BACON BITS with Master Happiness

I ate way too much at Thanksgiving dinner. I fought through the mild uncomfortableness and filled my plate a second time. I asked myself, “Why do we feel that it is important to overindulge on the abundance of unnecessary everything?” And then I went and piled on too much dessert. We tend to overdo it on too many things. We work too hard to save for the next must-have, quickly forgotten tool, toy,...

It’s that time of year again when we talk about being grateful. It’s wonderful that we put emphasis on this feeling, this time each year. But we should really take time to be grateful year-round. Being grateful is a personal experience. We should look back at the people and circumstances that have helped us grow and prosper and be thankful. But the next step is just as important. Showing appreciat...

Philosophy is the “Love of Wisdom” and is defined as the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. It is about trying to figure things out and always asking, “WHY?” Philosophy was born out of curiosity, a little fear, and an unquenchable craving to understand. Over time, philosophy led to mathematics and science. It...

Life can be scary. There are so many unknowns - death, disaster, failure, famine, in-laws, and more! Our families should give us comfort, our community should make us feel safe, and our work should make us feel appreciated. We spend so many hours of the week, so many weeks of the year, and so many years of our life working; why work somewhere where you don’t feel safe? A Harvard Business Review st...

There are many reasons why we hate to say, “NO.” It probably started with our parents teaching us to show others respect. And as we grew and made friends of our own, we realized the need for reciprocity. Now between guilt and desire for advancement over the go-getters, we find that it is harder and harder to decline a request. Here are some of the reasons we can’t say NO! B – Busy Being Benevolent...

It is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we take in information through ALL our senses. Therefore, there is more to attraction than meets the eye. We are attracted to many things that we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch. But there is even more to it than that. We are always seeking balance in life and looking for what brings us a sense of safety and comfort. We all have yearning...

Special guests Linda and Cricket give us some incredible insight! Have you ever felt the crash after a high-energy experience? Anxiety and worry can be as mentally exhausting as participating in or anticipating an exciting event or physical act. And when the event that triggered these feelings is over, your whole body may just want to collapse. To Worry is to give way to anxiety or uneasiness; to...

Hyenas, Horses, and Humans. Hyenas are scavengers. Their motivation is strictly survival. They will hunt if they need to but are happy with someone else’s leftovers. This is the most basic of all motivation. Domesticated horses are motivated by a carrot dangling in front of them or a stinging stick behind them. Reward and punishment are the motivational strategy still used today on animals and emp...

Like, Love, and Lust, we often use these words synonymously and incorrectly. But worse than that, we are often confused about the way we feel and the words we use to describe those feelings. We sometimes think that we love what we really like or lust for and sometimes we lust for things that we don’t even like. It is important to understand the meanings and the feelings behind each word. It’s the...

Like cooking, we are always either Tasting, Basting, or Wasting. In other words, we are doing what we Want to do, Need to do, or Avoiding what should be done. If procrastination is the problem, motivation is the answer. The problem is that we tend to compare ourselves to others. But each of us are motivated in different ways. Don’t beat yourself up because it seems like others are accomplishing mo...

Admitting You’re Wrong with BACON??? Well, that is just silly. I’m never wrong and If I was, I would admit it right away. So rather than discussing me admitting that I’m wrong (because I’m not) let’s instead, talk about why some people have a difficult time admitting it, unlike me, and how we should react. There are several reasons for not being able to admit fault and they are usually based in fe...

Why try? I'm going to fail at it anyway. I can't do it! I'm not as good as everyone else. We all second guess ourselves occasionally. But doubting our abilities too often can and will hold us back from realizing our dreams. Some people put more energy into knocking themselves down than just trying. This could be caused by narcissistic parents and bosses. It could be caused by constantly comparing...

Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Or at least that is what we blindly expect. An opening and a closing. This is true in all relationships; personal, professional, and casual. Sometimes partners leave and others pass away. We lose pets and children move on. Some relationships fade away and others end suddenly. When these relationships end abruptly, we look for reasons why and others...

I grew up being pushed, pulled, protected, and provided for. Older siblings paved the way for me to be me. They tested the waters and created safer paths for me to mirror, maneuver, and manage to avoid. I was given opportunities to learn to lead, follow, and fight. And I took those opportunities often. Siblings have a way of wrestling the best out of you. You develop talents and skills because of...

Since the first wolf wandered into a campsite and was given some food, dogs have been loyal protectors and friends to man. K9s were probably the start, but animal companions come in all shapes, sizes, and species. Dogs, Cats, Birds, Fish, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Horses, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Rodents, to name a few. It seems that humans can’t get enough of our furry, scaley, feathery friends. We...

When it’s constantly storming, it’s difficult to see the rainbows for the rain. When you’re surrounded by gray clouds, it can seem impossible to find the silver-linings. But there is a light at the end of every tunnel, and it is your way up and out. That light is sometimes very small. But even the smallest of flames can give us hope. You’ve got to fan and feed that spark if you want to create a fi...

Some say that a little red wine can be good for you, but too much, too often, can ruin your life. It’s the same with social media. Social media has allowed us to connect with people around the world. It has allowed us to share our voice, our thoughts, and our dreams. But as much is it pulls people together; it is also drives us apart. We have opportunities to connect, learn, and to be entertained...

Let’s start by defining the difference between venting, complaining, and whining. Venting is a way to rid yourself of the things that frustrated or angered you. Complaining is having genuine concerns but still looking for conflict. Whining is complaining about the trivial with no real desire to solve the problem. It’s just complaining for the sake of complaining. Sometimes we share our problems be...

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. If you want to be happy for a day, go fishing. If you want to be happy for a year, win some money. And if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, help other people.” Protecting and helping people grow are the most noble of professions. And that is why they can also be the most rewarding. We all hav...

Are we willing to give our kids their independence? Are we willing to fight for ours? Whether we are a parent, child, in a relationship, ora member of a team, sometimes we must choose between dependency, independence, or somewhere in between. The scariest thing about being independent is that you no longer have anyone to blame but yourself. It is so comforting to follow someone else’s lead. Win to...

There are two sides to every coin and two sides to every person. Part of us wants to learn, grow, and keep evolving, and part of us doesn’t. The Growth Mindset was coined by Stanford Psychologist #CarolDweck. She explains how everyone leans a little more in one direction or the other. And that no one is 100% one way or the other. In other words, we all have the capability to grow if we desire to d...

There is a feeling of safety, traveling in the crowd. We are social animals and desire to be part of tribe, a group, and a community. So, following the pack is often the right decision. But not understanding the goals of the crowd and following blindly is when problems can occur. Imagine trying to run a company, a community, or a family where no one is willing to conform. It would be awful. So yes...

It seems that some people are never happy. They live with a permanent dark cloud over their head. They not only believe that the glass is half full, but they believe that the water in the glass is probably no good either. There are a number of reasons why people lean towards doom and gloom. It could be out of comfort, fear, or guilt. Maybe they grew up in a family filled with negativity, where fee...

Part of life is dealing with feeling the sting of rejection over and over again. From your parents telling you, “No more Ice Cream!” to Jenny saying, “No Way!” at the High School Dance. From seeing them shake their heads at an important interview to hearing them laugh at your big idea. There is no end to reasons why, and opportunities to, and chances that, someone, somewhere, at some time will say...

Some tell us to work for money and save for the future. Some tell us to do the work we love, and money will follow. I’ve seen too many people work themselves to death and others who lose direction after they retire. How do we balance life and career? Can we, should we, and how do we separate and build strong business and social relationships? We spend so many hours each week at our jobs and so man...