News from the Values In Action Institute (VIA)

Using Your Strength of HUMOR To Cope

 















In the modern hospital setting, humor and laughter are powerful forces that caregivers can scarcely afford to ignore. Humor and laughter can not only help heal patients, they can help health professionals cope with the stresses of hospital life, reduce anxiety, and provide comfort when things go badly (discussed in Ruch, Rodden, & Proyer, 2011).

Have you seen the film, Patch Adams?
A movie based on the real-life story of Hunter “Patch” Adams, a medical student who incorporates playfulness, laughter, and humor in his work with patients.

Ruch, W., Rodden, F. A., & Proyer, R. T. (2011). Humor and other positive interventions in medical and therapeutic settings. In B. Kirkcaldy (Ed.), The Art and Science of Health Care: Psychology and Human Factors for Practitioners (pp. 277-294). Gottingen, Germany: Hogrefe.

VIA Institute on Character | 312 Walnut Street | Cincinnati | OH | 45202 | UShttp://viacharacter.org 

The Current Generation

Check out this interesting new research from the American Psychological Association:


March 15, 2012

Recent Generations Focus More on Fame, Money Than Giving Back

Young adults less interested in community issues, politics and environment, finds new research

WASHINGTON—The times are changing, and not necessarily for the better when it comes to giving back to society, according to 40 years of research on 9 million young adults. Since the baby boomer generation, there has been a significant decline among young Americans in political participation, concern for others and interest in saving the environment, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

“Popular views of the millennial generation, born in the 1980s and 1990s, as more caring, community-oriented and politically engaged than previous generations are largely incorrect, particularly when compared to baby boomers and Generation X at the same age,” said the study’s lead author, Jean Twenge, PhD, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of the book, “Generation Me.” “These data show that recent generations are less likely to embrace community mindedness and are focusing more on money, image and fame.” The study was published online this month in APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology^®.

Related

• Generational Differences in Young Adults' Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966–2009 (PDF, 342KB)

The findings did show that millennials were more likely than baby boomers or Generation Xers to volunteer during high school and to say that they intend to participate in community service in college. However, the authors contend that this trend is most likely related to schools’ requiring community service for graduation, which has been cited in numerous studies. The desire to save the environment, an area considered to be of particular concern to millennials, showed some of the largest declines, with three times as many millennials as baby boomers at the same age saying they made no personal effort to help the environment. Fifty-one percent of millennials said they made an effort to cut down on electricity use to save energy, compared to 68 percent of boomers in the 1970s.

Twenge and her colleagues analyzed data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study of high school seniors, conducted continuously since 1975, and the American Freshman survey by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute of entering college students since 1966. Both surveys included items on life goals, concern for others, and civic and community involvement.

In the American Freshman survey, the proportion of students who said being wealthy was very important to them increased from 45 percent for baby boomers (surveyed between 1966 and 1978) to 70 percent for Generation Xers (surveyed between 1979 and 1999) and 75 percent for millennials (surveyed between 2000 and 2009). Likewise, the proportion who said it was important to keep up to date with political affairs decreased, from 50 percent for boomers to 39 percent for Generation Xers and 35 percent for millennials. “Becoming involved in programs to clean up the environment” decreased, from 33 percent for boomers to 20 percent for millennials. “Developing a meaningful philosophy of life” decreased the most across generations, from 73 percent for boomers to 45 percent for millennials.

“These data suggest that the 'Me Generation' label affixed to the baby boomers was unwarranted. In comparison to the proceeding generations, the boomers look significantly more selfless,” Twenge said. “The generational trends toward more political disengagement, less environmental concern and more materialistic values could have a meaningful impact on society. It will be interesting to see how millennials are affected by the recent recession and whether future generations will reverse the trends.”

Article: “Generational Differences in Young Adults’ Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966-2009,” Jean M. Twenge, PhD, and Elise C. Freeman, MA, San Diego State University; W. Keith Campbell, PhD, University of Georgia; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, online.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

Spring Time Resolutions

It's the first week of April - how is your New Year's Resolution going?

It’s already April – Wow, how time flies.  But, be honest – are you still keeping with those New Year’s resolutions? By this stage most people have given up or just plain forgot about their new year promises. Here are some reasons why your New Year’s diet isn’t working. If you have noticed that all of your diet efforts aren’t working read the 7 scenarios below and see if one fits your story.

1.      You aren’t eating enough:  many people who go on diets immediately cut a lot of calories from their diets. You may actually need to bump up your calories to rev up that metabolism for full burning optimization. When you dip below 1,200-1,500 calories a day, not only are you not eating enough to get all of your nutrients, but your body slows down the metabolism in order to hold on to precious calories.

Also, if you skip meals to lose weight you could lose your ability to feel full. Evolution has designed our bodies to resist famine and not the buffet table. If you skip breakfast the body assumes that food is scarce, so your body won’t burn calories. You need a morning meal to let your body know it is okay to be burning calories. Within 1 hour of waking up in the morning, you should be consuming 300-500 calories (with 10-15 grams of protein and some fiber).

2.      You reward yourself with food after exercise: Burning 300 calories during a workout is wonderful and certainly a cause for celebration, however – are you rewarding yourself with a healthy treat or a high-calorie treat that doesn’t add up to the workout you just finished?  After exercise you are likely to overestimate how much you burned in the workout, therefore, eating more food than you need. It is true that we do continue to burn calories after we exercise, but don’t fool yourself into thinking this is the best time to cheat and grab high-calorie, high-carb junk food. All you’re doing is cheating yourself of the benefits of a great workout.

 

3.      You drink diet drinks:  Everyone thinks they are doing good by drinking a zero calorie diet soda vs. the real think.  However, research suggests that diet drinks may backfire. The taste of something sweet without the calories can cause your body to hold on to calories (already consumed) as fat. In a 2011 study, diet soda drinkers had 178% greater increase in waist circumference over 10 years, compared with non-diet soda drinkers. All that artificial sweetener can actually raise your insulin levels and lower your blood sugar, which actually stimulates hunger and move your existing calories into storage (i.e. FAT). Plus, fake sweeteners may not quell a craving like real sugar can because sugar triggers a longer dopamine release. So, even after downing 2 diet-sodas you may still want a candy bar or piece of cake.

4.      Your family and friends are fat: You chances of being overweight or becoming obese increases by ½ a percent with every friend or family member in your network who is themselves obese. A 2010 Harvard University study found that your chances of obesity double for every four obese friends you have. Even if that friend lives thousands of miles away, your chances of gaining weight still go up. This may be because your perception of being overweight changes – living larger seems acceptable since the heavy person is a friend or family member. Interestingly, having an obese neighbor that you don’t know very well does not increase your risk.

Experts also think that a person’s lifestyle and behaviors can subconsciously rub off on those in the individual’s circle. But you don’t have to ditch overweight friends to lose weight. In fact, if you embark on a lifestyle change together, you can increase your fun and burn calories at the same time. Research from Oxford University found that exercising with friends and family as a team can actually make the agony of exercise less intense. The same hormones that are released during social bonding, endorphins – also help quell pain. And once a friend starts to lose weight, you have a greater chance of losing as well.

5.      You’ve eliminated wine: New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has found that women who drank 1-2 glasses of wine daily gained less weight over 13 years, compared with those who did not drink alcohol (8lbs. vs. 5.5 lbs to be exact). Remember, everything in moderation though. Women should not drink more than 2 standard drinks in 1 sitting to make sure they are getting positive health benefits from the alcohol. More than 2 standard drinks and you are harming your body.

6.      Your diet isn’t digitally enhanced:  you may know that keeping a food journal can help you automatically reduce your calorie intake (simply by making you aware of each bite). But did you know using a digitized program or application with positive feedback can hlp you lose even more? A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found that people who monitored their diet and exercise with digital devices (which provided daily feedback) lost more weight and stuck with their diet longer than those who used paper and pen.

Not only that, but the techy group increased their fruit and veggie intake more than the paper and pen group. And you don’t have to log in daily or weekly – one study found that diets who recorded meals online just once a month were 3 times more likely to keep off pounds over 2 years compared with those who did report less frequently.

7.      You’ve gone No-Carb or Fat-Free with your diet: did you know that by cutting back markedly on any one food group (let’s just use carbs or fat as an example) can leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay energized. One study found that dieters low in calcium and vitamin C had higher odds of putting on belly fat. The trick is a varied diet that includes healthy fats and good carbs like fruits and vegetables. After all, the biggest reason low-carb diets backfire is that for the vast majority of people they are not sustainable over the long haul.

Not many people can say no to bread, pasta, and birthday cake for an entire lifetime. And as with all diets – once you quit – you regain the weight you lost and more.  These fluctuations can make it an even bigger challenge to lose weight the next time.

Be Healthy at Work

March 7, 2012

APA Announces 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award Winners and Workplace Survey Results

Half of all employees who say they do not feel valued at work report that they intend to look for a new job in the next year, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Conducted online among 1,714 adults between January 12 and 19, 2012 on behalf of the APA by Harris Interactive, the survey found that employees who feel valued are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, compared to those who do not feel valued by their employers.
Almost all employees (93 percent) who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work and 88 percent reported feeling engaged. This compares to just 33 percent and 38 percent, respectively, of those who said they do not feel valued. Among employees who feel valued, just one in five (21 percent) said they intend to look for a new job in the next year (vs. 50 percent of those who said that they do not feel valued).
A variety of factors were linked to feeling undervalued at work, including having fewer opportunities for involvement in decision making (24 percent vs. 84 percent), being less satisfied with the potential for growth and advancement (9 percent vs. 70 percent), having fewer opportunities to use flexible work arrangements (20 percent vs. 59 percent) and being less likely to say they are receiving adequate monetary compensation (18 percent vs. 69 percent) and non-monetary rewards (16 percent vs. 65 percent). Overall, more than one in five (21 percent) working Americans said they do not feel valued by their employers.

Stress at Work

Many Americans continue to report chronic work stress, with two out of five employees (41 percent) reporting that they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday. Commonly cited causes of work stress include low salaries (46 percent), lack of opportunities for growth or advancement (41 percent), too heavy a workload (41 percent), long hours (37 percent) and unclear job expectations (35 percent).

Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Despite ongoing business challenges and employment issues that are clearly ripe for improvement, according to the American Psychological Association some employers have seized the opportunity to create a healthy culture where employees and the organization can thrive. In recognition of those employers who understand the link between employee well-being and organizational performance, the American Psychological Association will recognize 11 organizations at its seventh annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony in Washington, DC on Saturday March 10.
The employers who will receive the American Psychological Association’s 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award are:

• Noble-Davis Consulting (Ohio)
• ReMed Recovery Care Centers (Pennsylvania)
• Certified Angus Beef (Ohio)
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
• Coconino County (Arizona)

These employers reported an average turnover rate of just 11 percent in 2011 – significantly less than the national average of 36 percent, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Labor. Surveys completed by the winning organizations show that only 24 percent of employees reported experiencing chronic work stress compared to 41 percent nationally, and 80 percent of employees reported being satisfied with their job vs. 70 percent in the general population. Additionally, 78 percent of employees said they would recommend their organization to others as a good place to work compared to 63 percent, and only 14 percent said they intend to seek employment elsewhere within the next year, compared to 28 percent nationally.
“The business world is in the midst of a sea change,” says David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. “Successful organizations have learned that high performance and sustainable results require attention to the relationships among employee, organization, customer and community. Forward-thinking employers such as our 2012 award winners are taking steps to create a positive organizational culture where employees feel valued and, in turn, help drive bottom-line results.”
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards are designed to recognize organizations for their efforts to foster employee well-being while enhancing organizational performance. The program has both local- and national-level components. APA’s PHWA spans North America and is designed to showcase the very best from among the winners recognized by APA’s affiliated state, provincial and territorial psychological associations.
Nominees are selected from a pool of previous local winners and evaluated on their workplace practices in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. Additional factors that are considered include employee attitudes and opinions; the role of communication in the organization; and the benefits realized in terms of both employee health and organizational performance. Awards are given to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as government, military and educational institutions.

Read more about APA’s 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award winners here.

In addition to the PHWA winners, nine organizations will receive Best Practices Honors for a single program or policy that contributes to a psychologically healthy work environment and meets the unique needs of the organization and its employees. The honorees are:

• Certified Angus Beef (Ohio)
• Chimes Delaware, Newark Vocational Facility
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
• Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus (Arkansas)
• Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Northwest (Oregon)
• Koinonia Homes (Ohio)
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, LSS Financial Counseling Service
• Orion Associates (Minnesota)
• ReMed Recovery Care Centers (Pennsylvania)

Read more about APA’s 2012 Best Practices honorees here.

“The 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award winners have implemented programs and policies that enhance functioning for both employee and employer,” says Norman B. Anderson, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association. “Their efforts demonstrate the power of a healthy work environment and prove that any type of organization can create a psychologically healthy workplace.”

Download a copy of the complete 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards and Best Practices Honors magazine here.

About the Survey

The Stress in the Workplace survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Psychological Association between January 12 and January 19, 2012 among 1,714 adults aged 18-plus who reside in the U.S. and are employed full-time or part-time or are self-employed. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
A full methodology and more information about the 2012 PHWA winners and Best Practices honorees is available here. Organizations interested in learning more about creating a psychologically healthy workplace or applying for an award in their state, province or territory can visit www.phwa.org.

Enjoy the Spring Showers

Spring is here & I hope everyone is enjoying the unusual Spring and even Summer like weather we are having. I have been seeing more people outside lately - running, walking, cycling, and even pulling weeds. it is a great time to get outside, dust off the winter blahs and begin to see the sunshine. But, don't forget to hydrate.

What?

Yes, hydration is very important even this time of year.  You need to drink plenty of water during all of your physical activities despite the weather not being as high as those intense summer months. Here is why water works - a recent Nurses' Health Study shows an increased in hypertension among those who drink sweetened beverages - diet or regular. In a similar study, the French research institute INSERM reports that people who DON’T drink at least 2 cups of water a day are more likely to have high blood sugar - which is a risk for pre-diabetes. So, just because we are getting into warmer temperatures doesn't mean you can forget to refresh yourself with water.

 Leave the soda on the shelf in the super market, try picking up some H20. And to naturally sweeten your water try freezing fruit (grapes, berries, etc.) and then chuck those frozen blocks of fruit into your water.

And please - as you are trying to stay hydrated - consider the environment.  Please try to use reusable water bottles if you can. It saves you money, as well as, the environment. If you can't - then please recycle your plastic water bottles! Keep them out of our landfills and oceans!

According to National Geographic: 

In 1976 Americans drank an average of 1.6 gallons of bottled water every year. Roughly 30 years later consumption increased to 30 gallons per person, according to the Earth Policy Institute --- despite the fact that bottled water can cost anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water, which is brought right to your home for pennies a gallon. Bottled water also creates its own share of pollution --- the production of plastic bottles requires millions of barrels of oil per year and the transportation of bottled water from its source to stores releases thousands of tons of carbon dioxide.

Americans drink more bottled water than any other nation, purchasing an impressive 29 billion bottles every year. Making all the plastic for those bottles uses 17 million barrels of crude oil annually. That is equivalent to the fuel needed to keep 1 million vehicles on the road for 12 months. If you were to fill one quarter of a plastic water bottle with oil, you would be looking at roughly the amount used to produce that bottle.

Recycling

The recycling rate for those 29 billion bottles of water is low; only about 13 percent end up in the recycling stream where they are turned into products like fleece clothing, carpeting, decking, playground equipment and new containers and bottles. In 2005, that meant approximately 2 million tons of water bottles ended up in U.S. landfills, according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Plastic bottles take centuries to decompose and if they are incinerated, toxic byproducts, such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals, are released into the atmosphere.

 

Employees want more recognition, growth opportunities

Monitor Magazine - May 2011, Vol 42, No. 5, pg. 12

Although 69 percent of employees are satisfied with their jobs overall, fewer are satisfied with the recognition practices of their employer (46 percent) or opportunities for growth (44 percent), according to new data from APA’s Stress in America survey.

to see the survey in better detail go to: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/05/employees.aspx

How does your boss measure your character?

Monitor Magazine – In Brief

May 2011, Vol 42, No. 5, pg. 15

Bosses look more favorably upon humble, honest employees, according to Baylor University researchers. The psychologists examined supervisors’ employee ratings of 269 people working in the health-care industry at 25 different companies and surveyed the employees on a variety of personal traits. The researchers found that employees who self-reported higher levels of honesty and humility — defined in the study as showing fairness, avoiding greed and being sincere and modest — had the highest employee ratings from their supervisors. This suggests that companies should put a lot of emphasis on these traits when hiring employees, the researchers say. (Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 50, No. 6)

What Makes You Successful?

Check out this article from the Harvard Business Review.  This article was written by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist and author of the HBR Single Nine Things Successful People Do Differently and the book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011).

Heidi discusses many of the great tools and resources which have been discussed in my blog throughout 2011 and now in 2012. What are some of the tools and resources you use to be successful? Please feel free to share your ideas and comments below!

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong — abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime, and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking .... well, there's no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching, try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother — don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur ("If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

8. Don't tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it (like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time). And don't put yourself in harm's way — many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want to change your ways, ask yourself, What will I do instead? For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember, you don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goal (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today.