Self-Care | Live Happy

5 Ways to Turn Tiny Habits into Big Changes

Live Happy blogger, best-selling author and wellness coachMichelleMcQuaidpresents a series of interviews entitled "Show Up, Shine and Succeed." This is the fourth of five insightful posts. Each podcast/interview features a differentpositive psychology expert, all speaking on topics related to happiness, confidence and success in the workplace. Have you ever stumbled across a great idea that could make you more effective in your career—and promised yourself that you’ll get started on it later? Break a big change into small, manageable pieces We all find reasons to put off making the positive changes, even if we know they will help us in the long run. Despite our best intentions, we get distracted, life interrupts us, we become too busy and the very idea of trying to do one more thing is completely overwhelming. “While many people talk about behavior change as being hard, it’s actually not hard if you do it in the right way, by creating tiny habits,” explains BJ Fogg, an experimental psychologist at Stanford University, who has proposed the concept of "Tiny Habits" as a way of overcoming our usual obstacles to change. Click here to listen to the full podcast. “Tiny habits help you scale back bigger behaviors into really small behaviors and sequence them into your life where they can be easily accommodated,” said BJ. “They rely less on willpower and motivation and more on redesigning your life little by little, so over time these small shifts create dramatic results.” How to get started Given that researchers estimate 40% of our day consists of mere habits, it seems reasonable to try to hack some of these routines to create the kind of changes we want to make in our work and life. For example, let’s say you want to finally read the pile of articles and books growing next to your desk to improve your expertise in a key area of your work. Applying BJ’s formula for making small changes, you might create a tiny habit by taking the following steps: 1, Scale back change to something very small If something is very simple to do, you’ll need far less motivation and will power to follow through. Also, scaling down a task to something small helps remove all those “too busy right now” excuses. When you actually do it, you create feelings of success that can be built upon. Rather than trying to get through the whole pile, try setting yourself the goal of reading ten pages each day to get started. 2. Find time for your new behavior Look for time when this small new behavior fits naturally into your day. Try to find an existing recurring activity that would be a good match for the new behavior you’re trying to create. It might be first thing in the morning when you turn on your computer, or when you stop to eat lunch. 3. Create a tiny habit recipe Program your tiny habit so you know exactly what you need to be doing and when you need to do it. Use this formula to make it easy: After I (insert existing routine), I will (insert new routine). It might be: After I turn on my computer at work, I will read ten pages from the pile. If the habit isn’t working try shrinking the change even further, try an alternative routine to anchor your new habit to and ensure your new routine is well matched to the anchor you’ve chosen. If you’re too focused on answering all your emails in the mornings to enjoy reading a better recipe might be: After I sit down to eat my lunch, I will read one page from the pile. 4. Celebrate your success Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool. You can help make small behaviors more automatic and make yourself want to stick with them by rewarding yourself. When you complete your tiny habit, take a minute to metaphorically pat yourself on the back or use another form of affirmation to show yourself that this a behavior you’re proud of, and to make it something you’re more likely to keep doing. 5. Build your habit day-by-day As your habit begins to stick, expand on it as required. Build the habit a little bit at a time, without compromising your ability to get started each time. Maybe try reading two pages a day, then three pages a day, perhaps even four or five. What tiny habits can you utilize to increase your successes at the office and in life? If you’d like help to walk through this recipe step-by-step, visit tinyhabits.com and join one of the weekly tiny habit programs or get trained to be a coach. And if you’d like more tested, practical ways to show up, shine and succeed at work visit showupshineandsucceed.com.

Self-Care

Catch the Wholesome Wave

“Superfood” is a buzzword that’s been thrown around a lot recently. It’s generally used to tout the health benefits of specific nutritionally dense foods. But the folks at nonprofit Wholesome Wave have shown that in addition to being essential for vital health, fresh, locally grown produce actually has many other superpowers, as well—such as helping economically disadvantaged families stay healthier, for a start.Imagine this situation that low-income parents face daily: You rely heavily on government benefits to get food on the table, and regularly have to stretch just a few dollars to buy and cook dinner for your family. When a pack of ramen noodles costs under 20 cents and boxed mac ’n’ cheese can be had for 50 cents, a parent faced with hungry children is unlikely to choose a $2 head of organic broccoli (that she then has to prep and cook) instead of inexpensive convenience foods, which are precisely engineered to tantalize kids’ taste buds.The hidden costs of “cheap” foodThis situation is leading to a public health catastrophe, and the consequences will be immense (and costly) if it is not curtailed. Because many of the least expensive and most accessible foods are also over-processed and filled with fat, salt and sugar (as well as other additives), the number of overweight and undernourished children and adults has risen greatly, along with rates of obesity-related diseases found in very young children.Studies show that children from poor families are most likely to be obeseand mothers in food-insecure families will often limit their food intake so their children can eat, setting them up for obesity as well.Farmer, chef and healthy food advocateBy making fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables available and affordable, Wholesome Wave enables underserved community members to make healthier food choices. Founder Michel Nischan is the son of farmers who became a celebrity chef and award-winning author. He then followed his convictions and his passion, founding Wholesome Wave in 2007 in order to advocate for a more healthful, organic and sustainable food future.Innovation at workWith Nischan at the helm, Wholesome Wave has rolled out several trailblazing programs that help improve health outcomes among low-income families, generate additional revenue for small- and mid-sized farm businesses, and bolster local and regional economies—as well as reducing the ecological food footprint. Programs are currently running in 25 states and Washington, D.C., with more than 3,500 farmers and 350 markets participating.One such program, the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Programworks hand in hand with physicians, families and farmers marketsto provide resources for overweight and obese children and their families.Another, theDouble Value Coupon Programdoubles the value of low-income consumers’ federal nutrition benefits when spent at farmers markets on locally grown fruits and vegetables.Ride the Wholesome WaveIf all that great news has whet your appetite to learn more about the state of our food system and what we can do to help, follow along with the Farm to Table Cycle: A Journey for Change. Sponsored by Wholesome Wave, photographer, bicyclist and advocate Glenn Charles is taking a 16-day, 400-mile journey, cycling through New England to raise awareness about local food systems.Check the web updates to keep up with Glenn, and to learn more about farming and sustainability, dairy and livestock production, farm-to-table chefs, local food processing and institutional food purchasing.“What you will see is that "farm-to-table" is the way of the future," says Michel. "This ride tells story of so many Americans who work tirelessly to shape our food system into one that is more equitable, more sustainable and more delicious.” In Michel's estimation, and now in his own experience, “food can fix anything.”

Well-Being

10 Happy Tips to Boost Your Wellbeing Today

1.Choose hope. Hope isn’t the same thing as optimism. Hope is believing the future will be better than the present, and working to make it so. Pick a goal you are excited about, and write down two things you can do to make it happen.2. Look for your child’s spark. Connect with your children on a deep emotional level by looking for their essence. What are your kids’ positive qualities? What is your child really interested and invested in? Make a list.3. Take your sweat session outside. The great outdoors and exercise have something in common—both improve your mood and reduce stress. Now you can reap all the benefits to your mental and physical well-being by working out in nature.4. Write a To-Do list that boosts your productivity. Overwhelmed by your To-Do list? Break down bigger projects into steps that feel the opposite of overwhelming. Don’t stop until your list turns into a “gladly do” list.5. Name your mood to improve it. Just by saying “I’m worried” or “I’m anxious” to friends or family can dissipate those negative emotions according to researchers. Share away.6. Read happy. Surround yourself with the positive influences and associations and read a book from our Live Happy book list.7. Cultivate compassion. Acknowledge your mistakes and remind yourself that mistakes are something you share with every other human on the planet. When you are compassionate with yourself, you can be more compassionate toward others.8. Eat happiness-boosting foods.Eggs, seafood, nuts and leafy greens all contain happiness-boosting nutrients. Not sure what to do with these ingredients? Here are some easy, delicious recipes that will point you in the right direction.9. Find your flow. Positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term flow—being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. Finding yours can make you happier. When do you lose track of time or feel totally in the zone? That’s your flow activity. Make sure it’s on your calendar.10. Give back. Give a compliment. Tell a joke. Put an extra dollar in the tip jar. Need more ideas to get into giving mode? We’ve got 30!

Self-Care

Embrace Life

Everyone must deal with grief in his or her own way, but because of all that I have been through, I can offer some ideas for surviving—and even thriving—after great loss.In the space of a decade, I lost several members of my family, including my husband, brother and son. Some days it felt like a battering ram of grief was aimed directly at my gut; others, like I was a bowling pin, barely reset only to have another ball knock me down.As a chaplain at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, with years of experience working with grieving families, I thought I should be able to handle this. But I couldn't—not without seeking help and spiritual reflection, as well as connecting to other people through a grief recovery group.Coming back to lifeHere are a few things that rejuvenated my soul and helped me find my way back to living fully again.1. Read something positive every morningIt might be scriptures, poetry or just something funny, but I find that starting the day with positive input helps my perspective. Waiting until afternoon or night doesn’t have the same effect. Jump-starting the day with something energizing or inspiring helps me focus on what I have, not what I’ve lost. I end every reading session with a prayer for strength, and that seems to help, too.2. Make some major changesDuring my recovery, I had to take some time for myself and take care of myself. In my case that meant taking time off from a stressful job and admitting I could not continue working as a chaplain focused on people near the end of life and their loved ones. It meant learning to accept that occasional waves of tears were natural healing agents to be welcomed, not avoided. It meant there were days when I would lapse back into deep sadness. Eventually, I sought out professional counseling, which proved invaluable.3. Find a grief recovery group that fits youI stumbled upon the bookThe Grief Recovery Handbookby Russell Friedman and John W. James. First, I worked through the handbook’s method informally with a friend, then I trained at The Grief Recovery Institute with Russell Friedman to be a certified group facilitator. I began to offer an outreach program in groups at work and church. The method worked for me because it helped me look at all my life's losses, my patterns of dealing with them and the points at which I was getting stuck.4. Find a recovery method you trustUsing the Grief Recovery Outreach Program method,I identified the relationship that was causing me the most emotional pain, and learned that I needed to complete any unfinished communications with that person in order to move on with my life.I was able to make peace with the suicide of my brother partly by writing a letter to him that included all my pent-up feelings about our relationship and his death. Surrounded by the love and support of our group, I read the letter aloud and felt a remarkable wave of release and pure joy. I was finally able to disassociate from the pain of his suicide, and be thankful once more for his life.5. Suspend disbeliefIt helped me greatly to imagine that I would stay spiritually connected to those who "lift off," as my son Jonathan described his impending death. I noticed not long after my father died that when I was feeling dejected and missing him, a cardinal would fly over or pause on a branch above me. It happened so frequently I came to see cardinals as messengers from my father.Jonathan knew about this and promised that, once he was gone, he would send a blue jay as his messenger of love and encouragement. (There are two blue jays playing in my birdbath this morning as I write this.)6. Find fun againDuring my grieving, I spent several months being a morose couch potato. That could have continued indefinitely, because people assumed I might not be ready. And they were often right. But I needed to get out, and I really appreciated the ones who let me invite myself to join in whatever they were doing. For example, I put myself “up for adoption” for the first Christmas after my husband died, and I had a lovely time in Birmingham, Alabama, with a best friend’s extended family.7. Embrace lifeC.S. Lewis wrote, "To grieve is to know you have loved and loved well." That is true, and grief is, as theGrief Recovery Handbookdefines, "the normal reaction to loss." But living happy is, I would add, the normal reaction tolife...one that is possible to achieve even during times of grief. One graduate of the grief group said it perfectly, when we were all sharing our main takeaway from the program: "I learned that I didn't die—he did, and I want toliveagain!" I claimed his theory for my own, and life is good.

Self-Care

Quiz: Are You Sabotaging Your Self-Esteem?

When we think about “talking to yourself,” we might imagine a strange person rambling out loud in a public place.That voice in your headBut we all have an inner monologue, and for some of us, we wish it weren’t quite so chatty! These voices are as normal and natural as can be. This phenomenon is called self-talk, and it can dramatically impact our feelings, thoughts, mood and behaviors in both positive and negative ways.Cognitive behavioral therapyImproving your self-talk is such an important topic that there is an entire field of study in psychology dedicated to it: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It was designed to help us retrain our thinking and improve our ability to speak to ourselves in a positive way. Because it seems to have a clear and quick effect, CBT has become one of the most popular kinds of talk therapy in the country.Those whose self-talk is mostly positive (“hey, good job!”) tend to be happier, more productive and have higher self-esteem. Those who are flooded with negative ruminations tend to be more depressed and angry, less productive, and have lower self-esteem.This quiz will help you assess whether you are skewing positive or negative; find your results at the end.Take the quiz:A.1. If a friend cancels lunch with me at the last minute, I assume that person is angry with me even if he or she never said so.OR2. If a friend cancels lunch with me at the last minute, I imagine he or she is sorry because I am confident that friends enjoy my company.B.1. I tend to be hard on myself. I might be self-critical or overly judgmental about my appearance, behaviors or feelings.OR2. I tend to cut myself slack in difficult situations, and I try to accept my shortcomings and view them as opportunities for growth rather than flaws.C.1. If a friend is angry with me about something, I might think of even more things he or she might be angry about.OR2. When I have a conflict with someone, I think calming thoughts and remind myself that I am a good person and that things will be OK no matter what happens.D.1. I know my weaknesses and think about them often.OR2. I know my weaknesses, but try to focus on my strengths.E.1. I have been known to overthink things to the point of upsetting myself unnecessarily.OR2. I tend not to overthink things because I feel comfortable and/or confident in my initial decisions.F.1. When I am challenged by adversity, I tend to feel hopeless and/or powerless.OR2. When I am challenged by adversity, I tend to feel strong and able to tackle the challenge.G.1. I don’t typically compliment myself, even privately or in my own mind.OR2. I am able to compliment myself and receive compliments.H.1. When I feel angry, sad or afraid, I panic because it’s hard to help myself feel better.OR2. When I feel angry, sad or afraid, I am OK with it because I know the tools to manage those feelings.I.1. If people could play a tape of my mind, they would be surprised that my thoughts are as negative as they are.OR2.If people could play a tape of my mind, they would view me as a positive person.J.1. I am kinder to others than I am to myself.OR2. I am as kind or kinder to myself than I am to others.Next, add up the numbers from your answers:1–10:Your mind tends to be filled with an excessive amount of negative self-talk, which can be emotionally burdening. Try to work toward being nicer to yourself and making your thoughts more positive. Perhaps try to take extra time out to look for the good in yourself and in situations. Make an extra effort to listen to your self-talk so that you can identify what is causing the moments of dread or fear and attempt to shift your perspective and see things from a more objective point of view.10-20: In general, you have good skills when it comes to positive thinking. You tend to be great at encouraging yourself and speaking to yourself in an affirmative and healthy way. When you hear yourself becoming negative, stop yourself and see if you can look at the situation (or judgment) from a different, more positive perspective.Stacy Kaiser, the author ofHow to Be a Grown Up: The Ten Secret Skills Everyone Needs to Know, is asuccessful licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert and media personality.For more on Stacy, go toStacyKaiser.com.

Self-Care

30 Days of Creativity

Pick and choose your favorite ideas from our list of things to do, watch, read, contemplate…and share! 1. “There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” —Sophia Loren 2. Attend an art party. 3. Listen to “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane. 4. Read Where the Wild Things Areby Maurice Sendak. 5. Watch The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. 6. “Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” —Pablo Picasso 7. Write a haiku. 8. Listen to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album. 9. Read Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creativeby Austin Kleon. 10. Watch Fantasia. 11. “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.” —Dr. Seuss 12. Start a new hobby—something that is totally different for you. 13. Listen to Tori Amos’ Unrepentant Geraldines album. 14. Read Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Inventionby Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. 15. Watch Big Fish. 16. “The idea is not to live forever; it is to create something that will.” —Andy Warhol 17. Build a treehouse with your family. 18. Listen to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. 19. Read The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Noticeby Todd Henry. 20. Watch The LEGO Movie. 21. “Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.” —Yo-Yo Ma 22. Write a family song. 23. Make a family cookbook. 24. Read The Everyday Work of Art: Awakening the Extraordinary in Your Daily Lifeby Eric Booth. 25. Watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 26. “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” —Henry David Thoreau. 27. Have a campout in your living room. 28. Read Imagine: How Creativity Worksby Jonah Lehrer. 29. Watch Creative Galaxy. 30. Paint a self-portrait. What sparks your creativity? Let us know, below, or on our Facebook page.

Well-Being

Do You Carry Emotional Baggage?

As a grown-up, it is your jobto take responsibility for your emotional wellbeing. You have complete, total control andpower over one person—yourself—soyou are responsible for every area of your life, including feelings you carrywith you on a daily basis that could be affecting more than you realize."You're gonna have to carry that weight ..."We all travel through life with baggage, whichevolves from painful, harmful or negativeexperiences and from interactions thatcaused a significant emotional reactionwithin you. These feelings continue toshape who you are, how you think, thechoices you make and the actions youtake now.Can it fit in the overhead compartment?There are two main types ofbaggage: what you see and are well aware of (excess), and what you don’tsee and aren’t aware of (hidden). Thebaggage you see but choose not toacknowledge or unload can become a problem. Your choice to ignore itmeans that for some reason you areallowing it to interfere with your life,your relationships and your future.The interesting thing about excess baggageis that it becomes almost comfortable tocarry. It’s as if you become so used tocarrying this extra weight that youdon’t realize how much more you couldsee and do if you were carrying alighter load.Hidden baggageHidden baggage, or the type youmay not even be aware of, is equallydangerous because it can sneak up onyou and ambush you out of nowhere.This kind of baggage can trick you intotolerating a job that works you countlesshours for low pay and no appreciation.It might lead you to stay close to aself-centered friend who talks your earoff because you’ve “always beenquiet anyway.”Emotional baggage is driven by negativefeelings such as anger, fear andsadness. You may be thinking,“How did I end up like this?” “It’s notmy fault," “My life isn’t fair," or "Things like this always happen to me."These underlyingfeelings can lead to a desire to act outor remain passive.The power to get rid of the baggagecomes from knowing where itstems from and askingyourself these important questions:“Assuming I can choose to behave anyway I want, do I like the way I ambehaving?”; “Should I or others have tosuffer because of my past?”; and “CanI manage painful or uncomfortableemotions by committing tobehaving differently?”Take a reality checkA good start toward addressing yourbaggage is to have a present-day realitycheck. When your immediate reactionto an experience is anger, fear orsadness, stop. Analyze the feeling. Areyou upset (or fearful, humiliated orshocked) by what just happened orwhat someone said because of its effecton your life now? Or have those wordsor actions triggered something fromyour past that will cause you to feel orreact out of proportion to what actuallyoccurred today?Get rid of that old baggageNow, I want you to turn your innerbaggage into outer baggage. To do this,make a list of the critical ways yourbaggage has impacted you. Write downthings like: “I was neglected as a child,so I have relationships where I amneglected”; “My parents escaped frompain by overindulging in food/alcohol/drugs, and I do the same”; or “I havealways feared failing, so I don’t put mybest foot forward with my family,friends or job.”Take this list and put itin your purse, backpack or briefcase.Carry it wherever you go—I mean, youdo anyway—only this time, carry it onpaper to remind you of where it allcame from.Once you do this, only then will youreally understand how the baggage you’vebeen carrying day in and day out has beenholding you back from maximizing yourpotential.Literally, let it goAfter 30 days of literally carrying your baggage around in your bag, it's time to make a symbolic gesture to let it all go. Take the list out of your purse, say out loud "I'm letting this emotional baggage go." Then you can either burn it in the fireplace or tear it into little pieces and throw it in the trash—thus symbolically gesturing that you are releasing the emotional baggage and moving forward, less weighted down by the past.

Self-Care

7 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

It’s not breaking news that eating healthier can contribute to our happiness, but when you're working with limited funds, it’s easy to get sticker shock in the organic section. If you’re on a tight budget, it can seem impossible to afford the good stuff. Here are seven ideas that will help you shop, cook and eat healthy without breaking the bank. 1.Get with the (meal) plan Having a meal plan ensures that there are tasty and healthy options readily available. Although the long-term financial benefits of a healthy diet are huge, there are immediate monetary payoffs to meal planning as well. First, “cheap” fast food meals aren’t all that cheap when compared to a far more nutritious home-cooked dinner. Also, planning meals ahead also saves on the cost of waste. (We’ve all seen produce meet an untimely death in the back of the crisper.) Thinking ahead—and cooking ahead, such as making a large pot of stew or soup on the weekend that you can eat all week—is well worth it when it comes to healthy eating. 2. Let an app do it for you Meal planning can be tedious: finding recipes, making shopping lists....Today, a number of apps will do the work for you; many are inexpensive and some are free: Plan to Eat is under $5 per month and Pepperplate is free. Cook Smarts ($6-8/month) even provides a meal plan for you each week that can be modified based on your dietary preferences, including gluten-free, vegetarian and paleo. 3. Go fresh, go local Buying fresh, organic produce in the supermarket can add up quickly, but sticking mainly with what’s in season will save you money. When you buy apples in summer, they are shipped in from New Zealand or Chile and may cost more (not to mention the effect on the environment). Likewise, eggplants in winter are shipped in and will be less fresh and tasty, as well as more expensive. It’s definitely better to buy organic when possible, but if the cost is prohibitive, it’s better to buy non-organic fruits and vegetables than to forgo them altogether. If you can, purchase your in-season produce at a farmers market near you. One study done in Vermont showed an average of almost 40 percent savings on organic produce at farmers markets versus grocery stores. Another option to make saving even easier is joining a co-op or CSA Farm Community-Supported Agriculture), many of which will deliver locally grown, organic produce right to your doorstep, saving not only money, but time, too. If you are an omnivore, many farmers markets, CSAs and local farms are great resources for saving big on eggs and hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats. 4. The big chill Frozen vegetables will save you cold, hard cash and also taste a lot better than the canned variety. They are fantastic when you are in a pinch and need a quick, healthy side dish. Heat them up and add some olive oil and salt and pepper, if you like. Buying good quality, minimally processed frozen fish and chicken breasts can also save money and time; if you have these healthy proteins on hand, you are less likely to resort to fast food. And because frozen items last longer, there is much less risk of waste. 5. Rice and beans, a magical combination Brown rice is a powerhouse of nutrients, including B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, protein and fiber, to name a few. And at less than 15 cents for one half-cup serving of organic brown rice, it’s also a boon for those seeking a bargain. Make a large batch and store leftovers in the fridge for use during the week in a quick stir-fry, side dish, or even rice pudding for breakfast. (For those who know of brown rice’s benefits but still prefer the taste of white, no need to worry—white rice is still nutritious as well as inexpensive.) Beans and rice taste great together, but more important, they make a complete protein. Beans are chock-full of fiber, B vitamins and minerals. A one-pound bag of dried beans will only set you back about $1 and makes 10-12 servings! Whipping up some red beans and rice, or sautéing cooked lentils with seasoned spinach or kale are a couple of great ways to make a budget-friendly meal that is both tasty and healthy. 6. Meatless Mondays Most omnivores find they can sink their teeth into a hearty veggie- and grain-based meal at least once per week. Because meat is often the priciest ingredient in recipes, by going meatless on Monday (or any other day), you are not only improving your health, but your balance sheet, too. Black bean burgers and lentil tacos are delicious and filling, and mushrooms have a meaty texture that is sure to satisfy cravings. 7. Pack it in With Americans spending an average of close to $1,000 yearly on lunch (and some spending up to $5,000), brown-bagging it more often is a great way to save money and gain nutrition. Without much extra effort, packing up your healthy leftovers into individual portions makes it easy to throw together a midday meal to take to the office or heat up at home. Your co-workers will be green with envy.

Students at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas put everything into their art.

Self-Care

A Passion to Create

Step after step, note after note, scene afterscene, the students at Dallas’ Booker T.Washington High School for the Performingand Visual Artsare working,practicing and playing. Why? To make it into a famed performing arts conservatory?To win a Grammy? To dance on the biggeststage or play in the grandest hall? Yes. Following their passions These students are driven, focused andfollowing their passions. With alumni whoinclude Grammy winners Norah Jones andErykah Badu, achieving lofty goals is thenorm at the arts magnet school. And the 2013–2014 school year was noexception, with an unprecedented fivestudents accepted into the prestigiousJuilliard School. Boasting a 100 percentgraduation rate and roughly a quarter of allthe scholarship money in the DallasIndependent School District going to theschool’s students, the curriculum,integrating art and academics, is working. Prepared to create “We are not just preparing students forcareers in the arts—although many of ourstudents do go down that path—we arepreparing them to be 21st-century learnersand contributors to society,” says PrincipalScott Rudes, Ph.D. “They have theopportunity to think creatively, think ingroups and project themselves to be articulateabout what they are passionate about. Theyare not only what colleges are looking for, butwhat employers are looking for, too.” A different kind of school environment Scott says you can feel the electricitywhen you walk through the front doors;students are singing, playing instrumentsand rehearsing scenes. It’s an environmentfostering creativity, freedom, passionand engagement. “For us as educators to see thesestudents propelled into the spotlight ina variety of ways,” he says, “it reallyreaffirms the fact that schools like Booker T.Washington need to exist.”

Well-Being

4 Tips That Could Prolong Your Life

Researchis showing us that if you live apositive, happy lifestyle right now, nottomorrow or 10 years from now, barringhealth issues, you could live a longerlife than someone who approacheseach day with a negative outlook.Among the most notable researchwe’ve found on this topic comes fromEd Diener, a Gallup senior scientist andformer University of Illinois psychologyprofessor. He took an in-depthlook at more than 150 studies looking atthe connections between aging andhappiness. From one that tracked thelife spans of almost 200 baseball playerswho were smiling in photos versus thosewho weren’t, to one that studiedScandinavian twins and yet another thatanalyzed how positive 180 nuns’autobiographies were when entering theconvent, what he found was one cleartheme: Happy people tend to havelonger, healthier lives.Who lives the longest?And in an interview with theUniversity of Illinois News Bureau, hewent so far as to say that, in his opinion,the data linking positive feelings andenjoying life to longevity is strongerthan the claims that obesity reduces aperson’s life span. That’s a pretty strongbelief, but it’s one we should thinkabout. Do you have the happiness andthe positive attitude it will take to carryyou to the century mark?First, let’s define what happiness is and what it’s not: Happiness is not aboutbeing blind to the negatives in ourenvironment. Happiness is believingyou have the power to do somethingabout those negatives. If you want tocreate positive change in your life, if youwant to live a positive life, you have to first change your reality.1. Keep a journalIn just two minutes,you can actually rewire your brain,allowing it to work more optimistically and more successfully. Write downthree new things that you’re grateful foreach day for 21 days in a row. At the endof that, your brain will start scanningthe world, not for the negative, but forthe positive. Then begin journalingabout one positive experience you’vehad over the past 24 hours and allowyour brain to relive it. These kinds ofexercises teach your brain that yourbehavior matters.2. Sleep mattersOne of our favorite studiesis from a 2008 issue of the Asia PacificManagement Review, which foundthat if you memorize sets of positive,neutral and negative words and thensleep for seven to eight hours, you willremember about 80 percent of all threelists a day later. If you miss a night ofsleep and stay up, say 36 hours, youstill remember most of the neutral andnegative words, but 59 percent fewerof the positive words! This is becauseyour brain interprets a lack of sleep asa threat to the central nervous system,then goes on high alert, scanning theworld for additional threats—that is,negatives.Get seven–eight hours of sleep per night."Fatigue severely impairs ourability to see the positives in life, makingsleep not just good for your health, butalso your wellbeing. So, turn off the TV,put away the book and get seven to eighthours of shut-eye.praise and gratitude, you are doomed to a reality devoid of those things.3. Stop fighting stressNo question, stress can be detrimentalto our health. Countless books andentire research journals are dedicated tothis topic. But that’s not the entire story:In fact, there is a huge body of researchshowing that stress can enhance ourwellbeing. There exists an alternatebut equally true reality in which stressis actually good for us.Make stress work for you, not against you"First, becomeaware of the stress. Second, look for themeaning behind it. (“I’m stressed aboutthis project because I know I’ll get apromotion if I succeed.”) And third,channel your stress response to improveyour motivation. Stress is a fight-or-flight response, and when you fight orflee from it, you only make it worse.Recognize it and then channel it inpositive ways, improving both your lifeand happiness.4. Expect the best outcomeDefensive pessimism,or assuming the worst until you areproved wrong, seems like a very safeposition—that way you are neversurprised and even have a plan in place.Sounds safe, right? The problem is,your brain constructs a world based onhow you expect it to look. So if you can’tanticipate accomplishment, meaning,praise and gratitude, you are doomedto a reality devoid of those things.Say, for example, you’re running amarathon. Don’t start out by thinking about the injuries you could sustain orabout how embarrassing it would beif you didn’t finish. Instead, start by planning a training schedule, thinkingabout how good you’ll feel as yourmiles start increasing, and anticipatingthat nice dinner you and your familywill eat after the race to celebrate youraccomplishment. Expect success, andyou’ll be more likely to find it.And this is just the beginning.There are a number of ways you, too,can be happier and live a more positivelifestyle. So, put on a smile and relishevery moment.ShawnAchoris theNew York Timesbest-selling author ofThe Happiness AdvantageandBefore Happiness.Shawn recently sat down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss his steps for achieving happiness on OWN’sSuper Soul Sunday.MichelleGielanis an expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success.She formerly served as a national news anchor for CBS News, and is the founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, which works with companies and schools toraise employee engagement, productivity and happiness at work.

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