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There is nothing like four days in the hospital to make you reflect on life.  Life as we know it tends to stop and our attention is brought directly into the moment: our health, our emotions, our relationships. That is what happened to me over the past week. Not what I thought I...

Two books that have stayed on my must-read list are “Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman” by Alice Steinbach and “A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman” by Joan Anderson. Although I read these books many years ago, they left an impact on me....

Having regrets is not unusual, yet studies show how as we get older we can regret having regrets. Having regrets means our expectations to be perfect and do everything right sets us up for more regrets. We often spend too much time worrying about doing the right thing rather than...

Most of us can remember being talked about in high school and how it can make us doubt ourselves. That feeling does not always end in high school. I recently heard some people talking negatively about me. It hurt me for a moment. I felt like I was in high school again, then I...

What a week—the losses of two incredible, well known people through suicide: Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain. Both Kate and Anthony appeared to be full of life, having it all, wealth, travel, success, and admiration. Yet they both struggled with depression. So often we think...

Whenever you’re having a bad day, bad week or even a bad month, it’s easy to get stuck in our own stuff. At these times, remember to adjust your attitude, as most of these things that are making life bad in that moment do not really matter in the long term. They are usually just...

Most of us do not realize the power of the brain and how much influence it has on our lives. At last month’s Newport Beach Film Festival, I watched a documentary called “My Tourette’s.” This film followed five people through a new form of treatment for Tourette’s, which has long...

We are so fortunate to have the Newport Film Festival here every year. It is my favorite time of year. Every year I get to review some of the films that are going to be shown. The three documentaries that I selected this year are three of my favorite topics in life: people...

We all want pleasure. It feels good. We are biologically built to search for pleasure. What we need to understand is that there is a large difference between pleasure and happiness. Pleasure is fleeting, happiness is sustainable.  It’s easy to misunderstand these two emotions. We...

I met an incredible man named Dr. Rajagopal at a screening of a film called “Hippocratic,” which told the story of Dr. Rajagopal’s life. So what is so special about this doctor from India? Gandhi: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Dr. Rajagopal...

Life can be very confusing at times—even tragic, sad and hard to understand. Maybe it’s a divorce, the loss of a love, death, health issues, harm caused by another person. Yet life can also be wonderful where the kindness of others gives us hope, joy and purpose. Rather than...

Sometimes it’s hard to make sense of the world. With so many tragedies happening, from school shootings and the issues in Syria to the breakdown of our families, how do we hold a positive stance about our own lives and others? How do we continue to have hope for future...

“You just have to keep flossing.” That’s what one of my clients told me. Sometimes life is like that. You just have to keep flossing, keep getting out of bed, and keep opening the blinds.  These basics in life are essential to keep doing because our challenges sometimes feel like...

Writer Isabel Allende says “Give, give, give – what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don’t give it away? Of having stories if I don’t tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don’t share it? I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it. It is in...

In 1997, psychologist Arthur Aron experimented with how to make two people fall in love with each other in an hour. He actually succeeded. How did Aron do this? He found that if he asked 36 specific questions to two strangers and had them answer honestly, by the end of an hour...

A New Year is upon us. Doesn’t it seem like last year went by too fast? Time goes by if we make something of it or not. Time is so easy to let pass, and then we wonder where it went. I know for me this last year had its challenges, but even our challenges show we are moving,...

Remember the story of Aladdin and his three wishes? Laguna Playhouse is presenting a fun twist to the tale called “Aladdin’s Winter Wishes.” I have not laughed that hard in a long time, yet within the humor, the sassy dance moves and hip music, there were some thought provoking...

There are two reactions I get from people regarding the holidays. Number one: “I can’t wait for the holidays and seeing my family.” Number two: “I can’t wait for the holidays to be over.” Relationships can be very complicated at this time of year, even the best ones.  Stress can...

Life can be so beautiful and so tragic. It’s often difficult to make sense of these extremes. No matter what happens in life, ultimately our attitude and our ability to pick up the pieces is key. We can see the beauty daily around us, but only if we are truly open to seeing it....

Have you heard about the story of the black dot?  If not, here is an abridged version: A professor gave his students a surprise test.  He tells the students to write about what they see on the paper he has passed out, which only showed a black dot. All of the students wrote about...