There are a few studies out there that also examine the relationship between weather and measures of well-being, including mood and overall life satisfaction.

In practicing open awareness, I've found it helpful to think of existence -- the entire play of sounds and thoughts and bodies and trees -- as the foreground of life, and awareness as the background.

While I'd like to think that I'd never intentionally hurt anyone, I know I have done so, more than I'll ever know. I believe that if each of us follow Martin Richard's plea -- "no more hurting people" -- at a whole new level, the world will be a safer place.

We are all innocent bystanders to tragedy now. Americans live in era of terrible violence, which finds us in our movie theaters and our schools and our streets full of joyful citizens. Those who do such terrible deeds seem to have forgotten what it means to be human. But we don't have to.

We've all been there. Those moments of boredom, exhaustion or sadness when we reach for a slice of cake or a bag of chips because they're there, we're craving a sugar rush or we think they'll make us feel better. Try as we might, maintaining a healthy diet is difficult for most Americans.

I see music as an essential component for the conscious awakening of the human race and the well-being of our planet. Music can help us as individuals to better cope with these external challenges and inspire us as a global community to come together in a more harmonious fashion.

Walking along the straight and narrow, a step at a time, won't get you where you really want to go. Satisfying as it is to complete the "to do" list, it's not enough. Aiming high means exactly that -- look up, grab your magic wand, and imagine your life five years from now.

If you ask me, the whole world needs a nap. Maybe this will bring us back into rhythm in our body and mind.

If asked to explain the value of mindfulness, you may want to consider the following question: Can you sit for one minute and completely quiet your mind? Can you do this without feeling like you're coming out of your skin?

How can you learn to embrace risk for the sake of your future happiness, particularly when risk taking doesn't come to you naturally? When you think about making a change, focus only on what you have to gain, and banish all thoughts of what you might lose.

Spring, in all her glory, dares the frosty air. Do we? Do we dare to shake off the wintry cold that hardens hearts and dampens dreams? Do we dare to bloom today, to become that which is best in our hearts, and that which most inspires our spirit? Do we dare?

We all know that our lives are overbooked, and it seems to be getting worse. But lately I've been wondering if we're busier than we really need to be. Are we creating extra work and obligations for ourselves by thinking we're more essential than we actually are?

In the moments when you're in touch with your inner strength and wisdom, the part of you that can accomplish whatever you put your mind to, it seems that anything is possible -- and I believe it is. We are truly limitless.

This might sound a little crazy, but what if it's the very fact that we assume stress is bad that's actually making it so bad for us? And what if there were another way to think about stress -- a way that might actually make it a force for good in our lives?

We should never forget that we have at our disposal a great reservoir of human energy. We each must take personal responsibility to take care of our inner states of harmony and balance, in order to create such balance in our everyday lives.

24/7 Wall St.: According to a Gallup poll released today, the United States has shown almost no improvement in well-being in the past five years, ...