Years ago, a prolific graffiti artist in my neighborhood festooned the sidewalk with one of his profound truisms written in colorful chalk: “Sometimes we hold onto things longer than we should.” Marie Kondo would certainly agree as the expert on tidying up—which, of course, is the name of the show that catapulted her into a … Read more
When my family gathered for the Passover Seder in 1998, I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see my younger brother Gary alive. Fifty-one days later on the second day of the Jewish holiday Shavuot, I received a phone call at four in the morning telling me that he had died suddenly … Read more
I love puns. They are simultaneously funny, corny, and clever. Two years after George Lucas launched Star Wars: A New Hope, the original film in the Star Wars franchise, a pun was born that has morphed into a global holiday. The origin story began on May 4, 1979, when a celebratory ad was placed in … Read more
Wellness science research shows that people who cultivate strong committed relationships actually live longer and experience greater physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. In fact, a significant 2010 meta-analysis in PLOS Medicine of 148 studies including data from 308,849 participants revealed that people who had strong social connections were actually 50% more likely to have longer … Read more
“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” –Rabbi Harold Kushner Dr. Robert Emmons is a psychology professor at the University of California, a leading scientific expert on gratitude, and gratitude myth buster. He … Read more
People are stronger than they imagine. These days, throughout the world, everyone is trying to do the best they can. My mentor and colleague Dr. Angela Duckworth—considered the leading expert in the world on grit—defines resilience as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals that are difficult.” What do you do to persevere when things are … Read more
John Lewis was a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to advancing the rights of Black people in the United States. Although he died on July 17 at the age of 80, his bold legacy of getting into “good trouble” has continued to be a rallying cry for each of us to fight systemic … Read more
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soaringwords (@soaringwords) Are you a character assassin or a character defender? Do you spend your time obsessing about your character defects until you pulverize your sense of self worth into a pulp? If you are highly skilled at being self-critical, today I am happy … Read more
[Image: Jacob Buksbaum’s painting of his mother, Sara, who survived Nazi work camps during the Holocaust.) Today, Holocaust Memorial Day, marks the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp 77 years ago. The following story is about my husband Jacob’s parents, who were forced into work camps during the Holocaust. This close connection serves as a reminder … Read more
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soaringwords (@soaringwords) Molecular Biologist Elizabeth Blackburn was studying pond scum when she stumbled across an incredible discovery about human psychology that has a far-reaching impact well beyond the petri dishes in her laboratory. As she peered through her microscope at the pond scum samples, … Read more