There is a direct connection between true happiness and thinking and acting with a clear mind and kind heart.

LABELING TO CALM THE MIND Researchers in the Brain Mapping Center at the UCLA School of Medicine made a significant discovery about the value of using words to label fearful circumstances. When subjects in an experiment were shown faces with expressions of anger or fear, the fear centers in their brains showed increased blood flow, indicating that

Years later, a school teacher myself, I would try to have my students not only take in important information by reading or hearing, but also by discussing it, drawing it, and writing about it. The more senses that were involved, the deeper the material was absorbed.

When you feel overwhelmed by an intense emotion: Look around you for something in the moment to appreciate.

In written Chinese the characters for “busy” are “heart” plus “killing.”

The stories that limit you or free you are really all in your mind, and you can change them. I often give students a “prescription” to help in the process. Sometimes I write it down on a piece of paper and suggest they carry it in their wallet. “Whenever you find yourself getting reactive, withdrawn, or confused,” I tell them, “remember that you

When you let go of how you think things should be, you can respond to challenging situations with openness and flexibility, imagining options and alternatives that can’t arise in a contracted mind.

REFRAMING GOOD AND BAD Living with integrity is a practical strategy for awakening joy. It’s also considered a “skillful” one, because it makes our lives work better. In Buddhist teachings, thoughts and actions are not categorized as good or bad but rather as “skillful” and “unskillful.” To be skillful means to think and act in ways motivated by

Noticing when you’re acting with mixed motivations can help you sort out which ones you want to cultivate.