So many self-help ideas are like meringue - you take a big bite, and there's nothing there.

I want my kids to be curious, to be interested in a lot of things, to be confident, and to feel they belong in any number of situations.

Certainly the research shows that grateful people are more innovative thinkers.

Im about as straight an arrow as youll find out there.

I sensed that my life was better when I focused on things that were working as opposed to focusing on the long list that goes wrong, but I wanted to know if there was any validity to that.

What I've learned is there's a scientifically proven phenomenon that's attached to gratitude, and that if you consciously take note of what is good in your life, quantifiable benefits happen.

When my mother passed away I was 20.