I believe in luck and love and good fortune. I am a professional optimist. I try to hide it, but most of the time, I'm my father's son and his glass was neither half-empty nor half-full -- it was overflowing.

Recently I had a day where I went from being unhappy with what I saw in the mirror to loving what I was seeing within hours. Obvi­ously I don't think that my body actually phys­i­cally changed in such a short time frame, but it sure felt like it.

Whether self or externally generated, our thoughts set the stage for how we feel, perceive, act, and react. When a thought makes itself at home in our brains, it prompts the formation of neural pathways that prove highly resistant to change.

When things are uncertain and you don't know what's going to happen next, the brain attempts to make up an ending. The narrative is usually negative, and it's these negative thoughts that lead to catastrophic, worst-case scenarios and devastating thoughts.

As we enter the holiday season, focus on positive things that have happened recently, and enjoy the parties and family meals. You will carry those memories around with you for a long time.

Taking in the good is a brain-science savvy and psychologically skillful way to improve how you feel, get things done, and treat others. Three simple steps on taking in the good.

I feel that positive psychology has a lot to offer. But I see it not as a final resting place for psychology or the individual, but rather as a wave in the ongoing dialectic between the dark and the light.