WORTH READING: Parents, Kids, and Discipline

[The photo is intended as humor – it is not recommended as a good parenting strategy!] Re-printed from Web-MD: How can you provide discipline to your child so that he or she can function well at home and in public? Every parent wants their children to be happy, respectful, respected by others, and able to find their place in the world …

WORTH READING: Recommended Books on Understanding and Parenting Teenagers

Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen by David Walsh, Ph.D. (2004) Reviews from Amazon: “A powerful, practical book on the teenage brain. Walsh is a storyteller with the gifts of simplicity and clarity. This book is an easy read, but its message is fresh, nuanced, and important. I recommend …

WORTH READING: Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy

by Leo Babauta “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart Many days, I try to humble myself and hold a 2-minute gratitude session. I simply sit or kneel, with no distractions, close my eyes, and think about what I’m grateful for and who I’m grateful for. I don’t do it every …

OBSERVATION: Find personal joy and fulfillment in service. “I slept and dreamt that life was all joy, I awoke and understood life was but service, I served and realized service is joy.” – Rabindranath Tagore

“In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy.”  Karl Reiland A common delusion is to think of service only in terms of sacrifice. Service is a reliable road to a series of emotions that enlarge our lifve and uplift our spirits – satisfaction, pride, worthiness, fulfillment,  and even outright joy in seeing our efforts

OBSERVATION: Changing the World

“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.  I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.  When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town.  I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.  Now, …

Achievements and Challenges: A Personal Note from Michael

Dear Friend, This has been a year full of great achievements and challenges. On the achievement side, the Josephson Institute and CHARACTER COUNTS!  have expanded our impact on children and the nation through the introduction of CHARACTER COUNTS! 4.0 (a major upgrade in strategy and services). We have begun to restore the best of Puerto Rico’s ethical culture with Tus …

Michael Turns 69 On December 10

Hi Everyone — We know Michael would enjoy reading your birthday wishes (you can post them in the comment section below). In view of the unexpected loss of his largest radio platform this year, we also know that any tax-deductible donation you can make to the Institute to thank and support his mission will be especially important. Thank you. -Editors

OBSERVATION: Integrity is destiny

  “The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is

OBSERVATION: The Ethics of Profits and Success

In business, profits and return on investment are the dominant measures of success. Good businesses understand that profitability is indispensable to viability, but they see profits as only one measure of success. Smart executives know that a good reputation, trust, quality products and service, customer loyalty, and employee pride can make major contributions to profitability, but any success achieved will …

WORTH READING: The Truth About Money and Happiness

From Tejvan Pettinger at PickTheBrain.com: It is an oft repeated axiom that money cannot buy happiness. While this is certainly true, poverty will not buy happiness either. Some people become very wealthy, yet struggle to enjoy their lives. On the other hand, others manage to go through life with very few money problems simply because they are able to make …

WORTH READING: Who is happier: Lottery winners or paralyzed accident victims?

According to Eric Barker at the Business Insider, Lottery winners… but not by nearly as much as you might guess. Some time after winning their money, lottery winners weren’t all that much happier than people who hadn’t won — and accident victims weren’t anywhere as unhappy as the researchers had assumed.