Personal Development
Empathy is me and you
by Queen D, March 11, 2015
If you’re ever feeling down or a little cynical, I recommended entering “faith in humanity restored” into a search engine – and then just sit back and wait for the tears of joy and gratitude to fall. I bet one bazillion dollars that you’ll choke up a little (please don’t take me up on that; […]
Personal Development
To succeed or not to succeed
by Queen D, January 28, 2015
My guilty pleasure is those #FAIL pictures, especially the sports-related ones. I firmly believe that it’s okay for me to giggle at other people’s flubs because walking without tripping is a hysterical challenge I face on a regular basis. Sports history is laden with examples of epic fails or classic “chokes.” In the 1996 Masters […]
Personal Development
Success hang-ups – What’s holding you back from awesomeness?
by Queen D, January 7, 2015
It’s inevitable. I’ll be watching the finals in an Olympic event, and there will always be that one athlete who, on the brink of getting a medal, will suddenly stumble (literally and figuratively). In their tearful post-interview, they’ll say something along the lines of “I don’t know what happened. I guess it just wasn’t mean […]
Personal Development
The warm and fuzzy benefits of having a pet
by Queen D, October 22, 2014
They’re warm, they’re furry, and they love you just the way you are. And most of the time, you’d rather be around them than other humans. Aside from the mostly unconditional love they offer, pets come with other benefits. Researchers Friedmann, Barker, & Allen (2011) (among many others) conducted a pretty interesting study. They asked […]
Personal Development
“Money can’t buy happiness” and other clichés
by Queen D, October 15, 2014
I hate clichés, and we’ve heard the “money can’t buy happiness” one so often, it’s kind of lost its mojo. But honestly, if I could give each of you a million dollars to prove that it won’t make you happy (at least not for long), I really, really would. The only thing I can give […]
Personal Development
The secret to living life fully…learned from kids
by Queen D, September 17, 2014
Image credit imgur.com Something happened after the age of 5. It was like a switch was flipped and suddenly, the world became an intimidating, scary place. In those first five years of my life I was bold. I spoke my mind freely. My mother also told me that for some strange reason, when someone got […]
Personal Development
The human phoenix: History’s most inspiring people
by Queen D, September 11, 2014
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and send my love to all the human phoenixes who overcame grief and pain as a result of the events on September 11, 2001. This post is dedicated to you. My friend reads cards – tarot specifically. Being a researcher, I take nothing at face value, but I […]
Personal Development
Change is the only constant: A lesson I learned from my cat
by Queen D, September 3, 2014
My recent move has set my life off-kilter. I’m a creature of habit and routine; it offers me a false sense of control. Even when I know change is necessary, I don’t really like it. There’s comfort in keeping things the same, kind of like how a person who is depressed finds comfort, so to […]
Personal Development
I want my own Mr. Miyagi: Life lessons learned from my fictional guru
by Queen D, August 28, 2014
I watched The Karate Kid movies in the late 90’s, years after they originally came out (the one’s with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, not the remakes). I didn’t grasp much of what the trilogy was trying to teach because my young mind was too busy thinking about how cute Daniel LaRusso was. I also […]
Personal Development
Just because your head says so, doesn’t make it true: Self-limiting beliefs that are holding you back
by Queen D, August 12, 2014
Before I parallel park, an ugly green gremlin that kind of looks like my driving teacher from years ago makes an appearance in my passenger seat. The jerk doesn’t even buckle up; he just sits there and openly mocks me. So you’re trying to park huh? *snicker* Oh this is going to be gooood! Let’s […]
Personal Development
Crazy is the new normal – and other lessons I learned in Psychology
by Queen D, August 6, 2014
There are a few memories from university that stand out for me: That time I walked in late to my History of Psychology class and knocked over a girl’s coffee. That night in a mind-numbing Sensation/Perception class where I contemplated switching to Journalism. The Neurobiology quizzes that required us to choose the wrong answer. Aside from […]
Personal Development
Fries – and other ways to train yourself to be more positive
by Queen D, June 19, 2014
I’ve been on an optimistic stint. Not because I’ve developed a serious case of Pollyannitis, but because the stress of the past month has required a personal intervention. So I’ve been scouring the internet for tips on boosting optimism and encouraging positive thinking and I can offer you this guarantee: If I, a stubborn, pessimistic […]