“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” ~Charlie Chaplin
Many people have told me throughout my life that I sound just like my mother when I laugh. I lost her to cancer when I was sixteen, over twenty years ago. I learned from her to laugh and laugh often, even through the toughest of times.… Read More
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it’s something you design for the present.” ~Jim Rohn
A few weeks ago I found myself having a bad day. The frustrating thing was that on the outside everything was okay, nothing had explicitly gone wrong, but inside everything was a mess.… Read More
“What if I fall? Oh, my darling, what if you fly?” ~ Unknown
Like most people, my life has had its share of ups and downs.
My household growing up could be best described as a roller coaster. There were times of excitement and happiness, then there was the plummeting into darkness, shame, and self-loathing.… Read More
“Maybe it’s not about the happy ending. Maybe it’s about the story.” ~Unknown
For the longest ever time, I had no idea what my own story was.
Desperately uncomfortable in my skin as a child, I was equal parts pathologically shy with strangers and fearless with my sisters and brother, running wild over the boulder-strewn southern California land during summers.… Read More
“Most things I worry about never happen anyway.” ~Tom Petty
There was once a wise farmer who had tended his farm for many years. One day his horse unexpectedly ran away into the mountains. Upon hearing the news, the farmer’s neighbors came to visit.
“How terrible,” they told him.
“We’ll see,” the wise farmer replied.… Read More
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
A while back, someone very dear to me entered intensive care. He’s someone I’ve learned so much from, and yet never met. I’ve read dozens of his books, both listened to and watched countless lectures, as well as been inspired to study Zen because of him.… Read More
If your brain is very unhappy, like Brody, who’s full of fear and self-doubt, take a few minutes to watch this cute little video. Happiness can be quite simple when we learn how to train our brain.… Read More
“We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving…Accepting another person’s gift is allowing him to express his feelings for you.” ~Alexander McCall Smith
We all know the importance of giving. In fact, it feels rather nice to give to others; we have all experienced that warm glow in the stomach when we do something thoughtful for another person or exchange kind words.… Read More
“I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.” ~Gary Spence
Right after college, I joined AmeriCorps. Not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I decided to apply for a program teaching classes on HIV/AIDS. I knew a little about the subject, but I have family members affected by the disease.… Read More
“The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.” ~Tara Brach
I was in the heart of my Ph.D. program when I received the diagnoses: OCD, depression, and binge eating disorder.
It explained a lot, of course. All those years of anxiety, self-doubt, and intrusive thoughts were not normal after all.… Read More
“I actually think burnout is the wrong description of it. I think it’s ‘burn up.’ Physiologically, that is what you are doing because of the chronic stress being placed on your body.” ~Richard Boyatzis
Some years ago, when my mother told me that a friend of hers had experienced burnout, I didn’t really listen.… Read More
“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” ~Unknown
Five years ago, in a move I wasn’t sure was so brilliant at the time, I quit my career at a rapidly growing ASX-listed financial services organization, packed up my life, and flew to Thailand to pursue my love of scuba diving.… Read More
“In fear, we expect; with love, we accept.” ~Kenny Werner
It’s easy to let our ego and fear get in the way of our own success. I’m not talking about the aspects of ego that create a desire to “win” over others, which plague some more than others; I’m talking about the more inherent aspects of our inward facing ego that plague us all.… Read More
“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~Joan Borysenko
Stress and my own expectations were killing me. I was taking care of my physical health with exercise four to five days a week, eating right with lots of plants and vegetables, and sleeping enough—but my health was getting bad.… Read More
“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Have you ever had one of those days where you catch yourself rushing and not paying attention to the present moment?
I had one of those days a few years ago.
I had just ordered some coffee at a drive-thru and was waiting for the clerk to open the window.… Read More
“You think that the goal is to be over there, and we say the goal is the journey over there; the goal is the fun you have along the way on your way to over there.” ~Abraham
I have a clear memory of my mother looking at my bookshelves several years ago and commenting, “You’re always reading all these self-help books, and where has it gotten you?”
I responded with a quip about how I’ll always be working to align my personality with my soul, to which she scoffed and said, “When will you grow up and realize you have a great life, a great job, and great friends—and just enjoy it?!”
Of course, all I heard was “When are you going to grow up.” Her point, however, was a wise one: Just enjoy your life.… Read More
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