Breaking the habitual patterns from the past is actually a lot easier and more satisfying than you may imagine. The rewards for challenging the old ways of being and doing are immediate and long lasting. And if you follow the instructions here, it can even be fun.

Where longevity is continually affirmed, one expects to find the unexpected. Hence, "Reversible Destiny Lofts" in Toyko, Japan offer a marvelously innovative and functionally foolish way to live your days.

Whether the issue is working out at the gym or continuing a business practice, we're creatures of habit. And there's nothing wrong with habits -- they can keep us on track. The problem is when habits become "dead zones," void of mindfulness and awareness.

With holiday tasks to accomplish, work projects to be finished, and family obligations to be met, realize that something has got to give. Perhaps it's time for it to be your perfectionism.

Today, pain is the exception in my life, not the rule, and meditation is time spent with God, not suffering.

When I was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, a strange feeling of gratitude flooded through me, along with sadness and fear. The many goals that had been all-important suddenly seemed trivial. At last, I gave myself "permission" to seek something greater.

To let go of the habits we created is difficult, but the rewards of creating new and positive habits can be life-changing.

In the last decade, our understanding of the neurology of habit formation has been transformed. We've learned how habits form -- and why they are so hard to break.

Bring this practice into the moments of your life at home and at work where you notice the habits occurring. Allow it to widen the space of awareness and choose a different response.

Each year, we see Jan. 1 as a time for fresh starts -- for tackling our bad habits head-on and replacing them with new, healthier ones. No matter what it is you would like to do differently, these simple strategies will help you to finally make the real, lasting changes you're looking for.

he Departure Point technique is based on the principle that by giving something up, you create space and you separate yourself from the momentum of your past.

"Thinking outside the box" is far easier said than done. Why is it so difficult to achieve innovative breakthroughs in thinking?