ChangeArtist.net - A place to go when you're going through change

ChangeArtist is an informational resource and supportive community for individuals going through change. There is also a book called ChangeArtist: Surviving Change, discussed below.

I (JoNel) have been through many, many changes in life, and I found that they often made me feel isolated or lonely, confused and anxious. This lead me to a desire to help others through changes, hopefully softening what can be a sometimes [Read more →]

Join the Forums!

The Forum is designed to visit with each other about changes, as well as to learn from one another. Each month, a $25 Starbuck�s gift card will be given to a randomly-selected Forum participant (or $25 will be donated to the charity of your choice).

Categories reflect not only my research interests as an educator and scientist, but also things that I have found are important to understand about oneself. This is your opportunity to share with others, to learn from others, and to help others learn about themselves.

Sign up for Paid Research!

Send your e-mail address (via Contact) for inclusion change-related research. Please include a summary of your changes, and/or direct me to your Forum entries. Research will commence when we have enough participants for valid study results. At that time, participants will be entered in random drawings for gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, and other retailers (or an equal amount will be donated to the charity of choice). Other paid studies on social research will be available over time.

Minimizing Meat

Here are some great suggestions on downsizing the meat that you eat!!! When I was younger, I was much better about diet, and used many of the suggestions listed below. When I dined out, i often had a salad and /or appetizer and beverage, rather than a main course. This was also in part because i was on a budget, and found it to be more cost-effective. Sometimes I would share a meal with a friend. [Read more →]

Category: Body · Diet & Fitness · Money

The Road to Happiness Involves Traveling Within

I used to think that there was a Road to Happiness, and if you could get on that road, you’d end up someplace pretty wonderful, as if Happiness were the destination. I’ve been on a lot of roads, and although some of them lead to some beautiful places, I’ve yet to find the road that brings me to that wonderful feeling state called Happiness.

People often think that if they can find the right combination of external factors, they can find happiness. They buy lots of shiny new things; travel to interesting places; eat; drink; use drugs; or search for “the perfect someone” who they believe will make them happy. Mostly they are looking to change their emotional state with external objects or actions.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. When you look for happiness outside of yourself, it ends up being temporary. You may be happy initially with your new car, but eventually the newness wears off, the car needs repairs, and you end up turning to something else.

Eating too much, drinking or using drugs all lead to negative consequences in the end. Although people continue to try to find the magic combination of externals, they end up disappointed.

Happiness isn’t a place, and there isn’t a magic way to find it. It is an emotion, and comes from within. This means that we create our own happiness. It doesn’t come from external things.

Happiness really comes from how we view our lives. How we think definitely affects how we feel. When we approach situations with a positive attitude, we usually feel better. Sometimes that feeling is happiness.

Like most emotions, we don’t feel happy all the time. Sometimes we feel it; sometimes we don’t. We all have ups and downs. This means that there isn’t a happily ever after. Sorry, Cinderella.

Nevertheless, happiness is worth pursuing. I believe that happiness is the emotion we get when we are in tune with ourselves. It is what we experience when we are living the life we are meant to live, achieving things we want to achieve, and, most of all, enjoying the process.

All this involves paying attention to ourselves, and what we want our life to be–physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also involves paying attention to the world outside of ourselves–appreciating other people and nature.

If you are working to become the best person you can be, and setting and achieving the goals that are appropriate to your values, you are on the Road to Happiness. It’s a road you create by how you live your life. Happiness isn’t the endpoint of the trip; it is part of the wonderful process of living! It isn’t the road you take to get there, but the trip itself that matters.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, trainer and owner of Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN. She has 30 years of experience helping people overcome obstacles and self-sabotage by using her solution focused approach. She is dedicated to helping people find the resources they need to live happy, meaningful lives. For more information and free resources, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .

Category: Happiness · Spirit & Soul

Retooling for a new career

Retooling for a new career
Abridged: JobsCareers.com, August 5, 2008, V8, #31

LAS VEGAS, NV — Job search gone sour? Hard to find a job? Should I go back to school? Is this a knee-jerk reaction? Do I really need to go back to school? Do I have the energy to go back to school? Can I afford to take time off from work to go back to school? Will my newly acquired degree or certificate necessarily land me the job I want? Will UI (Unemployment Insurance) sustain your job search? When considering continuing education courses, certificate program, vocational program, four-year college, or graduate school: ask [Read more →]

Category: Career · Education