A Grilled Cheese Cut Diagonal
Why It’s Hard to Hold a Boundary and How to Make It Easier
“The only real conflict you will ever have in your life won’t be with others, but with yourself.” ~Shannon Adler
I sat in my chemistry class during my junior year of high school staring at the periodic table and wondering if I was going to make it through. Bored and lost, I struggled to find value in the class or make sense of why I was there. It felt purposeless.
Until I met Kevin.
Kevin sat a few seats away from me and was a senior. I knew of him, but I had never really noticed or paid attention to …
How I Created My Own Roadmap for Happiness When I Was Feeling Lost in Life
“Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness.” ~Frank Tyger
Life is a web of uncertainty, where we often believe we are on the right path, only to realize we’ve been wandering down the wrong road all along. Ever been there? Thinking you have your whole life planned out? Deciding to go after the things that you think will make you happy, only to end up disappointed on the other side? If so, I completely understand how you feel.
There’s no definitive map leading to a happy or fulfilled life. There is no right or wrong …
You Can Rise Up from Anything
Tiny Buddha’s 2024 Day-to-Day Calendar is now available for purchase! Stay inspired, motivated, and encouraged with a year of uplifting quotes on happiness, relationships, change, meaning, mindfulness, self-care, and more. Get it here.
How I’m Learning to Feel Confident Without Approval
“Children need to feel seen. Adults do, too.” ~Unknown
As a teenager, I played the flute for about nine years. I never practiced—apart from that guilt-ridden last half hour prior to my weekly lessons. It was important for my parents that their children learned a musical instrument, and so I was given the flute, while my brother played the clarinet (bizarrely, because our grandmother had wanted someone to play Mozart’s clarinet concerto at her funeral).
Truth be told, I think my brother would have much rather learned the guitar, while I was very envious of his clarinet (he got around …
Why I Give Without Expectations (and Don’t Think It’s a “Toxic Trait”)
“Some of the kindest souls I know have lived in a world that was not so kind to them. Some of the best human beings I know have been through so much at the hands of others, and they still love deeply, they still care. Sometimes, it’s the people who have been hurt the most who refuse to be hardened in this world, because they would never want to make another person feel the same way they have felt. If that isn’t something to be in awe of, I don’t know what is.” ~Bianca Sparacino
I recently came across a …
A Little-Known Truth About People-Pleasing and How to Stop (for Good)
“Being a people-pleaser may be more than a personality trait; it could be a response to serious trauma.” ~Alex Bachert
Growing up in a home, school, and church that placed a lot of value on good behavior, self-discipline, and corporal punishment, I was a model child. There could have been an American Girl doll designed after me—the well-mannered church girl with a nineties hairbow edition.
I was quiet and pleasant and never got sent to the principal’s office. Complaining and “ugly” emotions were simply not allowed. Though I was very rambunctious and “rebellious” as a toddler, all of that was …
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