“I’ve discovered that you can’t change people. They can change themselves.” ~Jim Rohn
We all want to be loved and accepted, just as we are. We want people to honor our interests, value our needs, and respect our choices in …
“Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.” ~Unknown
At the end of my first long-term relationship in college, when it was clear there was nothing left to …
Before I found this Flickr image, I had never read this Irish blessing before. What a beautiful idea!
I remember in college, I spent a semester abroad in the Netherlands. My school owned a castle there—a full-on castle with a …
“The journey is the reward.” ~Chinese Proverb
So much of our language about the things we enjoy in life revolves around getting ahead.
We wonder where our relationships are going. We plan to move forward in our careers. We talk …
“Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Have you ever exacerbated difficult feelings by responding to them with resistance?
Although I made peace with my recent burglary shortly after it happened, I started feeling down …
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
The other day, while I was getting cash from an ATM, I smiled at an adorable toddler standing with her father at the machine next to me.
She …
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ~Winston Churchill
As someone whose profession requires me to spend a great deal of time alone, I’m always trying to strike a balance between …
“What we must decide is how we are valuable rather than how valuable we are.” ~ Edgar Z. Friedenberg
Just now I saw an ad on the right-hand side of my Facebook page promoting a webcast about purpose. The message …
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Somewhere right now, someone out there feels exactly like you do.
Someone is thinking that things could be …
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ~Aristotle
Yesterday I wrote at Starbucks for the first time since my surgery, after my doctor cleared me to walk.
I felt an immense sense of relief to be outside my home, where I didn’t feel …
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that could happen to it.” ~C. C. Scott
During these past couple of weeks, while I’ve been recovering from my surgery, I’ve been watching a show called I Shouldn’t Be Alive, which has …
“Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance.” ~Unknown
Yesterday I felt frustrated.
The night before, I’d overheard my boyfriend telling a friend he’d thought I’d be in less pain at that point, a week after my surgery. Suddenly I …
“In chaos, there is fertility.” ~Anais Nin
I am someone who strives to maintain some sense of control amid chaos. One way I do that is by obsessively organizing my space.
For example, there can only be four pairs of …
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” ~Carl Rogers
Have you ever felt a sense of internal conflict about enjoying the present moment while also working toward your …
“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” ~Emily Kimbrough
I just finished my second family visit for the year, and I have three more planned.
For years after …
“Would you rather be right or free?” ~Byron Katie
Several months back, I saw a live taping of Oprah’s Life Class, which she hosted with Iyanla Vanzant, author of Peace from Broken Pieces and other self-help books.
At one point …
“Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!” ~Steve Mariboli
While preparing today’s reader-submitted post about Spring-cleaning, I started to think about my collection of old journals, which I wrote from age twelve through twenty-one.
Many of …
“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz
The other day I received a comment on an old blog post that started with, “You’re full of crap,” and ended …
“Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.” ~Unknown
The other night I flew home to Massachusetts, after visiting just a couple months back to spend time with my sick grandmother.
Since she was released from the hospital …
“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” ~Joseph Campbell
Recently I’ve been feeling this need to grow and expand. I’ve been doing the same thing here for …
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