I, being a life coach in montreal and intuitive consultant who often works with clients suffering from burnout and frustation at work, was recently interviewed by The Hour Magazine in Montreal about ‘ How not to stress out about work’. Read it here and share your comments below!

Did you know that you can become happier?

Despite what you may think and despite what you may be genetically predisposed to ( ‘your happiness set point’), Sonia Lyubormirsky in the ‘How of Happiness’  reassures us that,  “the heritability of happiness’, as I’ve heard her refer to it by, is only 50% . Through her pioneering research Sonja Lyubormirsky, Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside shares with us that of the remaining 50% that does not include our happiness set point,  10% of our happiness is affected by life circumstances (marital status, job, health, finances) and 40% is the amount we can work with to increase our happiness level.  This is the good news.  40% Sonja Lyubomirsky says is the “40 percent solution”,  the amount we can work with through intentional activities to boost and increase our happiness level. So in fact the capacity to feel better is within our reach and is an important responsibility for us all, which Sonja refers to as “happiness work”. She says in her book “Pursuing happiness takes work, but consider that this “happiness work” will be the most rewarding work you ever do”. She also shares that happiness is “realizable and one of the most vital things you can do for yourself and those around you”.

Tune in to hear my conversation with Sonja Lyubormisky on Wednesday February 17th at 4pm ET and find out:

• The 12 evidence -based  happiness strategies she suggests we participate in to increase our happiness
• What determines our level of happiness
• Why we should care so much about being happier
• Happiness myths- what REALLY makes us happy

You will be glad you joined us. And I will be too!

Listen live and to the archived show here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/heart-beat.

Other shows that relate to the field of Positive Psychology can be listened to here and  include my conversation with Barb L. Fredrickson, Ph.D. author of Positivity, Dacher Keltner, author of Born to be Good and Robyn McKay, Ph.d Creativity Researcher and Positive Psychologist. All can be found and listened to here

Thank you for tuning in and enjoy! Always feel free to share your comments and questions with me. I love hearing from you and knowing how I can make the shows speak directly to you.

Are We Wired For Good?

Author and Professor of Psychology at UC Berkley Dacher Keltner kindly joined me in conversation this month on Heart Beat to discuss his new book “Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life”. We had a very compelling and enjoyable conversation about the science behind living a meaningful life (you can listen to it below).

On an intuitive level you may feel your innate goodness and know your capacity to share more of it.  You may also feel that we are all made to be good however deep inside the potential is.  Thanks to Dacher Keltner’s work, now there is scientific evidence to support your hunch and knowing, and research that suggests we are more than motivated  by self-interest and competition, according to Dacher Keltner, we are wired for good. In fact Keltner suggests our survival depends on who is the kindest.  You can listen below to find out how.

In this conversation you’ll hear about Dacher’s remarkable work  and personal experience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the importance of touch (“touching triggers trust and generosity”), laughter, prosocial emotions (love, compassion, gratitude, awe etc..) valuable and fascinating research on the importance of our vagus nerve , “which is centrally involved in compassion” (along with recommendations of how to cultivate it) and simply, how we are born to be good. I highly recommend reading “Born to Be Good”. It is personal, extremely informative, insightful and it is  research rich with a lot of heart. Keltner’s continuation of Darwin’s little known work on human emotions shows that survival is actually a matter of who is the kindest. Have a listen and find out for yourself.  Enjoy your goodness!

Dacher Keltner on Laughter (from ” Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life p.145):

” Laughter may just be the first step to Nirvana. When people laugh, they are enjoying a vacation from the conflicts of social living. They are exhaling, blowing out, and their bodies are moving towards a peaceful state, incapable of fight  or flight. People see their lives from a different point of view, with new perspective and detachment. Their laughter spreads to others in milliseconds, through the firing of networks of mirror neurons. In shared laughter people touch, they make eye contact, their breathing and muscle actions are in sync, they enjoy the realm of intimate play. Conflicts are softened, and often resolved. Hierarchies negotiated. Attraction and intimacy are created. …people move closer to one another in peaceful ways“.

You can find out more about Dacher Keltner’s work at the Greater Good Science Center here

Psychotherapist and researcher, Dr. Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, introduced the world to the ‘highly sensitive person’ and the associated traits of  high sensitivity. According to Dr. Aron  “the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.” Through her research, she discovered that between 15- 20% of the population exhibits high sensitivity. Dr. Aron explains that the traits of a highly sensitive person are innate,  normal and she also encourages HSPs to really understand and value their sensitivity. On Dr. Aron’s web site it says “Sensitivity is anything but a flaw. Many HSPs are often unusually creative and productive workers, attentive and thoughtful partners, and intellectually gifted individuals”. You can take the test designed by Dr. Elaine Aron and determine whether you have these traits and are perhaps an HSP. Self-test.

I like to stay away from labeling myself or remaining  in any one category or “group”  but nonetheless I have been intrigued by Dr. Aron’s research and insights and I do in fact  identify with the traits of a highly sensitive person. Not to mention growing up and even still today, I often hear these words ” Julie, you are so sensitive (in other words too sensitive)”.  Since learning more about what it means to be sensitive  over the years and in my continued self-discovery and research on intuition, now when I hear these words about being too sensitive, I smile back and say ” yes, I know and I’m so glad” .  Afterall, it is not who I am fully and completely but it is an important part.

There are lots of  great resources on the web pertaining to this topic. One great resource I am a member of is Jenna Avery’s Sensitive Professsionals Network. Jenna is a life coach for sensitive souls and has created a really neat professional network for sensitive professionals worldwide. Since being a member I have connected with other great professionals there. Grace Kerina is one such individual. She kindly invited me to be profiled on her web site, Highly Sensitive Power. She asked me some really interesting questions and our exchange can be found here .

May you embrace who you are more fully each day. All the best!

To no surprise, there is a lot of talk these days about  finding ways to bring more happiness, meaning and purpose in our lives.  One of the most popular courses at Harvard University, taught by Tal Ben Shahar Ph.D., is about exactly this topic; happiness and ‘the good life’.  The quest for happiness is not a new quest in the history of humankind, but it does seem to be increasingly relevant and important in this day and age and in particular  in the scientific community.

In 1998, Dr. Martin  Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, set out to focus on the science of  happiness and became instrumental in launching  a new field of psychology known as Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology is the empirical study of positive emotions and the optimal functioning of individuals and institutions. It is a branch of psychology that shifts the focus from pathology and mental illness to a focus on well-being and fulfillment.

Similar to the  Positive Psychology movement, the coaching profession is grounded in supporting and aligning individuals and organizations with their strengths, values and skills to function optimally and meaningfully. Coaching shares a  similar philosophy to Positive Psychology in that it focuses on what is working and what is right within an individual and in an organization.

In recent years, coaching  has increased in popularity so much so that it  has become one of the world’s fastest growing  professions.  Coaches, while holding a positive focus, support their clients in bringing more fulfillment and happiness into their everyday lives. Much of the coaching profession benefits from the developments in Positive Psychology, as do we all as our ever elusive quest for happiness as a society continues on.

What are your strengths? What brings you meaning in your life? What do you love to do?

Click here to watch a 23 video minute presentation on Positive Psychology by Dr. Martin Seligman at TED.