All posts tagged: productive

Igniting Your Child’s Passion

My daughter found this photo for me, and asked if I wanted it for my blog. Of course, I said. My daughter. She’s 10. She’s creative. Resourceful. Thoughtful. And Electronically savvy too. She searches for “her thing” . . . . her passion. So many kids seem to have “it” at this age, in our era of starting and choosing “a sport,” “a thing,” “a passion” — at historically unprecedented young ages. Her brother (13) has found “his thing,” she says. I look back. Yeah, I remember the first time he swung a golf club, after a wee bit of introduction, at age 7. “Wow,” I watched, in almost disbelief. He was a natural. A natural golfer. He swung that club so smoothly, so effortlessly, in what appeared to be an almost perfect golf swing. But he doesn’t love golf. Sure, he plays. Once or twice a year, joining others in an enjoyable and quite respectable 18 holes. But it’s not his love, his passion. That, he reserves, for soccer. He’s a natural athlete, mind …

Going for the Happiness Advantage (Taking My Kids Too)

New year. Happiness Advantage. High quality stuff for 2013. 2-5 minutes a day, 21 days. Founded in science. Grab on yourself, and bring along your kids. Let’s look at the science, then we’ll dive into the good stuff. First, let me credit Shawn Anchor, distinguished Harvard professor, for this. Through research, he has summed up that: Only 10% of long-term happiness comes from one’s external world . . . While 90% of long-term happiness comes from how one’s brain processes the world. As you raise your brain’s level of positivity in the present, your brain will experience the Happiness Advantage. In this state, a number of remarkable things happen. Dopamine releases throughout your system. This makes you happier . . . and it turns on all your learning centers. Your intelligence increases. Your creativity increases. Your energy levels rise. And, your brain is 31% more productive. That’s cool. That’s cool for us. And for our kids. Shawn Anchor has found (in research) that we can train our brains to reach the Happiness Advantage – and …