- new words for happiness and love I’ve been tracking a bunch of lovely, evocative words that have no English equivalent for a while. There’s a joy to learning these “loanwords”. They remind us that there are still things out there that remain undiscovered, unencapsulated. This naivety to the human experience comes as a nice relief. I think also we enjoy the more
- Each of us is responsible for everything I’ve been reading Simone De Beuvoir’s The Blood of Others. It’s a grating read. It cuts to the pain of an ethical quandary that I feel should grate at us all – are we responsible for everything? Or should we just take care of ourselves? It goes to the heart of existentialist angst – the more
- Why my battle to tame my wandering is a good one A thought. I was reading the follow-up to a wellbeing study I’d heard about ages ago that uses a phone app to track real-time moments in happiness. Psychologist Matthew Killingsworth who put the project together tracked daydreaming as well. And found this: Daydreaming is not good for well-being. Which surprised me, and it might you. more
- happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens I’m facing a big challenge at the moment. It’s something that’s been building up for a while: finding out what life is like – and what I’m like – when there is no “something next”. When nothing is about to happen. Boy. What would that feel like? I’m always onto something next. Surely I’d be more
- are you all dress rehearsal, no play? It’s hit me just recently: this is the rest of my life. This awareness has arisen because I’ve had to face a few realities lately. I’ve led my life thinking it would look a certain way: high school, uni, work, husband, house (that I’d build with a view into bushland), things to own, kids with more
- a *fresh* technique for working out your life values This week in Sunday Life I find my sweet spot It always surprises me when I come back as a “glass half full” type in aptitude tests because there are few people more down on positive thinking than me. I blame it on vision boards. Seriously, those silly craft projects geared at manifesting husbands and more
- I find what happy women get right This week in Sunday Life I’m unbalanced I believe I’ve found the very latest first-world lament. “I’m so sick of trying to get enough ‘me time’,” my friend Sal shared over the phone during the week. “I think it’s easier just to be overcommitted and be done with it. Know what I mean?” I would’ve more
- how’s this new happiness trick: do the opposite This week in Sunday Life I do the opposite George Costanza is not one of life’s most inspired or bountiful contributors. But there are two things I give him full props for: the under-the-desk nap (I employed it during my newspaper days doing the 4am shift; the trick is to pull the swivel chair in more
- my Sunday Night interview with the Dalai Lama I interviewed His Holiness for Sunday Night on Channel Seven. Here it is… I mentioned on Twitter at the time…afterwards I was in the hotel lobby working on my laptop and he and his entourage bustled by. HH gave me a double thumbs up and a wink. Life highlight. The next day he blessed me more
- the scientific reason why smiling works This week in Sunday Life I smile Recently reader Richard wrote to say he didn’t like that in the photos of me as a kid (I believe he’d been Facebook-stalking my family albums) I’m always scowling. Well, thank you Dick for noticing such a detail. And, heck, you’re right! I’ve always hated having my picture more
