Every single one of us has something in common with all the rest of us. Everyone is specifically unique in the world, just like everyone else.

Drama happens to all of our lives at least some of the time. When it isn't ours, we tend to be interested in the drama of others. When it happens to us we can't wait to get rid of it.

Criticism hurts, especially when you know it's somewhat true but would rather it wasn't. All of that denial is what hurts. Regardless of who is dishing it out, choose to look for something constructive in criticism and get better through it. If you can't find anything constructive, it may not even be criticism at all. … Continue reading Criticism →

A great help in accomplishing anything is to first believe that you can. A belief is a powerful force. In essence, it's just a thought you have thought repeatedly until it gets set. Once it is set, it has the power to move mountains.

To get the truth, ask the right question. Communication may be key but it is tricky. Everyone needs to contribute, and most won't give much information until you specifically ask. So, ask.

Yard sales are those transformative spaces where one person's trash can become another's treasure. And it was probably a treasure to the original owner at one time. The common denominator is that the value is created in the eyes of the beholder. It's all subjective, it can be trash or treasure. You decide.

True winners aren't necessarily the ones who beat all the others. True winners are the ones who are happy to get along. They're the ones who realize we're only as strong as the weakest among us, that we're all in this together, and we should act that way. True winners know this and make the … Continue reading Winners →

You can help your vision by taking care of your eye health, and getting glasses if you need them. You can also help your vision for your life, by taking care of your health and choosing to remain optimistic, open and grateful for your blessings. It's your life, your vision, help yourself.

It's a bit of a stretch when we call something "universal" meaning it applies to the whole universe. We haven't even seen all of our own galaxy. There's so much more to cover. Just another reminder that there is always more to the story.

Tolerance still needs discernment. It's wise to tolerate differing opinions, but never tolerate being berated by one. Tolerate other people sharing your space, don't tolerate them taking it from you without consent. Tolerance is a virtue, just don't let it make you a punching bag.

Rain comes down, and it can bring flooding, causing mudslides and water damage. But rain can also clear dirt and grime, cleaning the very air washing away the smog. It can be both good and bad, as most things are.

Everyone may not like poetry, they may not really get poetry, but they are a part of poetry. It's simply another way to communicate the human experience. Poetry just has a more profound way of communicating it.

It starts with one and it ends with one. But all along the way, you meet many others on their own journey. That must be the whole point for all of us to be here together.

Negativity can't help you. It may feel like you're being cautious by being negative, stopping you from being taken advantage of, but negativity can ruin all your chances, not just the sketchy ones. Negativity can only bring negative results.

Your life is made up of moments. Once they're spent, they become memories if you're lucky. The best way to live is to appreciate and cherish each moment. They make up your life, but they also fly by.

It may be hard to believe, but people survived thousands of years before the arrival of likes and hearts on social media. Now it seems like life or death rides on how many likes you get. This is both silly and unlikable. Life existed before them, and it most likely would survive if they went … Continue reading Likes →

Keep out of trouble and stay kind. It does you no good to be otherwise.

It can be true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. But, if you find you have too much of either, well then it all ends up just being a bunch of junk. Too much stuff is more trouble than it's worth. Too much stuff ends up just being junk.

Ideas can come from anywhere. There's no need to be precious with them, they don't even belong to you. Share your ideas freely. They were shared with you by something anyway, and they might help the world somehow in the sharing.

Happiness is wonderful but fleeting. You can't just take it for granted that you'll get to stay that way once you get it. Choosing happiness is like brushing your teeth, it's healthier the more often you do it.

Someone said that grief is love with nowhere to go, and that's a pretty excellent way of describing the feeling. Grief shows up as all kinds of feelings, from sharp pain, to disbelief, to paralyzing fog, but one of the hardest experiences is that powerless feeling that you have nowhere to send the love where … Continue reading Grief →

Be careful and be sure to mend the tiny fractures in your relationships. What starts out as a tiny fracture, when put under enough pressure can cause the whole thing to implode and disintegrate. It adds up if left unchecked.

An ideal way to go through life, is to approach everything with ease. Be at ease in your interactions with others, and at ease in your treatment of yourself. It's ideal to be at ease, but it isn't easy. This world is fast-paced and chaotic, and filled with people moving along with just as much … Continue reading Ease →

Distractions are only bad if you let them grab your attention. But distractions for you only exist because of your perspective. You choose what you want to focus on, and you choose what is a distraction from it. It's all from your perspective, it's all your choice.

Comfort gets a bad rap. A lot of the time, people use comfort as the same meaning as avoidance from responsibility. But comfort is so much more than that. Comfort should be a basic human right. What is the point of living on this planet if it's such a hostile place? There has to be … Continue reading Comfort →

All you can do is your best. So, do that at least. Do your best.

Absolutes don't really exist, because there's not one of us who can prove it. There's not enough information, there's no way to fully measure, and there's not nearly enough documented history. So, just chill. And have a little faith that things do turn out for the best.

A year is a major measure of time in your life. And yet, the more years you accumulate, the faster they seem to zip buy. They're major, but fleeting. Enjoy each one to the fullest. Even the crappy ones, you know, those election years.

Wisdom can come at any age. But the more years you have under your belt, the deeper the wisdom gets. Because wisdom is strongest with experience. That's one of the many things to be grateful for with aging.

Vanity only goes skin-deep. What's worse, it can be deceptive. Get too wrapped up in your own vanity, and you start believing absurdity not only looks normal, but it looks good. Think of all those "reality" people. They get paid to have cameras follow them around, so they get used to their image being objectified. … Continue reading Vanity →

Sometimes we just can't understand what someone is going through, especially because we don't have all the information. This applies to everyone. So it goes to reason that others might not fully understand what we're going through, especially because they don't know the whole story.

Tears can seem like an embarrassing human thing that we sometimes get shamed for creating. But if you really think about it, aren't they a miracle of wonder? Tears are literally a physical manifestation of your emotions. You feel something deeply, like sorry or joy, and your body creates tears as a result. That's nothing … Continue reading Tears →

Sugar is sweet, but too much of it can rot your teeth, spike inflammation, and kill you. It's just like with people. They can be sweet. But if they're too sweet, they may not be good for you. Moderation is key.

Rest used to be a relief. Because when we would rest, we would stop our activities, step away from work, and rest. Now, we take our mini super computers, those things we call phones, with us to "rest," and then proceed to burn our eyes and fry our brains with them while laying about. No … Continue reading Rest →

Questions can get you relief or bring you trouble, either way, they're leading. Questions will solve anything, but only the right ones. Learn how to ask the right questions and you learn the secret to running the world.

People can be the worst thing about society. But the thing is, people is all we got. And we are all a part of it. The sooner each one of us realizes that we are all the same, we are what makes up "people" the sooner we can stop "other-ing" each other. We're all people, … Continue reading People →

Obligations can feel like a burden, until you remember why you chose to agree to them. They are always a consequence of a choice you've made. You get a benefit, and the obligation is the cost. It might make things better for you if you remember the benefit and forget about the burden.

Pain is awful, but can also be a good thing. It signals you to get help, to heal. And pain means you feel, you care. Numb is worse than pain. Numb means you've lost the ability to feel. It means you don't even need a signal to heal, because it's most likely too late. Pain … Continue reading Numb →

Love is the natural order of things. What if all the suffering in the world is simply a result of turning in the opposite direction, away from love? What if the fix is to simply turn back to love?

Your merit is truly based on your actions, what you've done. It isn't based on who you know, how you look, or how much material wealth you've amassed. Because usually the ones who have amassed a lot of material wealth have done so without merit. Merit is a measure of excellence, and that is shown … Continue reading Merit →

Knowledge is a great tool. The courage to take action with it is the power. The choices you make are the power. Knowledge helps you with the choices.

Our lives should run on joy. We can't expect to be happy all day every day, but there should be an undercurrent of joy that we could rely on returning to whenever we need. Having joy in your heart makes the world a wonderful place to live in. Without it, the world is a dull … Continue reading Joy →

I believe that your intellect is tied to your beliefs. You're as smart as you believe you are. If you want to be smarter, you need to believe you can be. This is how it works. That's my belief, at least.

It's no coincidence that we tend to feel love in our heart center. Our heart is this magical, inexhaustible organ that works nonstop to keep us alive. There's a lot of love coming out of it. Your heart loves you so much it won't stop until it is forced to.

Be a good person and do kind acts in life. And if you can be good, why not go further and be great? Be a great person. It's just a good person who went a little further.

Have more fun. Life is shorter than we realize, even when it feels long. Have fun. And don't think too hard on this. The harder you think about it, the less fun you're having.

Energy runs our appliances and utilities, and it also runs us. We are run on energy. And we tend to have an easier time finding more energy when it's for something we want to do. We tend to drag our energy when we're tasked with something we don't want to do. It's kind of magical, … Continue reading Energy →

Darkness is just an absence of light. Once you turn on a light the darkness disappears. It doesn't really work the same way in reverse. You don't turn on darkness and it covers up the light. The only way to get darkness is to remove the light. Light is what's powerful. That is a metaphor … Continue reading Darkness →

Chaos is most disruptive when you try to force order. As usual, it's your expectations that make things difficult. Sometimes "chaos" is just what's natural, and "order" is abnormal.

Sometimes the best benefit you can get is the peace of mind from being left out. Not everything is meant for us, and we aren't meant for everything. It's when we try to force ourselves onto something out of a fear of missing out that we sacrifice our peace. And our peace is worth so … Continue reading Benefit →

To yearn for something is entirely normal. It's a feeling that can be a help or hindrance, depending on how it is used. To yearn for something in the past can block progress while you're busy looking back to something that is no longer. But, yearning for something in the future can motivate you to … Continue reading Yearn →

Work in itself can be a great thing. It can give you a sense of accomplishment and pride. It can strengthen and improve your skills. It's when one feels exploited and indentured that work becomes a misery. When we feel forced to put up with harsh circumstances and cruel or inconsiderate people, then we want … Continue reading Work →

Raising the volume is one thing, making it louder. Sharpening the tone is another, the volume may stay the same or even lower, but the tone gets more aggressive. Both tactics make a point. The difference is a matter of finesse.

Sometimes, a sense of urgency reveals how much you care. Other times, an air of urgency reveals how little others care. It's tied to emotion, which can make it unpredictable. It's helpful to remember this, and to act accordingly. That is, swiftly in the present.

When you're tired, then rest, don't quit. If you do feel a strong urge to quit, then maybe ask yourself if you're really tired or just scared, and "tired" sounds better. Still, try to rest first and don't quit. Not until you're really sure. Because regret feels even worse.

Being sensitive can be a burden or a blessing, it's all in how you look at it. This can be applied to most things. Blessing or burden, it's all in how you look at it.

Respect is earned. A good way to do that is by giving respect first. Show others how to give respect by example. Someone's got to get the ball rolling, why not let it be you?

To get the answers you're seeking, you need to ask the right questions. We often don't do this for a couple of reasons. One reason is we don't know the right question to ask. And for another, sometimes we don't want to ask. If we don't ask, then we won't get the answer. Some people … Continue reading Questions →

We can be so careful with making life choices, waiting for a series of pending circumstances to resolve themselves before making a move. But sometimes circumstances can stay pending indefinitely, meanwhile time marches on. If you're too careful, then your whole life is wasted, and what was all the waiting for in the first place? … Continue reading Pending →

Neglect is worse than ignorance, where you didn't know about your responsibilities. Neglect means you know about them, but you don't give them a thought. Ignorance may not be as bad as neglect, but if you're a full-grown human of sound mind, then you have little to no excuse to entertain either. Do the right … Continue reading Neglect →

Jokes are a way to relate, but also to ridicule. They can be a clever way to connect or a coded expression of bias and bigotry. It would be wise to know the difference, and what you're being invited to laugh with.

At the heart of every single issue there is the fact that we are all interconnected through our humanity. No matter how hard some may try to make us see groups as "other" than ourselves, we are all the same species on the same one planet, experiencing the same thing called "life."

Feelings are powerful, but they can change on a dime. You can be moved by them, just don't count on them. Because they're subtly different every time. This can be frustrating, but it's also what makes them so magical. So, ease up on your expectations, and learn to fully appreciate that you are lucky enough … Continue reading Feelings →

Dreams are nice to have. It might be beneficial to remember that you have dreams, you aren't them. They are not your entire identity of who you are. You have a dream, and if it doesn't work out, you can drop it and get another. It's your life, dreams and all.

The expression "all right" is funny because nothing is ever completely all right. We get mostly right, or somewhat right, but those aren't as demonstrative as saying "all" right. Perhaps because subconsciously we know it's an absurd exaggeration, that let's us off the hook from even trying to be mostly right. Or perhaps it's just … Continue reading All Right →

Wishes are nice to fantasize about, but if you want them to come true, they need to be goals. Wishes are hopes, and only require imagination. Goals are plans that involve imagination, strategy, and most importantly, action. If you want it happen, get to work making it so.

A victory is nice, but they are often short-lived. And when a victory is at the peril of another, it's not even that nice, and much shorter-lived. Care for others, it's much more gratifying than stepping on them for your own personal gain.

Tests not only show you what you know, but they also show you what you still need to learn. Life is the greatest test of all. And the point of life is to learn, grow, and keep learning.

If you found yourself facing a review of your life in front of the eternal judge, would you be nervous or okay? Why make bad choices that will only end up haunting you in the long run? Wouldn't it be wiser to live your life in a way that you could be proud of it … Continue reading Review →

Ordinary doesn't necessarily mean boring. You have to look closer and you'll see that what appears to be ordinary is incredibly unique. Everything is, even the ordinary.

New is thrilling and fresh, but new doesn't last, it can't. At some point you have to stop chasing what's new and appreciate what is.

Ideas can change your life, they can change the world. The main difference between a life-changing idea and a silly pipe dream is when you put it in action. Action is the factor that makes an idea work. Or, at least it puts it to work, which is what will change it from a dream … Continue reading Ideas →

Express yourself, but find a kind way to do it. Because the world is full of enough loud, angry, aggressive hot air shooting out of red-faced hurt people thinking they're entitled to say whatever mean thing they can come up with. That's not expressing themselves, that's spewing crap. Don't add to the pile. It doesn't … Continue reading Express Yourself →

Decisions may seem hard when you weigh all of the consequences. The thing is, when it's a "yes" you know instantly. It's all the rationalization that comes right after it that starts to muddle your decision. But if you can remember that definite yes, then you can be confident in making the right choice.