Just published on Psych Central … “You have to decide… Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?” That’s one of the questions Randy Pausch, famous deceased Carnegie Mellon professor, asked in his presentation “The Last Lecture.” It went viral, landing him on Oprah and a host of other afternoon and late-night shows. I loved every...

In her book “The Second Neurotic’s Notebook” (what a great title!) American journalist Mignon McLaughlin wrote: “Don’t be yourself, be someone a little nicer.” I love that. And also the Dalai Lama’s advice, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”   I’m not sure if...

Twelve years ago I sat next to an Indian man at the wedding reception of Eric’s best friend. He claimed that he was trained in the art of palm reading and asked if he could read my palm. “Ahh. Very interesting,” he said. He furrowed his brows as he read my life line (the wide...

This is a piece from my archives. But it’s a good reminder of my brick walls today. “Brick walls are there for a reason,” said Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor who so poignantly taught us how to die in the years after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. “They let us prove...

I carry a few different business cards in my purse. Because I never know what conversation I will have with a stranger at any given time. A month ago I fetched cream for my coffee at a café in South Bend, Indiana. Naturally my family didn’t know a soul in the joint. However, by the...