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Why “Focus on the Bright Side” Isn’t Helpful Advice

By in Blog, change & challenges

There are so many memes and quotes out there that say, “Be positive, not negative. Focus on the bright side.” I’ve never been very good at ignoring the negatives and focusing on the positives.

Call me a critical, over-analytical over-thinker if you want, but at no point in my journey of self-love and self-discovery have I learned to ignore all my flaws, all my mistakes, all my regrets. At no point in my journey of compassion have I learned to ignore all the times that someone has hurt me or all the destruction caused by abuse. That never felt right …

The Greatest Gifts You Can Give Someone

By in Fun & Inspiring

Why No One Else Can Make Me Feel Insignificant

By in Blog, change & challenges, love & relationships

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Significance.

A phenomenon most of us only notice once we lose it.

If you’re like me, you’ve had (and could still have) a love/hate relationship with significance. Simply because it often seemed so elusive. Just out of reach.

Our journey together started as far back as I can remember.

As the youngest of three siblings, I often felt unheard. Overlooked. Ignored. Insignificant.

I thought it was normal. Didn’t all little sisters bear the same cross? Apparently not…

As a young adult, I looked to my friends to …

Your Heart Is Trying to Tell You Something

By in Fun & Inspiring

The Biggest Lesson I’ve Learned Is: It’s Okay

By in Fun & Inspiring

Why Introverts Feel Drained in Groups and How I Preserve My Energy

By in Blog, letting go, love & relationships

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ~Deepak Chopra

When I was younger, I was always referred to as “the quiet one.” I didn’t mind it; I knew I was much quieter than most people I met. Not speaking and spending time on my own was natural for me.

Friends and workmates recognized this but would still often ask me if I wanted to join them when they were going out, even though they knew I would usually say no. They understood me as quiet, but they didn’t really understand just how much I disliked …

You Are Part of My Growth, and I Thank You

By in Fun & Inspiring

Loving Yourself When You’ve Become Addicted to Self-Improvement

By in Blog, letting go, love & relationships

“Whatever purifies you is the right path.” ~Rumi  

I’m tired of being good. It’s time to be deliciously free.

How I wish I could say that without rushing in to assure you that I promise I’ll still be good.

The truth is, I worry. Less than I used to, but still, I do.

I’ve probably had every kind of worry you could imagine. There’s the kind about things that haven’t happened yet, things that didn’t but very nearly could have, things that are highly unlikely if not impossible, things that are commonplace; I’ve worried about the things I want and …

When You Connect with People Who Are Good for You

By in Fun & Inspiring

No Response Is Also a Response

By in Fun & Inspiring

Maybe It’s Not All Good or All Bad

By in Blog, change & challenges

“You are the sky. Everything else—it’s just the weather.” ~Pema Chödrön

A farmer has a horse for many years; it helps him earn his livelihood and raise his son. One day, the horse runs away. His neighbor says sympathetically, “Such bad luck.”

The farmer replies, “Maybe. Who knows?”

The next day, the horse makes its way back home bringing with it another horse. The neighbor says with a smile, “Such good luck.”

The farmer replies, “Maybe. Who knows?”

The following day, the farmer’s son rides the new horse and seeks to tame it. In the process, he breaks his leg. …

You Can Do This

By in Fun & Inspiring

How to Be Less Anxious About Things You Can’t Change

By in Blog, change & challenges, letting go

“One of the happiest moments is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.” ~Unknown

Over the last few years, I’ve had to deal with a frustrating problem.

It’s something that’s not uncommon, but it can be debilitating, and it has affected me every day. Some days have been incredibly tough, and they’ve tested my tolerance and my patience.

The problem is chronic back pain.

Every day I get up, knowing that throughout the day I’m going to have a discomfort that could oscillate between a mild annoyance and an intense burning. At some point, …

I Am Proud of You

By in Fun & Inspiring

Why I Won’t Let the Fear of Failure Hold Me Back

By in Blog, meaning & passion

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill

I am scared of sharks. Often when I’m floating in the ocean on my surfboard, amazed at the vastness before me and my relative smallness in the world, my mind drifts toward what may be lurking below.

I know that I am more likely to get injured during the car ride to the beach or get struck by lightning when I get there than be attacked by a shark. I also know that, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission …

Making the World a Little Less Cruel and Heartless World

By in Fun & Inspiring

People Change for Two Main Reasons

By in Fun & Inspiring

You Have to Go with Your Heart and Move Forward

By in Fun & Inspiring

Health Doesn’t Always Come from Medicine

By in Fun & Inspiring

How Micro Habits Can Help You Reach Big Goals

By in Blog, healthy habits

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~Lao Tzu

Many of us have big, grand goals for our lives.

These goals can be tied to our work, or maybe starting a family, or ideals for a new home with that family, or travel to an exotic location we’ve long dreamed about, or pretty much anything else. Oftentimes these goals can seem a very long way from where we are presently in our lives. In fact, sometimes they can seem so far away that they appear to be totally out of reach.

As a consequence, too …