Posts tagged with “Change”
Healing After Heartbreak: How to Turn Your Pain into Your Greatest Superpower
“Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light.” ~Spike Milligan
Ever since I was a little girl, Disney films, story books, family, and friends unconsciously conditioned me to believe that the definition of happiness was a knight in shining armor galloping into my life to rescue me, sweeping me away, soothing all my problems as we ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after.
However, it’s fair to say, that fairytale didn’t play out how I’d expected in real life. Nor does it for most, if any of us.
For much of my teenage years, I …
HumanKind: A Feel-Good Book That Can Lift Your Spirits & Change the World
We’re approaching that time again, “the most wonderful time of the year,” they say.
Some love the holidays because they appreciate the comfort of tradition—the regalia, the reunions, the rituals.
Others delight in the nostalgia of holidays past, when all was calm and all was bright, even if just for a day.
As for me, I love the spirit of giving and the way the season often brings out the best in people.
It’s the seat given to someone with an armful of bags, the donation offered to someone with a head full of worries, or forgiveness extended to someone …
When Life Forces Your Hand, Embrace the New Chapter
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” ~Seneca
Like most people, I’ve tried to control many aspects of my life, and this hasn’t always worked in my favor. Just when I thought I had it all under control, life has inconveniently shown me many, many times that I was getting a little too cocky.
You name it, I’ve tried to control it—from my schedule and time (hello, Type A personality) to forgoing random opportunities because my mind was made up on going a certain direction. I even tried calorie counting at the height of my exercising routine because …
How I Stopped Resisting Change and Embraced the Road Ahead of Me
“Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she became a butterfly.” ~Unknown
Change is constant, from small changes like trying a new hobby to big changes like making a drastic career move. Even though change is all around us, it can feel scary. While change could lead you to something great, there are a lot of unknowns with something new, and that can cause anxiety.
When I was younger, I used to embrace change. For example, each school year was a new and exciting experience.
But somewhere along the way, I started to resist change.
What Does Resisting
…
How I Stopped Putting Everyone Else’s Needs Above My Own
“Never feel sorry for choosing yourself.” ~Unknown
I was eleven years old, possibly twelve, the day I first discovered my mother’s betrayal. I assume she didn’t hear me when I walked in the door after school. The distant voices in the finished basement room of our home drew me in. My mother’s voice was soft as she spoke to her friend. What was she hiding that she didn’t want me to hear?
I leaned in a little bit closer to the opening of the stairs… She was talking about a man she’d met. Her voice changed when she spoke of …
Why We Often Fail When We Set Big Goals and What Actually Works
“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” ~James Clear
If you pull up any popular motivational video today, you’ll probably hear things like “Set big goals!” and “Aim high and don’t stop until you get there!”
After watching a video like this, you may get inspired and start mapping out your plan to leave the 99% in the dust.
And typically, because you’re riding a wave of motivation, you’ll write out these monstrous, Mount-Everest-like goals. These goals paint a picture of your life that is so exciting that …
Before You Reach Out to That Person from Your Past: 3 Things to Consider
“You don’t have to rebuild a relationship with everyone you’ve forgiven.” ~Unknown
It’s natural, when you’re hurting and lonely, to want to reach out to people you’ve been close to in the past.
Especially if there’s unfinished business with someone. And especially given the added isolation that comes with a global pandemic.
Whether or not you do reach out is entirely your prerogative. For what it’s worth, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad idea to try—in most cases, a “Whoops” is better than a “What if…?” Whatever the result, you’ll learn something. It might be …
Surviving a Dysfunctional Relationship: What I Wish I Knew and Did Sooner
“No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.” ~Alice Walker
When I was a child and in my early teenage years, I was a free bird. I laughed easily, loved life, never worried, and dreamed big. I thought the best of others, the glass was always full. I never dreamed others would hurt me, and I had a joyful and playful attitude toward life.
That was a long time ago.
My breakdown started gradually and slowly with judgments from a very close and trusted family member I dare not name. This person, though …
A Life-Changing Insight: You Are Not a Problem to Be Fixed
“I decided that the single most subversive, revolutionary thing I could do was to show up for my life and not be ashamed.” ~Anne Lamott
I remember one particular clear, cold winter morning as I returned home from a walk. I suddenly realized that I had missed the whole experience.
The blue, clear sky.
The lake opening up before me.
The whisper of the trees that I love so much.
I was there in body but not embodied. I was totally, completely wrapped up in the thoughts running rampant in my mind. The worries about others, work, the future; about …
The Simple Path to Change When You’re Not Satisfied with Your Life
“Making a big life change is scary, but you know what’s even scarier? Regret.” ~Zig Ziglar
Fifteen years ago, I made one of the biggest changes in my life. It was something I had wanted to do for so long but had never found the right time, right plan, or courage to do.
You see, ever since I was in my teens, I had always felt I was meant to be somewhere else.
The town where I grew up was pretty perfect for raising young kids, but it just wasn’t for me as I entered adulthood. I always envisioned …
Where My Depression Really Came From and What Helped Me Heal
“How you do one thing is how you do everything.” ~Unknown
One afternoon, during a particularly low slump, I was getting out of the shower. Quickly reaching for something on the sink, I knocked an old glass off the counter, shattering it onto the floor.
In most cases, one might experience stress, frustration, or sadness upon accidentally breaking an object that belongs to them. They might feel agitation on top of their already poor mood. But in the moment the glass shattered, I felt instant relief.
It was an old item I’d gotten at a thrift store, and the image …
The Cages We Live In and What It Means to Be Free
“Cages aren’t made or iron, they’re made of thoughts.” ~Unknown
I recently read Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, and like many who have read it, I felt as if it had changed my life—but not because it made me think of all the things I was capable of (as was the case with many of friends who read it), but because it made me realize how capable I had already been.
The book on the whole is beautiful and inspiring, but the part that stuck with me the most was the story about Tabitha, a beautiful cheetah that Glennon and her …
The First Thing You Need to Do If You Want to Change Your Life
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” ~Eckhart Tolle
There are two ways to live life.
One is a more reactive approach, where you fight back when you encounter challenges in your personal or professional life. The other is a more proactive one where you are mindful of the trends within you and around you and ready with your surfboard whenever a big wave hits!
The only difference between the two is awareness.
Awareness empowers you to make conscious choices based on an understanding of yourself and the situation, to notice what your choice created, and to then choose again. …
The Joy of Not Getting What We Want
“Remember that not getting what you want Is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” ~Dalai Lama
Let me tell you a story. I first read it in a book on Taoism, but I’ve seen it in at least a dozen other places since then, each with its own variation. Here’s the gist:
There’s this farmer. His favorite horse runs away. Everyone tells him that this is a terrible turn of events and that they are sorry for him. He says, “We’ll see.”
The horse comes back a few days later, and it brings an entire herd of wild horses with …
Tips from a Former Addict: How I Made a Change for Good
I was a drug addict. Yes, I did it all. No, my childhood was not full of abuse, I was actually a pretty lucky kid, and I had it no worse and no better than anyone else, except for maybe some “daddy issues.”
I am not much for blame. I know who was smoking, sniffing, and popping, and it wasn’t the bad angel on my shoulder who made me do it, it was just me.
I can give you the exact reason why I started doing drugs. I was afraid to just be myself, simple enough. Everyone else’s thoughts …
Free Recreate Your Life Story eCourse ($97 value) with Tiny Buddha’s Mindfulness Kit
**Today, Monday the 30th, is the last day to get the Recreate Your Life Story eCourse as a free bonus with Tiny Buddha’s Mindfulness kit!
Another surreal holiday in the books, for those of us in the US that is.
I hope you all had a love-filled Thanksgiving, even if that love was sent from afar.
I was 3,000 miles away from my family, though fortunate to be with my boyfriend’s parents.
After I ate way too much tofurkey and pie I spent a little time reading all the comments on this week’s giveaway post, and I felt both sad …
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.