a daily blog on well-being and how to feel better by Mark Barger Elliott…

Do you know the difference between the Greek words hedonia and eudaimania? The first points us to “pleasure” and the second “purpose.” There are two Greek philosophers who have become attached to these words. The first is Epicurus (342-270 BC) who founded a school of thought called Epicureanism that taught happiness was essentially avoiding anything…

Films often get lodged in categories on streaming services such as “romantic comedy,” “science fiction,” or “documentary.” Why? These categories help the customer anticipate instantly what they will experience if they make that choice. In his wonderful book The Creative Act, Rick Rubin observes that “We have stories about ourselves, and those are not who…

Martin Seligman is known as as one of the founders of positive psychology. In a podcast he made a fascinating point. He shared that when he was working with patients and would help them, for example, alleviate their sadness, anger, or anxiety, what he thought would happen is that person would then become happy. But…

Daniel Bard had the gift to throw a baseball 100 miles an hour. One pitch he threw became famous online because it had never really been seen before – 99 miles an hour and it curved like a slower pitch, which almost never happens. From 2009-2011 Bard pitched for the Boston Red Sox and became…

Most plants and trees turn towards the sun and grow upwards. But one day on a walk we came across a tree where a branch was in the shape of a parabola – like a shape of a hill turned upside down. We wondered what had let it to grow downwards? Was the weight of…

“You wouldn’t believe what once ortwice I have seen. I’ll justtell you this:only if there are angels in your head will youever, possibly, see one.” Poet Mary Oliver wrote those words and her observation has always reminded me how there are two very different emotional mindsets around the question of faith. The first is, I…