When we used to have a different guest on the show every week, experts in their respective fields, I was struck by how many of them had the same answer to my question about their best advice. "Take a class in improv," they'd say. That's one reason I was so happy to have Jane Brody join me as co-host. She's all about improv. And no wonder! Approaching life the way you're taught to in improv really can make you happier.

You've probably heard all the adages. The brick walls are there to show you how much you want it. The obstacle is the way. Impossible just means it hasn't been done yet. True enough, but how do you muster the energy and the confidence to scale that mountain? Jane and I have some ideas!

If you get a bad feeling about someone, trust it. It's like what they say about intuition, that it's knowing something without knowing why you know it. As a casting director, especially for television commercials, Jane trusted her first impressions because she was honoring how the audience would react. Don't be afraid to give someone a second chance to make a good first impression, though. Would you like people deciding you were a real problem if they just happened to catch you on a really bad day?