Appreciation is like looking through a wide-angle lens that lets you see the entire forest, not just the one tree limb you walked up on.

At that elusive moment when we transcend our ordinary performance and feel in harmony with something else-whether it's a glorious sunset, inspiring music or another human being-our studies have shown that what we are really coming in sync with is ourselves. Not only do we feel more relaxed and at peace, but this entrained state increases our ability to perform well and offers numerous health benefits.

The greatest gift a parent can give a child during all the ups and downs of life is love.

Appreciation is like looking through a wide-angle lens that lets you see the entire forest, not just the one tree limb you walked up on.

When you're in the grip of frustration, love can seem pretty much out of the question. Care is going to be a stretch. But appreciation is easy-even if it starts out kind of snide like, "I appreciate the fact I haven't fallen flat on my face ... yet." After a couple of stabs at it, you're going to stumble across one that sincerely touches you. Maybe it's your friends, your partner, your loved ones. One strong dose of appreciation can turn your perceptions around 180 degrees.

Physiologically, it simply doesn't matter whether your anger is justified or not. The body doesn't make moral judgements about feelings; it just responds.

When I start appreciating, I look at it like business. I start by appreciating life itself. After all, life is really a gift. It might not always seem like that's true, but it is. If nothing else, it's a gift of discovery. So I appreciate that!