People in Your Life
Why We Struggle to Find Ourselves and How to Do It
“On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.” ~Eckhart Tolle
For a long time I’ve had a bit of an obsession with coming home. Not my physical home, but Home with a capital H. Being with myself. Knowing who I was. Leaning back into me and having that “ah” feeling of being totally whole, and totally at peace.
I felt like there was something missing, and that I needed to find that missing piece to complete the puzzle.
I thought that if I found the right …
Embracing Change and Living with Passion: Awaken your Phoenix Spirit
“All the wonders you seek are within yourself.” ~Sir Thomas Browne
As history claims, the phoenix began as a common bird that’s nest caught on fire by the hand of a god-like figure. As the fire started to consume the bird, instead of suffering, she decided to dance in the flames.
Eventually, the fire reduced the bird to ashes. However, this was not the end of that wise bird, for she knew her ending was only the beginning—the beginning of something greater than what she ever thought possible, a resurrection.
The seemingly done-for bird emerged, more powerful and more …
Book Giveaway: Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself
UPDATE: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen. They are:
- Sunny Kharbanda
- UnicaPoet
It’s been 10 days since the launch of Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself, and I’m excited to share that the book has been a bestseller in Amazon’s self-esteem category since then.
For those of you who already bought a copy, I hope you’re enjoying it!
And I have a special request for you: Since it’s brand new, there’s currently only one review on Amazon. Those reviews go a long way in influencing people who may benefit from the book.
If you’ve found the …
A Simple Process to Deal with a Hypercritical Mind
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I can’t believe I screwed this up again!”
“Why did I do that?”
“This is all my fault!”
The third grader ruminated as he walked away from the soccer field where his team had tied, two to two. It was their sixth tie in seven games.
The lone game that was not a tie was a loss. According to this young man, his team’s record was a direct reflection of his worth; therefore, verbal self-deprecation was the only response one should have after such failure.
His …
Silencing Your Inner Critic: You Don’t Need to Torture Yourself to Grow
“You yourself, as much as anyone in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~Buddha
I was tortured by self-hatred for most of my life.
There were aspects of myself that I had a hard time loving. I didn’t like that I am competitive, that I was not a blonde with blue eyes, that I am not good at math or managing money.
I did everything I could to hide these things. I was over-caring, over-helping, and over-accommodating others.
I think I did a pretty good job of not being myself. This created additional psychic pain in me. I …
Touching Flash Mob for a Retiring Principal
The students of Hingham Middle School showed their appreciation for their retiring principal, Roger Boddie, in a touching, highly unconventional way. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more–seeing their joy and gratitude, or his reaction. He clearly made an impact, and seeing it made an impact on me.
Stop Assuming the Worst: Your Thoughts Shape Your Reality
“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.” ~Buddha
My morning bicycle ride had been uneventful until I spotted a small lump in the middle of the bike path. It wasn’t a twig, a dead mouse, or a smelly “gift” from a dog, which are some of the most common sightings during my rides.
It was a perfect, intact slice of bread.
In a nanosecond, my mind created several versions of how this piece of bread had ended up where it was.
I pictured a young mother pushing a stroller and her two-year-old tossing the …
Forgiving In a Situation That Feels Unjust
“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.” ~Unknown
There I was: numb from a conclusion of a dismissal based on a finding that there was “no reasonable prospect of success.”
Harassed, bullied, victimized, stalked both in-person and online, the Human Rights Tribunal tossed me into another discarded pile of victims to be ignored by the courts because a group of goons were cleaver enough to hide the body of proof.
My assailants comprised of four individuals. One was a divorced teacher …
Patience Is a Virtue but Don’t Wait to Be Happy
“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever; you just have to live.” ~Natalie Babbitt
And don’t wait to say what you need to say. And don’t wait to live the life you want to live.
Yesterday we lost a dear friend to cancer. Ken was sixty-eight. Five months ago he and I hung out on the beach drinking out of coconuts with a straw. We were at a personal growth retreat that my husband and I conduct every winter in Mexico.
He was the happiest I had ever seen him …
7 Benefits of a Surprisingly Simple Meditation Technique
“Our way to practice is one step at a time, one breath at a time.” ~Shunryu Suzuki
I blinked my eyes, wiggled my toes, and carefully heaved my right foot out from under me. It had gone completely numb after twenty minutes of meditation. I prodded it tentatively.
“The idea is to be able to meditate wherever you are,” our teacher said, pouring out some green tea as we stretched, “to be really present in whatever it is you are doing—cutting the lawn, doing the dishes, whatever it is. To simply breathe in…and out…and just be.”
“You don’t have …
How to Eat Mindfully and Actually Enjoy Your Food
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
It’s Sunday night. A steaming plate of spaghetti is set in front of me. Salivating with wide eyes I grab my fork and prepare to dive in. We know how this will end. I will say to my husband while patting my tummy and undoing my top button, “Tomorrow we will start our healthy eating plans.”
This scene raises a number of questions:
Why can’t I resist the urge to inhale my meal like an out of control Scooby Doo bingeing on Scooby snacks? Even when my body is screaming “Enough—you’re …
Learning to Love and Live Again When Life Gets Hard
“The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” ~Unknown
It’s when you’ve woken up with a full day ahead of you after only two hours of sleep.
It’s when there’s nothing for you to do but sit by your friends as they deal with tragedies and all the hard stuff life throws at us.
It’s when you don’t know how to handle the situations in your life that are anything but black and white.
It’s when you feel utterly helpless and powerless as you watch someone you care about aching with the deep soul wounds that …
Life Isn’t Always Fair: 5 Steps to Accept Tough Situations
“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.” ~Sonia Ricotti
I hate my life! It’s a phrase that’s used by teenagers and adults alike. Sometimes we use it for dramatic effect and sometimes we mean this literally.
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two years ago and said “I hate my life!” I meant every word. I hated it so much that there were times I didn’t think it was worth living.
The depression was incapacitating. The hypomania disguised itself as extreme anxiety and irrational fears.
In order to stay alive, I …
AJ’s Art Journal: Paint Your Future
From Tiny Buddha contributor Dr. Amy Johnson’s upcoming book Being Human
Lessons from a Former Liar: The Power of Owning Our Stories
“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” ~Brené Brown
I don’t know about you, but I used to lie. I used to lie a lot. I remember one particular instance when I lied about being a passenger in a drive-by.
I lied about my age, my weight, and the reason for the injuries on my body. Sure, I’d just bruised myself by walking into a table, but it made a much more seductive story if I told people that I’d fallen from the rooftop of …
Book Giveaway: Guide to Loving Yourself and In the Garden of Thoughts
UPDATE: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen. They are:
- Vanessa Fisher
- ljchern
- kbennett10486
- Jon
Today I’m excited to run a giveaway for two books that I believe complement each other nicely—the site’s latest collaborative project, Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself and In the Garden of Thoughts, a New York Times bestselling inspirational book, written by my new friend Dodinsky.
About In the Garden of Thoughts
I was fortunate to connect with Dodinsky on Facebook, where he runs a popular page called “Positive Outlooks” that’s followed by over two million people.
Though his heartening images and …
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 