The People We Get Along With, Trust,

Remember, Empathy Need Not Lead To Sympathetically Giving In To The Other Side’s Demands—knowing How Someone Feels Does Not Mean Agreeing With Them.

Brain Studies Of Mental Workouts In Which You Sustain A Single, Chosen Focus Show That The More You Detach From What's Distracting You And Refocus On What You Should Be Paying Attention To, The Stronger This Brain Circuitry Becomes.

Our Genetic Heritage Endows Each Of Us With A Series Of Emotional Set-points That Determines Our Temperament. But The Brain Circuitry Involved Is Extraordinarily Malleable; Temperament Is Not Destiny.

The Ability To Handle Stress Increases With The Practice Of Meditation. In A Culture Like Ours In Which Inner, Spiritual Growth Is Totally Neglected In Favor Of Materialistic Pursuits, We Might Have Something To Learn From The Hare Krishna Devotees' Meditational Practices.

Every Morning, I Go Off To A Small Studio Behind My House To Write. I Try To Ignore All Email And Phone Calls Until Lunchtime. Then I Launch Into The Sometimes Frantic Busy-ness Of A Tightly Scheduled Day.