What thoughts do you allow on the stage of your mind? Thoughts are powerful things that shape our lives and largely determine our futures. They create the foundation on which our lives are built and the quality of the material used to build them. So what is the quality of your thoughts?

We fear losing it as we age. We take supplements to boost it. We buy books and listen to programs to improve it. But memory can also work against us, tying us to old beliefs, daily ratifying suspicions of self-doubt. In such cases, memory becomes insidious, eating away like tiny incessant termites gnawing at the structure of our lives. But you can stop that process beginning today. Come see!

I’m seriously considering changing the name of my blog. Have I outgrown a blog on happiness? What do you think? I deeply value my reader’s opinions. I have always paid great attention to what you have shared in the comments and am now hoping you will help me decide what direction to take now. Ultimately, the balls in my court, of course. But I value your input and am hoping to tap it.

There are saying that have become integrated into the human psyche. We accept them as truth. “A penny saved is a penny earned” or “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Such words and phrases eloquently capture time-honored wisdom. But other sayings can imprison potential and undermine possibility as we accept them at face value. Come see which phrases you’ve used recently!

Many bloggers today will tell you that you are perfect, complete and good enough as is. Is that true? Are you a project that has been finished, the last brush stroke dried, the canvas of your life complete, ready to be hung on a wall? Or is there more work to be done? If so, does that mean you’re not really good enough yet? And what does being good enough really mean anyway? And does it matter? Click on in. The answers may surprise you!

Personal growth bloggers like to motivate their readers to risk more and do more and become more, facing challenges head on and living on their own terms. Inadvertently, however, we may be guilty at times of making our readers feel guilty for living a very normal life of little moments of daily enjoyment. Never apologize for living a peaceful life of personal happiness.

Yay! I’ve been nominated for the My 7 Links blog post project. The project’s objective is to bring bloggers together to share life lessons, particularly from posts long ago settled to the bottom tiers of our dusty archives by asking us to resurrect 7 articles that fit 7 categories. Part of the project is to nominate up to 5 others for the honor. Come see some of the posts I’ve resurrected and who I nominated!

Does it sometimes feel like you’re running in circles, seemingly getting nowhere? Is procrastination a thorn in your side that just won’t go away? Come read this guest post by Farouk Radwan and learn how to beat procrastination and accomplish your biggest goals in life. The secret is deceptively simple. And so is your next step.

Are you your worst critic? Do you beat yourself up over small mistakes? Sometimes we can find it so difficult to allow ourselves the right to simply be human. We demand and expect so much of ourselves. Come read this post and see what permissions Life would grant you as you struggle to figure out the balance between self-expectations and self-acceptance.

Are you secretly longing for something more? Are there obstacles that stand in your way? Or have you fallen asleep at the wheel of your life? Well today is the time to wake up! Grab hold of the wheel, and start steering in the direction of what ticks inside your heart and soul. Now is the time. Stop waiting for things to change. And start taking action to change your life forever!

Memory is a powerful tool to provide us with direction, comfort, inspiration and even correction. Our memories can work against us or serve us. Check out my guest post at Life, for instance on that topic and click here to read how other childhood memories can serve us here on our journey through life.

There are physical cancers that destroy the body. There are also moral cancers that destroy character, self-respect and relationships of all kinds. Come read and learn the differences between character cancers and misdiagnosed character traits and how to root out the destructive cancers before they devour the characteristics and conditions of a happy life.

What do you love most in life? Do your actions reflect that love? My son taught me a valuable lesson one evening camping out in the backyard in a tent. The moment was beautiful. The lesson will be lasting. I invite you to come read (and see how amazingly adorable my son is) as you reevaluate your values and priorities at the feet of a 5-year-old little boy.

What kind of life do you want to live? Who do you want to be? What kind of family do you want to have? What goals do you want to pursue? Early one morning, I was attacked by a crazy mosquito that taught me something about life and goals and success. Come read and find out what this bug taught me and how it can help you break through the barriers in your life today.

Do you have a hero? Heroes provide us with embodied examples of the virtues we care about. They play a powerful role in our lives to inspire us to climb higher, reach further and live better lives as we see them face extreme circumstances with dignity, courage and decency. 9/11 introduced us to modern heroism. Are we inspired to live heroic lives ourselves?

Welcome to the final post in the series, Quotable Notables on Happiness. Visit the blogs of those posted and feel their spirit and inspiration. Everything the human being experiences can be measured biochemically. That’s no surprise. The revelation is that our thoughts and attitudes, what we focus our attention on over time, can change our biochemistry. Come on in and read the rest to discover ways to live happier, with more joy.

Pain is Life’s great master-teacher. It is the refiner’s fire, the heat that destroys the bacteria of life. It can burn off impurities, or it can consume and destroy. Our attitude, however, determines the outcome. But what do the trials and adversities of life teach us? What lessons are we to learn? What impurities does the heat of trial and tribulation burn off?

To forgive is to no longer feel hate or resentment for the person who has hurt you. It is to release them from the emotional bondage you keep them in. It is also to free yourself of that same bondage. It is to feel compassion for their troubled minds and hearts and replace hatred with love. It is to sincerely want the best for them. But forgiveness can be a very difficult thing to do. Check out my guest post at Steve Aitchison’s awesome blog, Change your Thoughts!

Have you ever felt sucker-punched by life? Have you felt like you were at your rope’s end? When we find ourselves buried under the weight of trial and despair, we are confronted with two mutually exclusive choices: 1) Lie down, and accept your fate, or 2) Scramble to your feet the best you can, stand as tall as you’re able, look your trial in the eyes and persevere. Come discover 5 ways you too can persevere in the face of your challenges and even become better for having endured.

When nothing stands between you and the mirror of life, you will recognize the importance of four basic components of life: 1) Your thoughts, 2) Your beliefs, 3) Your relationships and experiences, and 4) Your character. Each is crucial to your happiness. Corrupt any one of the four components and your happiness will be compromised. Period. End of story. This post explores the importance of character to a happy life.