If you ask a parent what they want for their children, they often say “to be happy.” I can’t argue with that.

But we also want more. We want them to be faithful, loving, charitable, honorable and fulfilled.

I know I do. That quest as a parent and as a rabbi guiding parents forms the basis for my next book, which is the early stages of publication. It releases in early September.

It focuses on ancient wisdom and its synthesis with the emerging field of positive psychology.

I tell my story of experiencing the wisdom of the Bible and of positive psychology through an ancient prayer known as the Eilu Devarim. More on that in coming months.

But one of the stories I share to illustrate the meaning of positive psychology comes from a recent book I read on the Menachem Schneerson, who was the Rebbe of the Orthodox Chabad movement.

The Rebbe once pleaded with an Israeli hospital to change its name from the Hebrew words for “Home of the Sick” to “House of Healing.”

That seems small. But the Rebbe believed “the goal of the hospital was to make people better. When somebody feels they’re in the ‘home for the sick,’ that in itself is psychologically bad.”

Words matter because they paint pictures in our brain. And the words we use influence the people around us.

You can join me on a live training where Mark and Ann Timm will synthesize much of what Dr. Gary Chapman and others taught.

They will discuss the words we use and the behaviors we model with our families as part of the Ziglar family challenge. Their joy is infectious and their wisdom priceless.

Whether you are single, married, in a blended family or grandparents—or whether you are a friend or pastor seeking to help guide families–you will find insight. You can sign up here.