John Schinnerer, Ph.D. Positive Psychologist

As we transition through the holiday season, it makes good sense to talk about survival tools. How do we survive the coming onslaught of family and friends and the accompanying mistakes, failings, and misunderstandings that will inevitably follow during and after the holidays?

Self-Esteem Isn’t the Answer

Ten years ago, the answer might have been to boost everyone’s self-esteem before they come together. For decades, we have been obsessed with self-esteem.  For so long, we thought if we could just make people feel good about themselves, it would solve family problems, societal problems and psychological problems.  We’ve created programs to instill high self-esteem in our children, our students and our families.

(more…)

Sara Westbrook, Singer/Songwriter ~ Motivational Speaker

Here and there!

Do you ever feel that it is not okay to feel happy here because you want to be there?  And you feel that there is the better place to be… the place where you will reward yourself with happiness.  Do you think if you reward yourself with happiness here then maybe you will lose the determination to pursue there and ultimately there is where you want to be?  So do we use happiness as a reward?  Do we hold off on happiness so that we will work harder to achieve something and when it is achieved then we can be rewarded with happiness?

(more…)

“You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”

Accentuate the Positive is a song that ironically, was written during World War II by lyricist Johnny Mercer and Composer Harold Arlen that was made popular by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters.  Some of you may be familiar with the 1992 version by Dr. John in the movie the Mighty Ducks.  Since the song was written it has been recorded by Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, , The song was originally inspired when Mercer went to see a Preacher and early Peace advocate George Baker also known as Father Divine who did a sermon on accentuating the Positive and Eliminating the negative.  Mercer thought it made for a catchy presentation, and the rest as they say is history.

(more…)

Do You Smile Enough?

Do yourself a huge favor and take 16 minutes out of your day to watch this uplifting short video called. Do it right now - you’ll thank me afterward! Then, for extra credit, I want you to decide how you can help spread some smiles tomorrow as you go about your daily routine. 

Feel free to use the comments section on the tab to the left to share your observations on the film and/or to report on how your smile-spreading goes. Do yourself a huge favor and take 16 minutes out of your day to watch this uplifting short video called Do it right now - you’ll thank me afterward

Patrick Mathieu, Author, Life Coach, Speaker

Patrick Mathieu

www.patrickmathieu.com

Victor Sinclair PI/PMI Founder

So a couple of nights ago, my friend and colleague got me on to Twitter, as one of his recommended strategies to stay on top of the Internet…. for me it’’s more like stay in the same marathon before they close it down.   Last night I decided to try it for the first time, still having no idea what Twitter really is.  I”ve come to the conclusion, it’’s much like an organism on a far away planet that you would see in a Star Trek episode where they spend the whole episode trying to figure it out, only to get some great revelation due to Gene Roddenberry’’s brilliant script themes.   (Yes I know I should hyper link Gene Roddenberry to Wikipedia and I will once I get the knack of it.  For now it’’s all I can do to remember to go to Google and put his name in the Search to make sure I”ve spelled it correctly :>).

(more…)

How to Deal With the Constant Stress of a Battered Economy: Eight of Ten People Stressed About Money, Economy

John Schinnerer, Ph.D. Positive Psychologist

By John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Which comes first – fear or economic chaos? Companies as varied as Yahoo, American Express, and Time Inc. are laying off employees. Corporate profits are dropping. The stock market is in a chaotic panic. Housing prices have plunged. Consumer debt is on the rise. The U.S. economy is in a full blown recession, and possibly, a depression.

Money and the economy are at the top of a long list of stressors for Americans as reported in a recent study by Harris Interactive and the American Psychological Association (October, 2008). Eighty percent (80%) of Americans are stressed about the state of the economy. So how do you manage the unyielding stress that comes with difficult economic times? Identify Fear, Anxiety and Stress.

(more…)

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Patrick Mathieu, Author, Life Coach, Speaker

When something happens, the outcome is either positive or negative, right? Well, I maintain that outcomes depend entirely on your choice!

We create our realities by virtue of the meanings we assign to the happenings in our lives.  The cliché is that some people see the glass as half full and some see the same glass as half empty.  Even though that metaphor has been used over and over again, it still points to the fact that a half-glass of something has no inherent meaning until someone looks at it and decides whether it will have a positive or a negative impact on their frame of mind. We always have a choice.

(more…)

Victor Sinclair ~ PI Founder

PI/PMI Launch! Is your car or life in Neutral?

To say this Blog article will be historic is an affirmation that I am creating will only be validated by others in years to come. As you read this, you will be reading the first public writing of something that encapsulates 30 plus years of my life and also a direct concept I have been building and planning for the past 3 years. So perhaps you can imagine the thoughts going through my head, on how to make sure that this first writing will be worthy of not only the amount of thought and effort I have put into it, but more importantly, worthy of inspiring people to endorse, believe, and be a part of such a simple and yet also such a profound concept as well. I hope I do it, you and the world justice with it. Today I am writing about the first tenant of the Positive Imperative. As the universe is always expanding or contracting, so too are our thoughts and actions as they are either Positive, Neutral or Negative.

(more…)