We’d all be so much happier, and we’d get along a lot better, if we accepted that everyone does things differently!
(This challenge comes from the upcoming book Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges. Pre-order before October 6th and get $300+ in free bonus gifts!)
“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
This particular week, I flunked. I’d be lucky if you gave me a D grade in assessing my calmness.
Generally, nobody can question my commitment to leading a life of less stress. I try hard. I try very hard.
You might even be impressed with my healthy diet, my abundance of sleep, and my regular exercise. You couldn’t fault the careful thought and planning that go into my days and weeks. Hell, I can even claim meditation, mindfulness, and …
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” ~William Feather
I live for exploring the world, trying new things, and meeting passionate people. As a filmmaker I’m very fortunate to be able to do all these things from time to time, and I just love it!
However, this is only a small part of my work. I also often find myself stuck in front of a computer for weeks at a time editing—no nature, no people, no exploring. Just me and a computer.
It’s easy to get bogged down by all …
“Man is only truly great when he acts from his passions.” ~Benjamin Disraeli
At a young age I was told, “Without hard work nothing grows but weeds.”
I was also told, “With hard work it was possible to achieve the American Dream.”
I was not sure what the American Dream was, but I did what everyone around me seemed to be doing. Working hard. I did well in school, helped my mother at home and my father at his place of business.
The world looked incredible to me growing up, and I was so passionate about waking up every …
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” ~Rumi
My early life was challenging, to say the least. I grew up in a difficult home situation, which I hoped to escape through an early marriage. That marriage produced four beautiful children by the time I was twenty-one years old.
We were very poor and I hoped to get us out of poverty, but I wasn’t sure it was possible.
I’d been poor all my life. I didn’t really know what it was like to have abundance. I thought success was for “other people.” My only education was …
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
The year was 2011 and I had been working as customer relations officer in a private healthcare firm for three years. It was as boring as it sounds, and I had been planning my escape toward self-employment for around a year by working in the evenings as a personal trainer.
I imagined that on the final day I’d exit the office for the last time in a blaze of happiness and jubilation, thrilled that I’d finally taken …
“What other people think of me is none of my business.” ~Wayne Dyer
Do you feel it too?
That discomfort rising inside when someone imparts their clever wit on you. Not just any kind of wisdom, but the one that makes you feel small, in a here-you-go, punch-to-the-stomach kind of way.
A covert little criticism implying that you might not be doing something right or may have the wrong ideas.
Your first reaction is disbelief. Followed by denial. How can they be so rude to come out with such a comment? Why can’t they be more tactful or careful with …
“If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” ~Ram Dass
I just returned from a four-day trip with my family. It was my own family of four (my husband and two kids), plus my mom, my two sisters, and my brother-in-law.
It was great. We get along well and have fun together.
And, it was four days with family.
It’s a funny thing…although you grow up with your siblings, listening to and being influenced by your parents, you all end up so unique—different from each other and different from the adults who raised you.…
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when we realize we only have one.” ~Confucius
When I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in September 2014 I tried to spin this life curveball on its ugly head and find some lessons from this journey.
That’s how I dealt with the blow.
The truth is, I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. I never wanted to be a victim.
I wanted to be a survivor from day dot.
Throughout this process I learned five powerful lessons that I’d like to share with you so that you …
“If a person gets his attitude towards money straight, then it will help strengthen out almost every other area in his life.” ~Billy Graham
To pursue financial security or your dream …
You’re in conflict, right?
I know because I’ve been there myself.
People often tell us that money isn’t everything, so we assume we can sacrifice money to pursue our dreams. Somehow it will work out. At least that’s what I thought.
What do you think about money? Is it everything or not?
I quit my job when I got married. My husband was a pastor …
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” ~Maya Angelou
When I was thirty I was earning double the salary I am today. I was also stressed, depressed, sick, tired, and hated my job.
Most media portals want us to believe that in order to be successful we must own a large property, have vacations in exotic destinations, drive a flashy car, and be designer-dressed from head to toe. And that’s just for starters.
We are bombarded with these falsehoods from an early age and we set out on a mission to acquire the …
“It’s not your job to like me. It’s mine.” ~Byron Katie
I’m short. I’m stumpy. My nose looks like a pig’s. My inner thighs touch when I walk. My gums show too much when I talk. I have to change the way I look. Maybe then you’ll like me.
I obsess. I overanalyze. I get caught up in my head. I dwell on things I should let go. I can never simply go with the flow. I have to learn to be laid back. Maybe then you’ll like me.
I’m shy. I’m anxious. I’m dependent on reassurance. I ask for …
Sometimes the most difficult people are in the most pain.
(This challenge comes from the upcoming book Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges. Pre-order before October 6th and get $300+ in free bonus gifts!)
“Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than hurt yourself trying to put it back together.” ~Unknown
Human beings are genetically programmed to desire love. Embraces are as important to us as food and water.
Perhaps that’s why when we find someone—the wrong someone—we’re often too blind to see it.
We feel it and yet we hide it away, write it off as an odd case of commitment phobia or just a hiccup in our new relationship, oblivious to the fact that were heading into a future of sleepless nights, constant worrying, and consistent phone checking.…
“When someone tells you who they are, believe them.” ~Maya Angelou
After having been a rebound girl the summer of 2013, I swore I would never get involved with another emotionally unavailable man who had baggage and was a poor communicator.
I thought I was a pro at all of the tell tale signs. Until I met X in 2015.
He came on very strong in the beginning, telling me he deleted his dating app after our first date, that he turned down other dates because he didn’t want to waste time with other girls, and showed me in more …
“When you turn on the television … you run the risk of ingesting harmful things, such as violence, despair, or fear.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
I passed the rack of newspapers on my way into story time at the library, ignoring the latest headlines. Murder, mayhem, war, disaster—it all calls like a siren at sea. My pace picks up as I turn the other direction.
My two-year old charge, whom I affectionately call Little Man P, is captivated by the animated librarian. She impresses me with her liveliness and ease in handling a room full of kiddos. It is clear she …
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” ~Carl Sagan
I’m there with a hundred other people. The lights fade to a whisper then vanish, leaving us in darkness. Stars appear. Thousands of them, projected onto the dome screen above.
In the center of the screen is Earth with its emerald and amber lands and sapphire oceans frosted by clouds. We watch the planet’s rotation, and then we’re flying backward through space, and the …
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