One thing is top of mind in my life: my relationships. Every year, a ritual I never miss is taking stock of how well I have loved those most important to me the year before. I typically do this practice on my birthday or at the beginning of the new year. One of the most precious people in my life, as you might guess, is my husband of several decades. This year in reflecting on what has supported our happiness and success, there are a few things that stand out, which occurred to me that they may be helpful to others.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes ... but a lifetime to master!

Recently, during a rough time, I struggled with higher-than-normal family conflict, work stress, sleep deprivation and dehydration. Nor did I eat nutritious food or exercise like I usually do.

I ran into a friend who is a mental health professional, and after I vented a bit, she said, “You need to do something for YOU today.”

“Hmmm, she was right! My self-care was not existent. And WHAT exactly did that even mean to me right now, right here, this moment?”

Have you ever compared the quality of your relationship to a dining experience? Probably not. Yet, most people relish a delicious, home-cooked meal, or a gourmet dinner at a fine restaurant.

It's common knowledge to my family and friends that I would rather go without eating than eat fast food. It's not that I'm a food snob; I simply don't feel good after eating most of its fare. An occasional meal at McDonald's or Burger King isn't going to give you anything but indigestion. Yet, if you make a regular habit of eating fast food, your convenience may go up, but your health can rapidly decline.

Temperament is one of the most underestimated influences in a child’s life. Many times, a difficult temperament trait in a child can be the primary driving force of misbehavior in children. Much of the challenges in child-raising often lead back to temperament qualities, such as low adaption or high emotional intensity. It's critical as a parent to know your child's temperament, especially when disciplining or redirecting children's behavior.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

One of the greatest business challenges is knowing when NOT to follow an idea. A mistake many business owners make—even large companies—is trying to do too much at once or having unrealistic expectations of how long projects take or how much they cost.

When was the last time, as a business owner or executive, you could complete an initiative without its share of challenges? And how many projects are over budget or never get finished?

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

When a parent thinks of avoiding power struggles with children, empathy may not be at the top of their list. It is an underutilized response that few parents use when in conflict with their children and teens.

Sometimes I get wildly angry at screens—whether an Xbox or TV—and my children’s inability to end their session the second I ask them. If I wasn't so frugally and environmentally driven, I might be tempted to throw screens out of moving vehicles and second story windows.

Internet Addiction, Texting Addiction, Screen Addiction, and Online Gaming Addiction are all phrases we hear in modern times but are they really a thing? Well, yes they are, and no they are not. What?! Keep on reading to see why this is not a clear-cut answer.

First off, let’s talk aboutdopaminebecause it currently has a lot of media attention due to its association with possible screen and gaming addiction.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

For many, stress continues to build until a hair-trigger is released by an unexpected letdown. Changes in plans or inconveniences are met with impatience and emotional over-reactions. Sometimes another's negative mood or criticism can ruin entire days.

The antidote to this inner turmoil is emotional resilience, an element of emotional intelligence that allows one to adapt to and recover from stress and negativity more easily. The good news is that you can actively improve your emotional resilience and noticeably increase your happiness.