This week, while I was mucking around on Twitter with some friends, I reminded myself of something I’m good at. Well, I think I’m good at it. Anyway, it made me curious:

What are you good at?

I think I’m pretty good at compliments. I love to give compliments, and I really love to pass on to people compliments that others have said about them in their absence.

We’re often too shy to tell people the things we like about them—for fear that we’ll seem weird or creepy, or that they’ll take our comment the wrong way.

It’s true that you have to gauge your audience for compliments. But you should definitely give compliments. Why? Because complimenting someone in a genuine, meaningful way makes you feel good, and it makes them feel good. Woo!

This week, a friend tweeted a Facebook comment, complaining about its grammar:

“Your to gorgeous.”

I replied to him and after a little messing around, I made it into a pretty silly compliment:

“You’re to gorgeous what Einstein was to science.”

I know—stupid, huh? But when I wrote it, I imagined what it would feel like to have someone tell me that! Wow. Okay, it may be a little cryptic (my friend replied, “Haha, I didn’t get that at first.”) but still, in the right context, it could be quite the compliment.

Einstein. Science. Yeah!

So I’m not too shabby at creative-to-the-point-of-obfuscated compliments. What are you good at?

Got your copy of FeelGooder’s new ebook, 7 Ways to FeelBetter?

Start the challenge—and let us know how you’re doing—and you could win a helping hand…

Win a helping hand

Moleskine extra-large, red cahiers notebook

(Haven’t grabbed your copy yet? Download it now.)

To enter, Tweet, Facebook, or blog your progress through the challenge using the Twitter hashtag #feelgooder7, and link to your update or post in the comments of this blog post in the next seven days. You’ll go into the draw to win a Moleskine prize pack containing:

• A pocket soft cover plain notebook
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Use them for planning, reflection, prioritization, journaling … whatever takes your fancy! These notebooks offer superb quality and are a pleasure to use.

To enter the draw to win, purchase 7 Ways to FeelBetter today, and use the Twitter hashtag #feelgooder7 to discuss your progress within the next seven days. Don’t forget to link to your update or post from the comments area below.

Good luck!

It’s here! FeelGooder is excited to launch our first-ever ebook:

7 Ways to FeelBetter

As Darren explained yesterday, the ebook 7 Ways to FeelBetter sets out a unique seven-day challenge to help you more intentionally explore seven ways to feel—and be—better.

• Exercise better.
• Save better.
• Connect better.
• Eat better.
• Act better.
• Play better.
• Think better.

For more information on what’s inside, see the full details of 7 Ways to FeelBetter.

FeelBetter on Twitter

We’re using the Twitter hashtag #feelgooder7 for those working through the ebook. Use it on Twitter, Facebook, or any blog posts you write about how you’re attempting the challenge.

• Let us know where you’re at.
• Tell us how you’re using this resource.
• Share your ideas with others taking the challenge—and meet fellow FeelGooders in the process!

Don’t you deserve a treat?

Be one of the first 500 people to grab a copy of 7 Ways to FeelBetter and you’ll get it for just one cent! It’s our way of saying “thank you” to our charming supporters! Update: this first 500 allocation is now filled – but you can still get it at half price!

If you’re one of the next 500, you’ll get the ebook for half price—just $4.99 USD. After that, the price will revert to the full cover price of $9.99 USD—that’s still one very affordable treat!

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…and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments!

It’s been a long week! Here in Australia, we’re heading into winter, so the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and colds and flus abound. So my question this week is:

What gives you hope?

When I started to think about this question, I was surprised to realize that there are quite a few things that give me hope.

Anak Krakatau gives me hope

Of course, volcanoes are extremely destructive, but they also create new life: they make new landmasses, and the clouds of volcanic dust they create spread on the wind to enrich the soil of other, existing landmasses, making them more fertile. Volcanoes literally create the Earth (well, the crust, anyway). What’s not hopeful about that?!

On a purely scientific basis, I find the machinations of volcanoes awe-inspiring—the lava flows, the magma, the pumice, the temperatures, the eruptions, the pyroclastic clouds! The fact that I can barely get my head around what I know of volcanism (let alone what I can’t) also gives me a sense of hope: there is so much stuff I don’t know, and it’s all out there waiting to be discovered!

Okay, I’ll calm down about the volcanoes. What about you? What gives you hope?

The last week has seen a lot of changes take place in the world—from the death of Bin Laden to the British royal wedding, and everything in between.

But what about you?

What’s changed for you this week?

This week, something weird happened to me: I found I had a whole lot of motivation, and I returned to a number of projects that I’d stuck on the back-burner ages ago.

I saw this guy on my holiday. Inspiring!

Getting things done isn’t just about having the motivation. Sometimes, the situation just isn’t right to make a go of some plan or other. That was the case with some of my projects. One was an article I’d been wanting to write, but couldn’t find the right outlet, or opportunity. This week, one came up like magic. Bingo!

Of course, sometimes circumstances combine to force your hand, as was the case with my preparations to get some ducks to add to my (small) menagerie: I realized that winter was coming, and if I wanted ducks, I had to get organized within the next few months. Suddenly this project, which I’d been toying with for months, took shape. (The duck purchase is now pending!)

What’s changed for me this week is my motivation levels. What about you? What’s changed in your world in the last week? Share with us in the comments.

It’s been a big week! You’ve probably faced a few challenges, overcome a couple of hurdles, and maybe even managed to wedge some fun in to the mix, too.

So I thought I’d ask you:

What gets you going?

What motivates you? What has you bouncing out of bed in the mornings? What makes it all worthwhile?

This is the kind of thing that can result when you work with others

Well, not always. And often we want things for the wrong reasons (as Ali pointed out earlier this week).

In the end, the best I could say about what gets me going is: people. I’m motivated by the idea of working with people, talking to them, getting to know them, and being understood by them. I’m motivated by the possibility that I could help people, and that I could enjoy people. Sometimes, I’ll admit, I’m motivated by the prospect of getting away from people—taking time out alone to recharge my batteries. But in any case, the thing that really gets me going, most of the time, is seeing what happens when I work with others.

That’s me—but what about you? I’d love to hear what gets you going. Share your thoughts in the comments.

Where I live, and in many predominantly Christian countries, today’s a public holiday. Woo! For me that means sleeping in, taking it easy, and staying up late. But for you, it might mean family time, or a chance to get away from it all. So I thought I’d ask:

What’s your favorite holiday?

To be honest, my favorite holidays are the lesser ones—the odd day off here or there; the more obscure public holidays. They seem to pop up at odd times, often mid-week rather than as additions to the weekend, and they’re less likely to galvanize the family into let’s-get-together mode.

On the last public holiday, I took a bunch of wildflower photos

These days are obligation-free, and in my mind, that means anything’s possible. If I decide I want to build something, I can. If I want to go somewhere, I can. If I want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen, or the forest, or a deep bath, I can. I don’t need to pack or plan. Everything’s spontaneous—and goes my way—for one glorious day!

What about you, though? What’s your favorite holiday, and what makes it so good?

In my part of the world, it’s Autumn. It’s getting colder and greyer, the new-year momentum has worn off, and it’s all to easy to feel like I’m getting stuck in a rut. Unless, that is, I focus on the new stuff that crops up every so often in life (sometimes, whether we like it or not!).

Hey. What’s new with you?

This week, we added our last batch of summer chicks to our flock. These little ladies have been raised in a shed, so they’ve had an exciting week discovering what The Great Outdoors are all about.

A new chick meets the flock

Like the chicks raised in the shed, we don’t know what the world is really like until we begin to get out and explore it. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Introducing the chicks to the flock has reminded me of some of the things I’ve been wanting to do—travel, work on a pet project of mine, and research some courses to study. Suddenly, the looming winter-time hibernation is looking like much more of an adventure than a rut…

That’s me. What’s new with you?

Worry seems like it’s part of the human condition. At any time, we have plenty to worry about, whether they’re big issues, or small. And many of us have literally no idea how to actually stop worrying.

Epicureus, who knew a thing or two about stopping life's worries

What techniques do you use to stop worrying?

I recently began a practical philosophy course with the Melbourne School of Philosophy. I’ve learned a lot there, but one of the most valuable things has been a technique to stop worrying.

The technique is, when I’m worrying about something, to pause and ask myself the question, “What would a wise person do here?”

The question acts as a circuit-breaker. It helps my whirling thoughts to pause for just a moment, while I imagine a wise person, and think about what they might do or say to me if I asked them about my worries.

Of course, this technique also allows us to tap into our own innate wisdom: I find the supposed deferral of responsibility actually allows me to consider other, perfectly valid options I wouldn’t come up with if I was busy worrying.

This technique doesn’t need to help me find an actual solution to my worry to be successful, though—it’s the fact that it breaks the cycle of worry that’s important. Most of the time, we don’t need a solution to our worries—often there is no actual solution. We simply need to stop our thoughts from spiraling out of control.

How do you stop yourself worrying? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments.