Life Filled Full

I've been scrawny my entire life. I've been told I have chicken legs, I've seen my mid-section grow while the rest of my body stayed the same. I often joke, I've got a face made for radio. For years, I didn't really have anything I liked about my body. That all changed when I started lifting and hit a major milestone. When I started in 2013, I could barely lift my body weight. But with time and effort, I got my favorite lift, the dead lift, up to over 400 lbs. So, what changed as I trained my way to a goal of a 400 lb deadlift? My body did look a little different. Bigger, more solid muscles, certainly. But, I still had lots I didn't like about how I looked. My arms were still toothpicks, my legs were still disproportionate and my stomach wasn't any smaller. The same things I didn't like about my body to begin with were still there. I did have a major mental shift though.  Even though my body had barely changed on the outside, my mind changed. I liked wha...

Every December 31, millions of people the world over celebrate the coming of the new year. We pop champagne, watch fireworks, and some of us set resolutions. Many of us start off strong on those resolutions, going to the gym daily, eating better, not buying a new pack of cigarettes, all fueled by the new year's motivation. Over time though, that motivation fades. As January rolls into February, the ambitious goals we set become a never ending treadmill. We don't feel energized by the positive change so much as burdened by hurdles we still have to face. What if there was a better way? And what if it wasn't just reaching your goal that brought you happiness, but the process of envisioning the future that made you a more positive person? I've been on the new years resolution treadmill pretty consistently for the last five years. I'd write out a number of goals, post them up in my office and try to remind myself of the positive outcome if I just stuck with them. I'v...

For the next few minutes, I'm going to play doctor, though I'm not one. We've got good news and bad news. Do you want to start with the bad news first? I hope so, because that is what we are going to do. The bad news is you may be predisposed to unhappiness. I just want you to take a second to let that sink in. Maybe its your parents, or their parents, but you were born a certain way and that may be causing these symptoms of unhappiness. It's natural and not your fault, but you may still be feeling it.  Oh, the good news. Right. The good news is, there are things you can do to change that baseline level of happiness, or unhappiness, you were born with. In fact, while around 50% of your level of happiness can be predicted by your genetics, the other 50% is, at least partially, in your control. That's good right? Well, let's take a look at the different factors of happiness to give you a deeper understanding of how you can best improve your levels of happiness. So...

Instructions Below are a number of statements about happiness. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each by entering a number in the blank after each statement, according to the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree 2 = moderately disagree 3 = slightly disagree 4 = slightly agree 5 = moderately agree 6 = strongly agree Please read the statements carefully, because some are phrased positively and others negatively. Don't take too long over individual questions; there are no "right" or "wrong" answers and none of these are trick questions. The first answer that comes into your head is probably the right one for you. If you find some of the questions difficult, please give the answer that is true for you in general or for most of the time. Those statements marked with an 'r' will be scored in reverse. The Questionnaire 1. I don't feel particularly pleased with the way I am. (r) _____ 2. I am intensely interested in other people. _____ 3....