Menu
Announcement: Wish you could change your past? Take a 5-minute quiz to feel better about life!

Category “change & challenges”

Making It Through Pain That Seems to Never End

By

“Feelings are real and legitimate.” ~Unknown

I’ve been thinking about pain lately.

It’s come up for me more now since my sister, Susie, has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Susie and I are close in age—just 15 months separate us—and close in friendship and love. So I worry about her.

She’s an electrician and needs to be able to use her hands on a daily basis for wiring, splicing, drilling, and all of the other myriad things electricians do.… Read More

5 Principles to Live by When Life Doesn’t Go Your Way

By

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~ Maya Angelou

We all have our stories, don’t we?

Some stories merely create a ripple in our lives, while others go deeper. So much so that they can change the course of our lives.… Read More

Deep Thought

Getting to the Root of Pain to Work Through It and Be Happy

By

“The secret of joy is the mastery of pain” ~Anais Nin

I come from a family of runners. They run from pain, emotions, and uncomfortable feelings.

My mom was 17 when she moved to Texas to get away from her overbearing mother. She couldn’t deal with the pain of never being enough for her parents or herself.… Read More

Face Your Fears: Today Is a New Chance to Change Your Life

By

“Every new day is another chance to change your life.” ~Unknown

Last week there was a short article on the front page of my local newspaper that touched and inspired me deeply. There was a picture of a very proud looking woman, holding her A-certificate for swimming.

She had followed the swimming class with a crowd of five-year-olds.… Read More

When Your Beliefs Hold You Back: Release Them to Avoid Regret

By

“Waking up to who you are requires letting go of who you imagine yourself to be.” ~lan Watts   

Do you hear voices?

Even when you are alone, there is usually someone talking to you. And you hear them loud and clear.

Everyone has an internal dialogue going through their heads for a large part of the day.… Read More

We Have a Right to Grieve Losses Big and Small

By

“Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.” ~Robert Gary Lee

It felt like I was being crushed by the weight of the world.

“Impossible,” I thought.

It’s impossible that people actually suffer this kind of pain and survive to tell the tale.

When I thought about it my stomach contracted as if I’d taken a blow to the gut.… Read More

Every Day Can Be A Starting Point: Make a New Beginning

By

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” ~Carl Bard

Birthdays. They’re supposed to be a joyous celebration, right?

That one special day each year when we throw a party and reflect on the day our amazing journey began.… Read More

I am here

Finding Peace and Joy When Dealing with Pain and Loss

By

“Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.” ~Richard Bach

There are times when nothing seems to move in the right direction. It is either stuck or goes from chaos to confusion. Days follow nights as pages on the calendar turn into months, but you remain at the same place.… Read More

Uncover Hidden Emotions: What’s Really Pushing Your Buttons and Why?

By

“When you judge another, you do not define them. You define yourself.” ~Wayne Dyer

Lately, I’ve been confronted by envy. It’s one of those negative emotions that I used to avoid taking credit for.

“I really am happy for everyone,” I would tell potential mates and friends.” And I thought I meant it.… Read More

Thinking

Getting to Know Yourself, What You Like, and What You Want in Life

By

“Be yourself; everyone is already taken” ~Oscar Wilde

In some ways, it may seem counterintuitive to have to learn to know yourself. Surely that should be a given, right? Not necessarily.

While our experiences clearly helped shape us into the people we are today, this does not mean that we necessarily know who we really are—what we are passionate about and what we want from life.… Read More

Standing

Surviving and Thriving: 3 Lessons About Dealing with Hard Times

By

“Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.” ~Unknown

Lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and massive machines, I seriously considered the possibility that I was having a nightmare. Everything felt so surreal.

At 22 years old, my life was full of promise and potential. I had recently graduated from college and it was a time of beginnings.… Read More

Im Free

7 Tips to Challenge Perfectionism: Enjoy More and Worry Less

By

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.” ~Anne Lamott

I had planned to write this post a month ago. The topic was interesting, and it was one that I was sure most people could relate to. I mean, who hasn’t wrestled at some point with the issue of perfectionism?

One after another, notions and examples of perfectionism flowed steadily from my mind onto my notepad.… Read More

Meditation

When You Feel Terrified: Come Out of the Panic Zone

By

“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” ~Pema Chodron

Are you as scared as I am?

I’m terrified.

I’m not talking horror movie terrified either. This isn’t the kind of scared where you jump, but then realize it’s just your friend who’s surprised you. This isn’t even the kind of scared when you realize you left your iPhone in a public bathroom.… Read More

4 Ways to Remain Centered Amid All of the Chaos

By

“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~Joan Borysenko

Right now I am in a tight squeeze. I am in the process of making some big changes, and it’s bringing quite a bit of chaos—uncertainties, insecurities, and fears—into my life, as changes will do.… Read More

5 Tips to Forgive Instead of Letting Anger Control Your Life

By

“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.” ~Ajahn Chah

I made it my New Year’s resolution to forgive someone for his past actions. Unfortunately, the person I forgave is not here to know.… Read More

Recovering from a Difficult Childhood: 5 Steps to Reclaim Yourself

By

“Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as being able to remake ourselves.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

Recently, I had one of those flashes of insight that burn away the illusions I learned as a child in a dysfunctional family and help me see myself in a new light.… Read More

Sitting

3 Simple Steps To Stop Worry In Its Tracks

By

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow.  It only saps today of its joy.” ~Leo Buscaglia

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the worrywart extraordinaire.

Worry: verb: To give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.

Fret, be anxious, brood, stress, panic.… Read More

Arms Wide Open

How Resisting Causes More Pain: Accept and Help Yourself Heal

By

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle

My partner, Ruth, and I were not happy.

The inside of her mouth was covered in sores, she couldn’t swallow well, and she was exhausted. The chemotherapy was ravaging her body.… Read More

Lost

Feeling Lost and How It Can Help You Find Yourself

By

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Another day, another class missed, another alarm turned off. No motivation but to turn the pillow over to its colder side and lay there half asleep, unanswered questions gliding in and out of my mind.

This was how most of my mornings went in my last days of college.… Read More

In a Field

4 Lessons on Embracing a Major Life Change

By

“If you’re not terrified of the next step, you eyes are still closed. A caged bird in a boundless sky.” ~Jed McKenna

It was day two of living at the Zen Center. Sitting on the side of the dirt path, I had my head buried in my knees.

“I can’t do this babe,” I cried to my husband.… Read More

Page 2 of 1812345...10...Last »