Forgive Yourself for Not Seeing the Red Flags
The Hidden Danger of Burnout No One Warns You About
For most of my career, I trusted my ability to assess risk.
I spent decades working in technology, much of it in information security and startups. Risk was not an abstract concept to me. It was my job to anticipate what could go wrong, question assumptions, identify vulnerabilities, and make decisions when the consequences mattered.
And yet, at one of the most important moments of my life, I failed to recognize a vulnerability in myself.
I was severely burned out.
I didn’t understand how much it had affected my judgment until after the financial consequences could no longer be undone.
When You Can’t Do Things the Way You Used To
“What stands in the way becomes the way.” ~Marcus Aurelius
I’ve had two strokes, and after each, there were things I had to relearn. Walking wasn’t what it used to be. My balance became a problem. There are days when my head is foggy, and I have trouble concentrating. My body doesn’t always cooperate with what my mind wants to do.
And over the years, I’ve had plenty of other health problems thrown into the mix.
But I’m not telling you that because I want anybody feeling sorry for me. That’s really not my thing. If anything, the health problems
3 Ways Your Brain Adapts After Emotional Abuse
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ~C.S. Lewis
I’m not sure why some of us have a tougher journey than others, but I can say I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t loved a narcissist.
Most days now are filled with love from my three little rescue doggies. But there are days I am teleported back in time.
Just the other day, I was standing in my kitchen on a quiet Tuesday afternoon when a familiar smell caught my attention.
I had the window …
How I Changed My Life in the Middle of Chaos
“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” ~Squire Bill Widener
For years, I had a private deal with myself: I would really change when life became manageable.
When work slowed down. When the family was okay. When I had more energy. When there was less stress. When I could finally focus.
The problem was that life never signed that deal.
At my heaviest, I weighed 465 pounds. I had learned how to live inside a body that made almost everything harder while also becoming very good at explaining why now was not the right time to …
From Anxious to Free: The Surprising Power of Acceptance
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I change.” ~Carl Rogers
For over a year, I woke up at 3 a.m. almost every night.
I would lie there in the dark, my heart pounding, my mind sprinting through the same loop: What if I can’t handle my job? What if I lose my income? What if I spend the rest of my life alone?
Eventually I would fall back asleep around dawn, then drag myself through the workday like a ghost—exhausted, flat, and pretending to be fine.
I wasn’t just going through a …
