Social scientists have found that the fastest way to feel happiness is to practice gratitude.

We rigidify our self-image to portray a certain identity to the world, which is one of the key impediments to authenticity.

The more we ignore our emotions, the more likely they are to wield a powerful influence over us.

Younger people tend to associate happiness more with excitement and the future, while older people tend to associate happiness with peacefulness in the present.

Feeling good about your life, but not expressing a heartfelt 'thank you,' is like wrapping a gift for someone and never giving it to them.

I do interview senior candidates at the home office or many of our hotel or restaurant General Manager candidates. My two favorite questions are "Tell me about a failure in your career, what you learned from it, and how you've leveraged this lesson" and "All of us are misperceived at one time or another. What's the most common way you're misperceived in the workplace and why?" Both of these questions require a certain amount of self-awareness and a willingness to not give pat, normal answers that we offer experience in interviews.

Social scientists have found that the fastest way to feel happiness is to practice gratitude.