Music for Your Weekend

OK Go - "I Won't Let You Down"

Happy Life

Music for Your Weekend

Haerts - "Call My Name"

Music for Your Weekend

Available on iTunes.

The State of Education in the U.S.

Think U.S. public schools need reform? Check out Finland. (Yes, Finland.)

Yesterday

No Excuses

Stress

Weekend Retreat

Music for Your Weekend

Susan Ashton - "Thief"

No Coffee?

Life is Too Short

Robin Williams, 1951-2014

Resources for those in crisis:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Mental Health America

Keller (Texas) Counselors Association

Wisdom from a Rich Man

Thoughts on business and life from Sir Richard Branson.

Hand Power

Did you know that, "if your finger was the size of the Earth, you could feel the difference between houses and cars?" (Mark Rutland, Professor of Surface Chemistry at KTH Royal Institue of Technology)

Our hands are extraordinarily sensitive, therefore providing our brains with all kinds of information. In addition to communicating information to our own brains, our hands are a powerful tool for communication to others. This is evident in obvious ways, such as affectionate touch or obscene gestures. But even the position of our palms can be subtly communicating something to others, as suggested in the video above.

Midweek Snack

A Different Perspective

Positive Thinking

How to Be a Champion

More Thoughts on Freedom

Freedom

From Crappy to Happy in 1 Easy Step

Have you noticed the ridiculous number of how-to articles with a specified number of steps? "How to Find Love in 4 Simple Steps." "How to Replace a Faucet in 6 Easy Steps." "5 Steps to a Thinner You!"

Heck, there's even the Texas two step! Repeat steps 1 and 2 over and over, and you're considered a dancer!

There is a method to this madness. We, the readers, are naturally attracted to numbered steps. It makes difficult things sound simple. It makes the unachievable sound achievable. We're probably all suckers for it.

So, in the spirit of following a trend that has been proven to work, I offer up my first how-to list. If you're feeling crappy, and you want to feel happy, here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Follow your gut.

That's it. Seems simple enough, right?

The bad news, of course, is that it's not quite that simple. Why? Because we have the sometimes unfortunate condition of being human. We possess things like logic, and reason, and fear, and doubt. Properly utilized, these things serve as great tools. Improperly used, they become obstacles. We argue with ourselves about why our gut is wrong. And we're pretty good at it. The only problem is, our gut is often right! But we frequently miss out because we assume the "thinking" side of us knows better than the "feeling" side of us.

What is the point of all this? Pay more attention to your gut, your instinct, your intuition. It's very often correct. It's why you're told to go with your first response when taking a multiple-choice test. Going back and changing an answer is frequently the wrong thing to do. We start thinking about our answer, some doubt creeps in, and we convince ourselves that a different answer is actually the correct one.

So don't overanalyze. Learn to go with your gut. It's usually the right thing to do!

Weekend Retreat

Music for Your Weekend

Mat Kearney - "Ships in the Night"

Keep Climbing

First Step

Embrace Stress

Don't Underestimate Yourself

This scares me!

What kind of world do we live in that signs like this are necessary? I first saw signs similar to this years ago in the mountains of Colorado. It was funny, at first. Then I started wondering who would actually need such a sign! Scary thought!

Food and Exercise

Life Cures

Advice for Life

Midweek Snack

Do this, and start today!

Music for Your Weekend

JJ Heller - "I Dream of You"

Free Courses from Leading Universities

If "learning" and "free" are words that get you excited, check this out! edX (yes, that's the name) offers online courses for no cost. As in zero. As in free.

What you won't get is a degree. You can only audit courses (no credit). You can, however, receive a Certificate of Achievement to prove that you've completed the course. This could be useful in trying to get ahead in your career, etc.

Here are some of the schools that participate:

• Harvard University
• The University of Texas
• Berklee College of Music
• Berkeley University of California
• Cornell University
• Dartmouth
• Caltech
• Georgetown University
• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Kyoto University
• And others...

You can find all the details at www.edx.org.

Mustaches

Midweek Snack

It's Up to You

What Dads Contribute

Happy Father's Day!

Music for Your Weekend

Kina Grannis - "My Own"

Years

Midweek Snack

Life got you down?

If you feel like this, it might be time to take action.

If you'd like assistance and live in the Fort Worth area, contact me,

or check out www.kellercounselors.com for other options.

Do It Now

Happy National Donut Day!

Get your free donuts for Donut Day 2014!

Midweek Snack

Rules to Live By

Don't be afraid to be laughed at...

Midweek Snack

Music for Your Weekend

Ray LaMontagne - "Supernova"

Midweek Snack

Your Journey

Make a Change

How to Make People Like You

Start the week off right! Here are some tips to be a more likable person!

Source: Time.com

For Mother's Day...

I challenge you to read this and maintain dry eyes: Gordon Keith: Shell of a former self

If you know who Gordon Keith is and you're not a fan, you might be inclined to not click on the link. I suggest you do it anyway. I think you'll agree it was worth it.

Music for Your Weekend

NeedtoBreathe - "The Heart"

Break Free!

Big Plans

Finding Yourself

Sometimes people seek counseling in an effort to "find themselves." In that case, I am not unlike the search party in the above scenario. Essentially, I'm helping you find you!

Midweek Snack

Monday, Monday

And for those of you who now have The Mamas & The Papas stuck in you head, my apologies...

Unless you consider that a good thing... in which case, you're welcome!

Music for Your Weekend

Us and Our Daughters - "Honey"

Quotes

Weekend Retreat

Music for Your Weekend

Elenowen - "No Such Thing As Time"

Good for You

What's good for your heart is good for your brain. A healthy body contributes to healthy thinking. Read this upwave.com article to learn about foods to eat and foods to avoid. (I've got dark chocolate covered in my office. You're on your own for the rest!)

Does ADHD exist?

In an article on Time.com, Dr. Richard Saul, a behavioral neurologist, suggests that ADHD, as popularly understood in today's society, does not exist. Certainly controversial, his perspective is worth considering. I happen to agree that ADHD is frequently misunderstood and misdiagnosed. In my practice, I encourage parents to seek second (or more) opinions before medicating their children for ADHD. I likewise encourage adults with an ADHD diagnosis to consider a second medical opinion and/or treatments to reduce or eliminate the need for medication.

An exaggeration, but probably true all too often...