It Takes Courage to Feel
Some people think that being tough has to do with muscle strength and detached emotions, but it’s the opposite. It takes courage to feel. Brenna, a client in her 20’s, mistakes strength with being stoic—devoid of emotion like one of Clint Eastwood’s characters. Her mom matches those qualities, and Brenna feels weak in comparison. “I […]
Don’t Settle for a Ho-hum Life
At a young age, we begin the habit of limping in order to harmonize with friends, our family, a job, a social order. By the time we’re adults, it’s become so much a part of us that we do it unthinkingly—automatically. To stop doing it now would be jolting because we’re used to it. But […]
Rehearsing for a Harried Lifestyle
This is the extent of my thoughts on stress: My life’s much too stressful for getting stressed out. I don’t have time for it. ~Salee That said, I once wrote a column about an overachieving teenager, Jamie. You can read about her story here. In that column I pointed out that: Young overachievers are rehearsing for […]
Perfection Is Highly Overrated!
Relinquish the need to be perfect. Effort is perfection. Imagine a roomful of babies all trying to perfect the skill of walking. What we witness is a lot of bumping into things and falling down. We don’t expect babies to get it right immediately—we don’t scold them for failing in their attempts. No. Instead, we’re […]
The Latest Wow: More Beautiful Than Leaves
A friend of mine, Patti, who helps me with my tech challenges, wowed me with something that caused me—without any reservation—to demand that she write it up for my blog. She did just that and here it is: I was gazing out my kitchen window the other day, captivated by the beauty of the changing […]
She Swallowed A Lie
Depression and dissatisfaction with your life may be direct feedback from your inner guidance system telling you that you’re not fulfilling your true nature. Branches on a young bonsai tree are wired down and shaped to conform to a fixed design. In time, the wires are no longer necessary. The bonsai will hold its forged […]
The Latest Wow: Free to Change
I’m driven to share something! I received some thought-provoking feedback on my last post (Secret to a Good Life) (check out the comment section, too). Some people responded online while others shared their thoughts in person. Jerri’s friend, Mike, had another insightful comment: “If my expectations of another person are unrealistic then I’m the problem. And thank […]
The Secret to a Good Life
A comedian uttered this piece of profound wisdom: “Everyone says communication is the secret to a good relationship. It’s not true. The secret to a good relationship is low expectations.“ I take this a step further: the secret to a good life is low expectations. Let’s face it, expectations run rampant in our brains—many times […]
Untuck Your Wings
This is one of my favorite quotes: “O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is!” — Macrina Wiederkehr, author of Seasons Of Your Heart Walking along a trail, you see an unusual and stunning butterfly. Perched on a small branch, its richly colored patterns and exquisite gracefulness invite […]
Something Would Be Missing
I love this photograph for two reasons. For one, the beauty causes my spirit to go, “Ahhhhh.” Second, it tells me something about our value. Notice the dead tree sticking up out of the water . . . um, it’s hard not to notice, right? That tree was once vibrant with life. Had we known that […]