Finding the positive in things can be difficult at times and getting to a positive place by expressing and digesting difficult feelings can also be a struggle. There are many ways to accomplish positive thinking, but sometimes you just need a little inspiration. For many, music is that inspiration.

Music can inspire and move us in ways no other medium of communication can. It can help us connect with feelings we have difficulty expressing and can put words to pain and joy that we were at a loss for words prior to pushing "play." Music has been an integral part of religious ritual, life events and our summer pool parties. It is what we whistle in the rain, hum quietly to ourselves and sing proudly in the shower. I have always been a fan of a wide variety of music, but mostly I turn to music that inspires me. The songs that help me run that extra block, digest old feelings or let all the cars on the 405 know that I am having a great day!

Recently, I came across Gotye's Someone that I used to know single and it quickly became a favorite. However, as I searched for it on youtube, I found that it was not only I who liked it, but millions more. It is so beloved that you can find many covers. I posted a handful of them below starting with the original and ending with a cover in Hebrew. I hope you all enjoy!

On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated for his nonviolent war against hate and intolerance. His death, and, more importantly, his life was not lived in vain. His fight changed the landscape of civil rights in this country and became a symbol of justice and equality for all who seek it. Below is a video I made a few years back about he history of hate in our country which features Dr. King.

When I watch this video I am grateful for the life of Dr. King and all the activists during the civil rights movement. We have a come a long way since the day of fire hoses and German shepards. I am also just as grateful for those who continue the fight as injustice and intolerance continue to plague society. We must remember that Dr. King was not only fighting for the civil rights of black Americans, but the rights of all mankind. As Dr. King said, "When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

We owe a debt to Dr. King, but it is a debt that can be repaid by continuing his work and make his "dream" a reality. The time for change has not past. The time for change is now, tomorrow and every day after. Every day we have decisions to make that can move us one step closer to tolerance, acceptance and equality or, sadly, one step further. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Below is a reminder of Dr. Kings' famous "I have a dream speech" that continues to inspire us to stand up against evil.

Thank you Dr. King.

I came across this unique business card recently and it struck me as a great message for this New Year. For those of you who are not sure what "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" means, it is the three keys you press on a PC to reboot it. It is used when your computer gets stuck or frozen and you have no choice but to restart. Nine out of ten times it solves the issue by clearing the local memory and lets you start over. It is not without ramifications as any unsaved work will be deleted, but lets you get back to work where before your computer was just an expensive electronic brick.

I think this is a wonderful analogy for the New Year. For many, New Years' is a time that we reflect on the past year and what we want to accomplish, change and make better this upcoming year. We make promises and resolutions for the new year and we are looking to start fresh. In many ways we are "rebooting" for the year ahead. This rebooting can create a sense of hope, purpose and excitement for the new year.

In therapeutic work, there is also value in rebooting. While there are different therapeutic styles and modalities, often part of the therapists responsibilities is helping our clients get unstuck. Often a client will perseverate on negative aspects of their past that they feel will never change. They can't see a positive future and do not feel they have any ability to effect change. They are stuck. It is the therapists job to work with them to effect this change and we have various therapeutic tools at our disposal. However, sometimes they just need a "reboot."

They need to know that things can change, that they can effect that change and that the bleak future they see can be replaced with one filled with hope, purpose and excitement. This can begin with a "reboot" in the form of the first day of therapy and a commitment to change. This could be at the start of the New Year with its built in fresh start. Either way, making a conscious decision to focus on positive change with practical and realistic steps to get there, while at the same time shifting focus away from negative aspects of ones past is a reboot that can help get that fresh start.

Of course, the idea of a reboot for the New Year and in therapy is not the key to happiness and therapeutic success, but like the computer it is the first step to being able to begin working again. I want to wish all you a Happy New Year filled with personal joy, health and meaning. Happy New Year!

As individuals dedicated to the emotional well being of our clients, I am always surprised when I come across a mental health professional who has seemed to have lost the muscle strength to smile. Clearly, smiling is not appropriate all the time. I have learned this the hard way as I have often found myself smiling in situations where my colleagues have had to kick or elbow me under that table, but controlling smiling is for another post.

Smiling is contagious. Smiling illustrates joy, being proud, acceptance and can be comforting. Smiling does so much.

For school guidance counselors, as you walk the halls of your schools, pick up a student from the classroom, give a presentation to parents or just spend a few minutes with with a group of students between classes, smiling can give our students that little extra boost they need to get through a long hard day. For therapists in private practice, as you welcome a client into your office, walk them out or when you are listening to them discuss their week, smiling is reassuring, shows you are listening and illustrates you are human. In fact, telling a joke or listening to one and laughing out loud with your client doesn't hurt either. Of course if you are new to smiling, start with a few smirks before you jump into a full belly laugh. You don't want to pull a muscle.

I came across this TED talk about "The Hidden Power of Smiling" and recommend you spend the seven minutes to watch it. It is fantastic.