“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall …”

No, this isn’t about Snow White but maybe we can learn something from her. It is interesting when I stop thinking about wellness for the “other guys” and take a look in the mirror at those of us who write these periodic essays. I feel good about what Dr. Wagner has created and what we’re doing to make this website a fulfilling experience for those who visit and read our essays. But just the fact that we are creating interesting and guiding notes from our own lives means we ourselves are practicing wellness and increasing our own wellbeing.

Ever since I met Dr. Wagner back in 1967 I have been impressed with his devotion to education and continuing self-improvement. I can’t recall a time in …

Raphaela

“Never saw the sun shining so bright

Never saw things going so right

Noticing the days hurrying by

When you’re in love, my how they fly.”

Her name is Raphaela.

Irving Berlin’s wonderful melody had it right even though Wellbeing wasn’t quite in the literature the same way as it is today. It took Rath and Harter, in their book, Well Being, to point out the huge impact relationships have on our well-being. They start their section on Social Wellbeing this way: “When you reflect on the most memorable events, experiences, and moments in your life, you’ll notice that they have something in common: the presence of another person” (p.33). Later on, they explicitly tag it to our health this way: “There is something about …

Wellbeing Adopting Can Bring Happiness to Your Life

Thanks to Jerry Wagner for the opportunity to be involved with such a select group of people. Thanks also to him for recommending the book, Wellbeing, by Rath and Harter. It is indeed well worth reading and will help us stay focused on the main issues of our website. Beyond that however, it has afforded me a chance to understand why I have adopted many of my practices over the years. I consider myself a happy person in all aspects of my life. After reading Rath and Harter I know now why I chose to adopt such practices. At the time, I did these things because, after all, they simply … felt good.  I never really looked at whether other people did the same, …