“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” ~Pema Chodron
I was always disturbed and discouraged during periods in my life when I was stuck, circling in an eddy, moving—but going nowhere.
At times I was stuck in my job: I was bored and couldn’t figure out how to get excited again. … Read More
“Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” ~Iyanla Vanzant
Have you ever had an experience that took you to emotional rock bottom? One that left you drained, broken, and totally numb?… Read More
“Waking up to who you are requires letting go of who you imagine yourself to be.” ~Alan Watts
For a long time, I felt like I was standing on a riverbank just watching the water of life go by, too scared to jump in and play. I was waiting for the perfect current to come along that I could ride all the way to the completion of my intensely detailed life goals.… Read More
“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” ~Angela Schwindt
When you’re young, anything seems possible. Whether you want to become a school teacher, a ballerina, or an astronaut, it all feels within your reach.
And you so easily get excited by it.… Read More
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.” ~Leo Buscaglia
They say the greatest joy in life is to be able to live your passion every day, and I only had to look to my teens to remember that what I had always enjoyed doing most—working out.… Read More
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” ~Theophrastus
Don’t we all wish we had more time? Time to spend with loved ones. Time to finish solving a problem. Time to eat, pray, love. Time to exercise more. Time to travel to all the continents on the globe.
Time to finish that project.… Read More
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” ~C.S. Lewis
Growing up, people always saw me as the over-achiever and said, “That girl is really going to make something of herself one day.”
I often felt the pressure of having to live up to these expectations.… Read More
“Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~Shakespeare
Have you ever stopped to question why you do what you do? Or how it looks to other people?
I’ve done this pretty much all through my life. In fact, an outsider might say that I’ve spent more time analyzing my place in the world than experiencing it.… Read More
“If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path.” ~Buddha
Why are you here on this earth? What is your purpose? What are you supposed to be doing with your life? These deep questions burn in all of us. Our souls’ desire is to lead fulfilling lives that have meaning.… Read More
“Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” ~Denis Waitley
I remember dreaming for years about living abroad. First it was Italy so that I could discover my roots. Then it was Fiji because it seemed like the furthest place from Los Angeles (which I actually did, but only for two months during the summer of 2003).… Read More
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.” ~Unknown
In this society of ours, parents teach their children to do, to perform, to produce. We learn that to be adult, we need to be “productive members of society.” At social gatherings, more often than not, the first question among strangers is “What do you do?”
My first memories include identifying so deeply with my movie director father that when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always replied, “A writer and director.”
Then life happened, and I spent decades acting out the painful and abusive relationship I had with my mother.… Read More
“Do something now that will make the person you’ll be tomorrow proud.” ~Unknown
A while back someone asked me to list my greatest accomplishments for 2012.
As I racked my brain, I thought of a few professional achievements that made me feel proud, but as for the top accomplishment, I kept coming back to the same thing: my sister’s wedding.… Read More
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It’s finally happening.
After much thought and discussion, I’m excited to move forward with a Tiny Buddha iPhone app!
I have a ton of my own ideas, but I’d like to ensure the app meets your wants and needs.… Read More
“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” ~Dalai Lama
I’m betting you’ve heard the advice to “follow your bliss.” While I find there to be much value in those words, I submit that this mindset can become a trap.
It’s not the bliss I have an issue with.… Read More
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” ~Socrates
As a people, we are busy. Busy is our mantra. Busy equals successful. Busy equals value. Sometimes all busy really equals is busy.
It’s important to be engaged, and we need to do what it takes to survive and thrive, but sometimes what we are seeking has less to do with being busy and more to do with just being.… Read More
“Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.” ~Unknown
I think I always had an idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I sort of tweaked it along the way.… Read More
“Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.” ~Walter Anderson
I recently returned from four weeks of traveling by myself in Europe. No, I’m not bragging, although it was pretty awesome.
What made it amazing, besides the lovely scenery, tasty food, cultural experiences, and wine, was that I had a few great opportunities to re-visit some lessons that I think many of us could resonate with.… Read More
Happy almost 2013!
It seems like just yesterday I wrote “Happy almost 2012!” before summarizing the top lessons from 2011.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, as I like to think that any moment is an ideal time to make a change, but I always appreciate looking back and recognizing progress and growth.… Read More
“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” ~Sophia Loren
Even though I got Joey McIntyre from The New Kids on the Block to sign my scoliosis back brace in the sixth grade, I still felt ugly wearing it.
I didn’t realize the irony back then, but in retrospect it seems a little funny I grew crooked considering I convinced myself I was wilting in my sister’s shadow.… Read More
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” ~Rumi
I was on tour with a famous rock legend, Joe Walsh from the mega-successful seventies band, The Eagles.
We were riding around in one of those air brushed tour busses, living the party life and flying to exotic places.… Read More
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