Sending Love to Everyone Who Did the Right Thing
The Pressure to Dream Big and the Beauty of Wanting Less
“What if I accept that all I really want is a small, slow, simple life? A beautiful, quiet, gentle life. I think it is enough.” ~Krista O’Reilly-Davi-Digui
Why do we feel such pressure to dream big? I think it starts in childhood when parents, teachers, and other adults start asking the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
One of the many problems with this question is its premise. In the classroom, at church, at youth camp, and at home, you are not alone, and you’re able to hear, understand, and internalize how others might answer …
The Seven Strengths: A Rare Free Training
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how easy it is to feel overwhelmed—by the news, by life, by everything we’re carrying day to day. I know I’ve been feeling this lately.
And when things feel like a lot, the question becomes: How do we stay grounded in the middle of it all?
If you’ve been wondering this too, I have a feeling you’ll appreciate The Seven Strengths—a free, live 7-day global online course taking place May 13–19.
It’s all about building the qualities of mind and heart that help you access your calm center no matter what’s gong …
It’s Okay to Feel Terrible
From the FREE ebook Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Overcoming Hard Times. If life feels overwhelming right now, get it here—along with 18 other free downloads.
When Self-Awareness Turns into Overthinking and How to Stop
“Be gentle with yourself. You’re doing the best you can.” ~Unknown
For years, I believed self-awareness was the answer to everything.
If I could just understand myself better—my triggers, my patterns, my childhood wounds—I would finally feel calm. Stable. Healed.
So I read the books. I journaled every night. I replayed conversations in my head, analyzing what I said, what I meant, and what I should have said instead. I studied my reactions like they were puzzles waiting to be solved.
At first, it felt empowering.
I was becoming “conscious.” Reflective. Emotionally intelligent.
But slowly, something shifted. Instead of feeling …
How to Tend to Yourself When Being Vulnerable Feels Raw
“Vulnerability is the only path through the wall that separates us from each other.” ~Brené Brown
Every time I share something deeply personal—an article, a post, a piece of my story somewhere or to someone—there is a part of me that lights up with energy. I feel a sense of urgency, a pull to share now. A belief that some humans will need to hear it, relate, and feel less alone. And often, it helps me make sense of my own experiences, too. Even if I’m not always conscious of it, there is a higher reason guiding me.
Storytelling is …
If You Feel Lonely Around People, Here’s Why
“The loneliness of the connected age is not about being alone. It’s about being unseen in a crowd.” ~Unknown
For a long time I thought I was broken.
Not in a dramatic way. In a quiet, persistent way—the kind you learn to manage so well that most people can’t tell, and eventually you almost can’t tell either.
I had a full life by any external measure. Work I cared about. People around me. Invitations to things. And yet there was this gap I couldn’t close—a feeling I can only describe as being on the wrong side of glass. Present in …
Growing Up Without a Family: From Survival Mode to Thriving
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ~C. S. Lewis
I started life in a poor household with one parent who left when I was very little, never to be seen or heard from again, and another who stuck around but made it very clear I wasn’t wanted and I had ruined their life by existing.
For some reason, I never had any contact from either of their parents, my grandparents, and very little to no contact from their wider families.
So, as a young child, I knew …
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 