Lisa Cypers Kamen

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. If you find yourself focusing on the unhappy moments and things in your life, the following suggestions may start you back on the path to a happier, more satisfying life. Clear out unhappiness. What obstacles to happiness are there in your life? Pay attention to what makes you feel unhappy. Are you especially fearful, sad or anxious? Find someone you can talk to about your feelings, a close friend or family member that you can confide in and whom you trust. Avoid things that make you unhappy. See less of unhappy, difficult people whenever possible. Talk…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Having control over our destiny is something we strive for. There are many, many things we do to bring security, comfort and opportunity to our lives. We all work very hard to achieve the goals that we think will bring us the happiness we deserve. And we are determined to persevere. Innovation and creativity are something we pride ourselves on. Once we have met a goal, we set forth yet another, and another and another. This is not a bad thing… this is what it means to be in charge of our lives and our happiness, isn’t…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. These days it is impossible to see down the road ahead. Our lives are filled with uncertainty. Our jobs, our relationships, our homes, our families are shifting and changing in ways we never could have imagined. "Security" is not a word many people are using lately to describe life. And beneath it all, we are wondering, how we are going to get through this? What kind of world will unfold in the years to come? What kind of legacy will we leave behind for our children? It is so very difficult to move forward on the…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. When I participated in my first career day, I was barely old enough to walk to the bus stop by myself. What does a fourth grader know about a career? Very little, but boy, did we try to dream up big goals. Clustered in my elementary school’s tiny library, my classmates and I were each on a mission to find the perfect careers to compliment our strengths. Doctor was a popular pick for the science geeks. There were many future firefighters and presidents in the room, mostly among the classmates who were natural leaders. The more talkative…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. If life was one long-running cartoon, we'd spot anger right away - beet-red face, steam shooting out of the ears, sweat dripping from the forehead.  We'd be able to see anger build up in ourselves and maybe, just maybe, get our emotions in check before they boil over. Life is not a cartoon. Steam will not shoot out of your ears. You will probably never sweat enough to be soaked head to toe during your angry spell. But, chronic anger is linked to physical health issues — higher risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. When it comes to rooting out environmental disasters on Planet Earth, cartoon superhero Captain Planet has got the formula down. In the TV show, the green-haired, blue-skinned environmental wonder boy joins forces with the Planeteers — five pollution-fighting kids that represent earth, wind, fire, water, and heart — to stop environmental disasters throughout the world. Whether it was poor sanitation or deforestation, Captain Planet and the Planeteers had all the elements needed to keep the world beautiful. Captain Planet’s message on environmental stewardship was way before its time, and is undoubtedly still crucial today. But lately,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. What is your weapon of choice? I'm not talking about physical weapons. I'm talking about the verbal weapons we use against each other every day. From angry words and harsh words to belittling words and careless words, when times get tough, it sometimes becomes easier to say something cruel than to say something compassionate. The result? Words of mass destruction. In a world where email and text messaging are king, this problem is magnified exponentially because our communication is stripped of everything other than potentially deadly words. Gone are the compassionate eyes or pats on the…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. If you had to publicly share every decision you make with the world, which would you bear more often: a scarlet letter or a badge of honor? In our exceedingly fast-paced world, we are bombarded with situations that demand immediate decisions and judgment calls. Unspoken email etiquette requires a same-day response to each message that lands in our inboxes. And the assumed rapid response to text messages is even more demanding: Societal conventions say that if a few hours pass before you respond, you’ve dropped the ball. Gone, it seems, are the days of decisions made…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. When the going gets tough, everyone reverts to a different weapon of choice. And our arsenals are jam-packed with weapons that injure our foes: Sarcasm, pouting, snippy responses, the cold shoulder, anger, and denial, just to name a few. But when was the last time you thought about how you actually feel when you activate your defense mechanism of choice? Life can be constant warfare. Prickly personalities rub us the wrong way in checkout lines, and drivers who cut us off or forget their turn signal irk us on the roads. At the office, coworkers with…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Are you stuck? Do problems always seem to get you down? Are you waiting for the right things to happen so that you can finally be happy? For many people, happiness is an enigma. Happy feelings come and go, yet it is not something that is a constant state of being in life. But it doesn't have to be this way! It is yet possible for happiness to be one of the most dependable elements of your life. When we get trapped in the little boxes that we create for ourselves, we find ourselves feeling miserable,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Do you want to get the most you can out of life? You have to be the one to say, "I want more out of my life and I deserve to be happy in life as well." Here are a few things you can try in order to achieve happiness and obtain the most fulfillment in your own life: Come up with a goal for yourself and reach to attain that goal. It’s not enough to just want more for yourself, you have to find a way to achieve what you want, and take little steps…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Happiness for many people is an enigma. Happiness is something that seems to be just beyond our grasp. For many people, happiness is a nice thought but not a lasting reality. Happiness might show her face in our life in glimpses, but she seems to peek through momentarily like the sun passing behind the clouds on a rainy day. What does it take to bring the sweet, gentle flow of happiness to our lives? Is there one factor that can make happiness a deep and abiding reality for us? What is our H-factor? When we embrace…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Although money, relationships, jobs, or status do not necessarily result in true and lasting happiness, you can find other ideas and practices that will lead to greater, long-lasting happiness. Happy people hold a very important key to their internal state of joy. Happy people take time for themselves. Happy people do the things that they want to be doing. Happy people surround themselves with other happy people. Happy people find a way to see the beauty in life. Happy people are happy because they make happy choices for themselves. They don’t let outside forces control their…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. If you want to find a story of courage, then you should definitely read Chasing Miracles by John F. Crowley. In it, he talks about his family's tumultous journey with their children, two of which have a form of Muscular Dystrophy known as Pompe disease. These beautiful children, Megan and Patrick, are an inspiration. The book is divided into three parts: strength, hope, and joy. Chapter two is what helped me come up with the title of this blog, because the family’s motto is “Never, never, never quit.” Their story focuses on determination, faith, hope, love,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. How can you overcome disappointment? Here are a few simple things that you can try: Get rid of the evidence. Even the greatest thinkers and influential people faced rejection and disappointment. For example, Walt Disney was fired from his first job and look what he did later in life! Einstein failed some of his early classes, and was told by teachers he wasn’t intelligent because he daydreamed too much. In fact, he was daydreaming about the theories he would later change the world with—but the naysayers in his life couldn’t see that! Stay in the mud.…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. I want, I wish, only if... are some of the phrases we use to describe an ambiguous point in our future when we will have what we think we need to be happy. In the present moment, we are left feeling unfulfilled. We are living with a sense of longing for a brighter future. We are hoping to change our current situation so that we can finally, finally be happy. And what are the things we need to be happy? A relationship? A new home? A new car? A new job? New toys? There are many,…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Focus on being positive. Stop yourself from saying things like "I'll never finish this project" or "I'll never have a good relationship." Replace these thoughts with hope and positive statements, to help good things come into your life. Try meditation. It will help you to better cope with the stressful things in your life. Avoid self-criticism if possible. If you find yourself being critical, stop and just take a moment to readjust your attitude. Treat yourself more kindly; it makes a big difference. Figure out what your calling in life is. If your work doesn’t make…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Have you ever thought about the power of gratitude? We've discussed the idea of a gratitude journal before. What emotions are linked with happiness? Optimism, hopefulness, curiosity and gratitude are all emotions that go hand in hand with happiness, but are just a few of many others. One emotion that is most valuable is gratitude. The exercise of keeping a daily Gratitude Journal is a tool that builds happiness. Every day you can write down in your Gratitude Journal the things that you are grateful for. Journaling pushes you to notice the good things that happen…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. They're not kidding when they say laughter is contagious. Just think back to the last time you really laughed. No, a quiet chuckle under your breath doesn't qualify; I'm talking about real deep-in-the-gut laughter that makes you forget about all the lousy things going on in your life. The kind of laughter that for an instant makes everything seem simple and carefree. When was the last time you experienced a natural high like that? Laughter is the ultimate escape from the high-drama, success-driven world in which we live. Once you experience the overwhelming positive effects of…

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Since what seems like the beginning of time, people attempting to diffuse disagreements have told people wrapped up in the quarrel that "there are two sides to every story." The result usually goes something like this: One person in the argument is more emotional than the other and immediately scoffs at the comment. The other person in the disagreement – the one that is likely a little more willing to back down – sees his or her foe’s reaction and then tosses out any thought of meeting halfway. Every once in a blue moon, the idea…

The human body is full of hidden glands hard at work communicating and controlling our body's responses to what's going on around us. When our temperature spikes out of control, the hypothalamus saves the day, returning us to homeostasis. The thymus is our go-to gland for better immune health when we’re feeling sick. And if our blood sugar is out of whack, the pituitary gland regulates it. The body is an intricate system with a biological response to pretty much any hazard our environment throws at us. But what if those hazards have to do with emotions, not body functions?…