Sometimes You Have to Die a Little Inside


“To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life.” ~Jill Botte Taylor
I used to be a stress bunny. Something was always driving me to want to do better—to be more, to have more, to compete and win at everything.
I thrived on pushing myself, thinking achievement was a great thing.
I was also restless. I always had to be going somewhere—doing something—never sitting still. I was bored, frustrated, and trying to find happiness …

“The limit is not in the sky. The limit is the mind.” ~Unknown
I was having a conversation with a friend. She was telling me how maybe I should quit my writing and focus on something that wasn’t so challenging for me; that I should accept my limits and work within those boundaries. Her words made me cringe.
You see, I am dyslexic and I struggled greatly to write this story down. I am probably going to read it twenty times and will still have many mistakes that need editing.
My job is a daily struggle, and sometimes I break …

“Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.” ~Oscar Wilde
Does the race for riches leave you unfulfilled?
Does the thought of constantly chasing ever more cash leave you stressed, depressed even?
Does the whole idea of measuring your personal worth in terms of your personal wealth leave you deeply dissatisfied?
It did for me.
Poor in possessions and somewhat fiscally challenged, I never fit in with my richer friends.
And no matter how much I told myself that money didn’t buy happiness, I still felt …

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ~John Lubbock
Do you ever fear taking breaks?
Maybe you think that if you stop working, everything is going to come crashing down?
Sometimes it feels like you’re riding a train of momentum, and if you try to stop or slow down you’re just going to come off the tracks.
I know the feeling. Believe me, I used to feel …

Update – The winners for this giveaway are:
When I first discovered Crystal Andrus Morissette’s new book The Emotional Edge, I was intrigued. I knew the book would offer a process for discovering our “Emotional Age,” a term that was new to me, but I didn’t realize it would provide a powerful roadmap for healing the wounded parts of our psyche and growing into our most empowered, authentic self.
From the Amazon page:
The Emotional Edge empowers you to stop reacting in knee-jerk ways that hurt and instead start expanding your life to become the …

“Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress; which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once.” ~Unknown
I got embarrassed at the gym.
I sat down at the bench press, ready to hoist up 135 pounds of iron. My goal was eight reps for the first set.
Before I started my first set, I heard someone huffing to my left. I looked over and saw a young guy benching 315 pounds!
I counted his reps, and he went all the way up to eight. It was the same number of repetitions that …

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” ~Paul Valery
As I am sitting at my desk, looking out the window, I am contemplating if I should fly to Germany or not.
My father has been very sick for the past three years. I spent three months in Germany last year to have some time with him and help him get better. He finally recovered and I flew back home to Miami.
When I talked to my stepmom the other day, she gave me the news though that my father had a relapse and seems …