George and Rachel Barker – Page 10

4th of July – What a Difference It Would Make!

Written by George and Rachel Barker on June 29, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

An Independence Day message using a slight tweak to the phrase spoken by our 35th President, John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address. Just think what a difference it would make if everyone’s first thought every morning or afternoon (if you’re not a morning person) was, “Ask not what others can do for me, but what I can do for others” today. Sounds simple enough, but remember, to do so you must first be good with you. For this Fourth of July celebration, I will utilize some phrases from...

Practice Living A Happier Life

Written by George and Rachel Barker on June 20, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

Practice, practice, practice … practice makes perfect, phrases in which we are all familiar. In his book, Success Is A Choice, published back in the mid to late 1990’s, Rick Pitino, University of Louisville basketball coach, states that practice doesn’t make perfect, but “perfect practice makes perfect.” Of course from one point of view, this makes sense: Think of shooting a basketball with a major flaw in your technique. Hours and hours of practice only reinforces...

Laugh!

Written by George and Rachel Barker on June 9, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. 1 Comment

When was the last time you had a good laugh? I had a rough day the other day; I’m sure you probably know the kind of day I am referring to. So, I thought, well since I co-authored a book on happiness and all, I need to snap out of this. Then I remembered Day 3: Laugh! I went to my joke folder and started flipping through the pages … and on about the third page, I hit the jackpot. What a good laugh I had … hadn’t heard that one in three forevers. Boy, was I feeling better. Several hours later,...

Commencement 2017 – 3 simple things

Written by George and Rachel Barker on May 31, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

What a wonderful time of year. The grass is green, the sun is shining and the days are getting longer! And, oh yeah, how could I forget graduations are in full swing. Good ole graduation, the ceremony of two tales: ● The Graduate – Give me my diploma and let me get out of this place. ● The Parent – The memories, the future, so much of life left to taste. Unfortunately, it seems that most commencement speeches are geared more to the parent than the graduate. Long speeches about what...

The Rock and the Odds

Written by George and Rachel Barker on May 26, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. 3 Comments

A friend, one of the first people to read Don’t Be A Cow!, was recently taking a walk on RiverWalk in Columbus, GA. She looked down and something caught her eye. It was a rock with something on it; taking a closer look, painted on the rock was … a cow! Imagine. What are the odds? Especially the odds of an early reader of Don’t Be A Cow! finding an otherwise unassuming rock with a cow painted on it? She couldn’t believe it either, so she snapped the photo and sent it to Jane and me. All three...

Rock painting groups connecting families

Written by George and Rachel Barker on May 25, 2017. Posted in Soulful Empowerment. Leave a Comment

Check out this recent story on “The Today Show” that relates to the COW ROCK … http://www.today.com/parents/rock-painting-groups-connect-families-communities-t111934

Nature – in the Backyard

Written by George and Rachel Barker on May 13, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

Nature’s way to speak to us all If only we stop, to absorb it’s awe! The vibrant red of a cardinal on a gray and gloomy winters day The soaring of an eagle in what appears to be an endless sky The sounds of water as it travels after a torrent rain It’s there for all to see, it’s there for all to hear, for you see, it is… Nature’s way to speak to us all, If only we stop, to absorb it’s awe! The swaying of a tree, in a Summer’s warm sultry breeze The weaving...

Wasting Time! Research I Can Truly Relate To!

Written by George and Rachel Barker on May 6, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

“The psychological importance of wasting time,” by Olivia Goldhill I got this article from a friend the other day, which got me thinking! Of course, I think that was the intent of my friend. Unless, of course, they were just trying to drop me a hint to make me feel better. Because I think I am really great at wasting time, so I’m happy to know there is an Up side!

Self-Reliance. What does it mean?

Written by George and Rachel Barker on April 29, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

Self-reliance what is it? What does it mean? Is it a good thing or a not-so-good thing? A school of thought says man is to live in community, therefore all must contribute to the community, and all must rely on the community. This contribute-and-rely relationship forms a bond between the individual and the community. This may sound like a great concept, but it has a major flaw: It overlooks individuality! Humans are born as individuals and this is a biological fact. A child is born as its own...

Pinocchio and what he tells you about discipline

Written by George and Rachel Barker on April 23, 2017. Posted in George's Happiness Blog. Leave a Comment

One of the literary tragedies of this century is the take-away message from Pinocchio: If you lie your nose will grow longer! And we all know that won’t happen! The real message? When you live a life without discipline and follow others, you become an ass, excuse me, a donkey! And this, unlike the nose thing, does happen! Just to refresh your memory, Pinocchio is the story of a wooden puppet that comes to life. The wooden puppet wants to become a real boy and carries the viewer along on...

Author: George and Rachel Barker