“Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” ~Lao Tzu
We all have recorded messages playing in our heads, from long ago.
Listen to parents talking to young children. Often the message is less than approving.
“Don’t …
“Some of us think that holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” ~Hermann Hesse
She knew it sooner than I did. And more intensely than I did.
I, on the other hand, may have considered our …
“We are not responsible for what our eyes are seeing. We are responsible for how we perceive what we are seeing.” ~Gabrielle Bernstein
One of the things I love about this journey of personal growth is that we get to …
“I have endured, I have been broken, I have known hardship, I have lost myself. But here I stand, still moving forward, growing stronger each day.” ~Unknown
There was a time, not so long ago, when I was struggling with …
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ~Ernest Hemingway
The chances are good that at some point in your life you had to deal with a loved one who consistently frustrated you. They were caught in a destructive …
I used to think that if I told my wife exactly what’s wrong with her, her response would be, “Yes, I see it now! Thank you for showing me the errors of my ways.”
To my surprise, that never happened. …
“When we get angry, we suffer. If you really understand that, you also will be able to understand that when the other person is angry, it means that she is suffering. When someone insults you or behaves violently towards you, …
“I want to dare to exist, and more than that, to live audaciously, in all my imperfect, lumpy, scarred glory, because the alternative is letting shame win.” ~Shauna Niequist
I kept my head down. Staring at my plate of food.…
“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself.” ~Unknown
Talking to ourselves in a nurturing way can be a challenge if we rarely heard nurturing words in the early …
“Give without remembering. Receive without forgetting.” ~Unknown
It was Sunday, April 12, 2015. I had just finished my grocery shopping and was about to leave the parking lot when I noticed a call from my dad.
I called him back …
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” ~Muhammad Ali
I followed a little boy in Walmart today. He didn’t look like my son and yet I trailed him and his …
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known…” – Brene Brown
I’ve recently become increasingly aware of my social awkwardness. In fact, my awareness of it sharpened quite suddenly one …
“They say ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’ The truth is, you knew exactly what you had. You just didn’t think that you were going to lose it.” ~Unknown
She was a mother of eight children. She …
“Be quick to forgive, because we’re all walking wounded.” ~Anonymous
People often behave in ways that we find irritating, annoying, or worse. This can happen especially with people close to us.
They can speak with little consideration for the impact …
“Love yourself like your life depends on it. Because it does.” ~Danielle LaPorte
Thank you website impersonator. I appreciate you. In fact, you may be one of my best teachers.
Whoa. What?
Most people wouldn’t normally think of extending gratitude …
“When the wrong people leave your life, the right things start to happen.” ~Zig Ziglar
The end of a relationship triggers many grief emotions, but when a couple breaks up because one person decides that it’s over, there is a …
“Sometimes I think I need a spare heart to feel all the things I feel.” ~Sanober Khan
I felt her agony and loneliness as if it were my own. Even as I write that sentence, my eyes well up and …
“Our thoughts create our beliefs, meaning if you think about yourself a certain way for a long enough period of time you will ultimately believe it.” ~Anonymous
You’re ugly. You’re stupid. You’re a loser.
Imagine thinking this way about …
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau
On February 21, 2009, I received a phone call that would alter the course of my life. It was my sister, and I could barely make out what …
“Never lose yourself in a relationship. Love your partner fiercely, but always follow your unique dreams and desires. Be true to yourself.” ~Unknown
All my previous relationships drained me.
Not only because I was with the wrong men and kept …
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