your mindset is like the ocean’s tides—it ebbs and flows. I don’t care if you have mastered mental toughness or not, the reality is that everyone’s mindset, which is highly dependent on your emotional state, varies based on a whole host of factors far too complex for an engineer like myself to <more>

On Sunday, the Snowbirds started a cross country tour and did a flyover in our city - and fortunately for us, they flew directly over our neighbourhood.

The purpose of the tour is to recognize all the front line workers and all citizens who are doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19.

As with many things in life, there are often unanticipated <more>

I’ve been noticing on my last couple runs and walks around the city that not everyone acknowledges your presence when we pass each other. While I understand everyone has different comfort levels and are dealing with their own challenges, it seems like people are interpreting social distancing as <more>

This ain’t no April Fool’s joke - I’m declaring pronoia as the word of the day !

Most people have heard of paranoia - the belief that everyone is conspiring against you. But what about pronoia? Pronoia is the belief that everyone is conspiring <more>

We just got back from a relaxing vacation in Mexico last Wednesday. Ok, there was a day or two where it felt a bit tenuous.

While there was some talk of COVID19 around the pool, the only visible sign that something dramatic was happening in the world was the steady <more>

I’ve been wearing two wrist watches for six months. One watch was given to me 12 years ago by my brother—it’s my very nice dressy watch. The other is an electronic GPS golf watch, which I later discovered also keeps track of activity and sleep so it now serves as my health monitor.

Over the last six months only two people have <more>

When was the last time you visited the toothpaste aisle - tarter, sensitive, toxic, fluoride, plaque, and more. Did you leave feeling satisfied that you’ve chosen the right toothpaste?

Unless you’re a dental professional, you’ve got a tough choice. More importantly, research suggests you’re probably like most people and are less satisfied with <more>

Are you a leader who truly values your people?

Then don’t fall into the “my” trap.

When using the word “my”, you are likely either referring to something you possess or something you are in relationship with. For instance, my car is something I possess and my family is something <more>

Functioning at a high level requires that the executive function of your brain is switched on. For this to happen, you must be in a positive emotional state. The moment you enter a negative emotional state, you effectively switch off the part of your brain that controls critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity. The result - <more>

The world is changing at an unprecedented rate and I don’t expect it to let up anytime soon. For example, last fall Walmart opened its first health centre where you can get an annual check up for your child for $20 and while you’re waiting, you can get your teeth cleaned for $25. And Walmart doesn’t plan to stop at one location—their goal is to be <more>

My pastor gave me a flash of insight into the obvious at church this weekend. He reminded me how important it is that you and I belong and the extent that people will go to in order to feel a sense of belonging - such as joining a gang. There’s nothing new here but his message made me think about the value we attach to <more>