You Don’t Have to Be Positive All the Time
How to Raise Your Self-Esteem So You Can Thrive in Life
“Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” ~Iyanla Vanzant
Aren’t you tired of it?
You know, that sneaking suspicion you aren’t enough.
That inner commentary about where you fall short all the time. The mean internal remarks about your ability to handle life and how you just don’t measure up.
And aren’t you fed up with how it’s been holding you back from pursuing what you truly desire?
A better relationship or more meaningful …
We Have a Right to Grieve Losses Big and Small
“Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.” ~Robert Gary Lee
It felt like I was being crushed by the weight of the world.
“Impossible,” I thought.
It’s impossible that people actually suffer this kind of pain and survive to tell the tale.
When I thought about it, my stomach contracted as if I’d taken a blow to the gut. I’d gasp for breath and try to find some air through the tears and in between sobs.
So this is what grief felt like.
Now I understood why denial is the first stage of grief. How could you endure this kind …
6 Empowering Lessons Death Taught Me About Life
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live” ~Norman Cousins
I am not dead and I am not dying, so you may wonder why I write that death has taught me what I need to know about life.
I lost my mother when I was fifteen. Being a teenager, thoughts of anyone close to me dying had not entered my head. My mother had a brief illness and passed away unexpectedly at age forty-seven.
I remember that my schoolmates came to see me, and I kept thinking …
Get Out of Your Head: The Life-Changing Power of Embodying Your Body
“The modern individual is committed to being successful, not to being a person. He belongs rightly to the ‘action generation’ whose motto is ‘do more but feel less.’” ~Alexander Lowen
I’ve always been a little bit scared of my body. And when you’re scared of something, you tend to avoid it at all costs. So that’s what I did for most of my childhood and teenage years.
I avoided it in lots of different ways, and most dangerously, I avoided it unconsciously.
I was bought up doing a lot of physical activity—gymnastics, dance, basketball, and horseback riding. Although this wasn’t …
Release the Stress: Plan, but Know That Plans Change
“Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don’t change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same, and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.” ~John C. Maxwell
This year started as a complete mess for me.
After a five-week holiday away from December to January, it was difficult to get back to London and into the swing of things. Not only was I still in holiday mode, but I also came back without a plan.
I am at a point in my life where I …
The Trap of Thinking You’re Special and Entitled to Success
“Life is not designed to give us what we need; life is designed to give us what we deserve.” ~Jim Rohn
Is there something wrong with being special?
Short answer: yes.
But why is that? Being special is… special!
That’s true, but there’s a downside most people aren’t aware of.
Before we go any further, let me clarify what I mean by “being special.”
In short, being special is about thinking that what applies to others doesn’t apply to you, thinking that you’re an exception to the rules of life that others have to follow.
It has nothing to do …
8 Simple Ways to De-Stress and Rejuvenate When You Can’t Take a Vacation
“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.” ~Ajahn Chah
It’s a common theme—jobs keep piling up, new problems arise, and deadlines are nearing. Taking time out for yourself to de-stress and rejuvenate is so far down the to-do list you don’t even consider it a possibility.
But the long-term effects of putting yourself last are real, especially because they take a while to show. They creep up slowly until one day you’ve burnt out.
When I was in this position, it didn’t …
How to Let Go of the Limiting Stories That Keep You Stuck and Unhappy
“It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.” ~Henry David Thoreau
We don’t see with our physical eyes, we see with our minds. I learned this lesson the hard way when I turned fifty-five. Suddenly, new wrinkles, deeper crow’s feet, dry eyes, and dryer skin seem to enjoy welcoming me each morning when I looked in my mirror.
I began to notice other people my age and I would automatically compare my appearance to theirs. Was she younger looking than me? Did she still appear under fifty (even when I knew she wasn’t)?
As you might …
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