1. Desire for the conquest of happiness
The first step on how to find happiness is a conscious choice to be happy. According to psychologists, the intention is the active desire and commitment for someone to be happy. It is the choice of activities that make us happy and the adoption of behaviours that lead us [...]

If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months — habits that will have the most impact on your life — what would they be?
I often get asked this question, because people are overwhelmed when it comes to starting positive life changes.
They ask me: what one [...]

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may already know that I'm a big fan of chocolate. It's my favorite 'shortcut to serenity'; even my kids know that if Mommy is stressed, bringing me a few M&Ms usually means an immediate smile.
So I was really happy to see some promising new 'chocolate news' the other day: more evidence that chocolate cravings are perhaps not so bad after all!

With holiday stress and holiday season food approaching on the horizon, there might be an increase in emotional eating, overeating, and less-healthy diets. But fear not, my readers, you now have a secret weapon: mindful eating! This eating strategy helps you to really savor your food, and thus be less likely to mindlessly munch or overeat. It can even help you to say, 'No' to that second serving! Read more about that--plus some really great news about dark chocolate--below, and have an wonderful week!

Holiday shopping and gift-giving can be one of the most fun and special parts of the season, but also one of the most stressful. Between crowds at the mall, financial stress that many of us are experiencing, and not knowing what to get those hard-to-shop-for people, holiday shopping can be more stress than fun, which is really a shame.

With Thanksgiving upon us, many of us face new stressors mixed in with the fun. Are you dealing with a long, stressful trip? Difficult relatives once you get there? Or a stressful holiday meal to cook? Or are you feeling lonely and wish you did have these issues to deal with? The following are some resources for you

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” - Albert Einstein
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Very often you’ll see blog posts or books teaching you to “master” a skill in only 10 days, or 3 days … in fact, it used to be 30 days but the time frame to master something seems to be shrinking rapidly.

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Reader Carolyn recently asked, “How can an achievement-motivated workaholic learn to back off, relax, de-stress, and feel good about doing it? I am too driven!”
This is a common problem, and one that has several parts we should look at separately:
1. Being achievement-motivated.
2. Being a workaholic.
3. Learning to relax and de-stress.
4. Learning to feel good about it.

“The shortest answer is doing.” - Lord Herbert
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Too often we get stuck in inaction — the quagmire of doubt and perfectionism and distractions and planning that stops us from moving forward.

Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is can be even more elusive.

I’m lucky — I’ve found my passion, and I’m living it. I can testify that it’s the most wonderful thing, to be able to make a living doing what you love.

And so, in this little guide, I’d like to help you get started figuring out what you’d love doing. This turns out to be one of the most common problems of many Zen Habits readers — including many who recently responded to me on Twitter.