Choosing to be kind is practicing mastery in your life. It's such a low and easy choice to be cruel. But being kind is a powerful choice that can elevate everything in your life. Being kind can improve, and even eliminate the situation you thought required cruelty in the first place. But it's impossible to … Continue reading Choose Kindness
Tag: happiness
Authenticity
I used to push myself to be good enough to belong in a life I didn't really like. I thought I would finally like it if only I got better at navigating it. It was a convoluted expression of impostor syndrome. Impostor syndrome is defined as a psychological pattern in which one doubts one's accomplishments … Continue reading Authenticity
Make the Most Out of Living
Death is shocking, and tragic, and inevitable. It doesn't ever seem to come at the right time to those left behind, always leaving us feeling unprepared. And yet, we know that it will come to each one of us eventually. Knowing this shouldn't make us callous to the shock of death. It can't even do … Continue reading Make the Most Out of Living
This Moment
Eckhart Tolle says: Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. If we were to truly heed his words and realize this statement deeply and consistently, then I believe that most of our suffering would cease. Suffering comes from resistance. And what we are resisting most consistently is the present moment. We're … Continue reading This Moment
Less Imperfect
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that doing the thing you think about doing, and not quite doing it as great as you'd like to have done it, is still so much better than just thinking and dreaming, plotting and planning on how to do it perfectly. All of that thinking is just a … Continue reading Less Imperfect
Forgive Often
Forgiveness is not a one-time act. Forgiveness will set you free, and sometimes you will just need to repeatedly forgive another as the same hurt may come up again and again. Each time you forgive, you release yourself from that pain. So forgive, and forgive often.
Look for the Good
The media and social networks have been showing a lot of people with bad behavior lately, and it can feel like the whole world has gone topsy-turvy. And while there are a whole bunch of folks who have indeed decidedly lost their minds (with the video to prove it), we need to remember that it's … Continue reading Look for the Good
Change it
It seems to me that the worst part of standing around complaining about something is that you're wasting time convincing yourself how bad it is, rather than doing something to improve the situation. Complaining has actually been proven to be bad for your mental and physical health. It brings on all sorts of issues, like … Continue reading Change it
Practice Makes Perfect
They say that hatred is a learned response. It comes from letting fear run your thoughts, and by practicing the feeling of hate. So, if that is the case, then love and kindness can be practiced just as well, so that they are our (re)-learned automatic responses. Our actions and our behavior come from what … Continue reading Practice Makes Perfect
Believe in Yourself
Neville Goddard said, It is not what you want that you attract, you attract what you believe to be true. Wanting implies that you don't have it. Believing is having a certainty that it can be yours. So believe in yourself. Believe that you can have the life of your dreams. Because if you don't … Continue reading Believe in Yourself
Empathy
It seems to me that we're need of an outbreak of empathy. Empathy being: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. We're not all as different as we like to think we are. Whatever hurts us, most likely hurts another. With empathy you remember how it feels to be on the receiving … Continue reading Empathy
Divine Independence
Independence is wonderful, but it's just as important to remember connection. And we are all connected as one species of human beings, sharing this one beautiful planet. Independence is dignified, but unity is divine.
Get Still
Sometimes the best thing you can do is get quiet, and tune into your inner wisdom. That usually can help bring you answers better than any video, TV show, book, blog or gab fest. Sometimes it's best to just step away from the outside noise, and get still. Besides, taking a break from all of … Continue reading Get Still
Human Being
A lifelong lesson I'm learning is that I am working too hard at life. I'm making it such a struggle. Can anyone relate? If life seems to be a constant struggle, I suggest you take a look and see if you're trying too hard to control things. That's what I do. I have fallen for … Continue reading Human Being
Great Expectations
Have you heard the advice on how expectations can affect your happiness? It's usually meant to advise against setting yourself up for disappointment by having expectations that are bound to fail. And these expectations are most always about others and their behavior. But what if instead, we had expectations for how we've decided to see … Continue reading Great Expectations
Opinions
Engaging in conflict with someone over their views is purely an exercise trying to control them. Which you'll never do from arguing with them. You'll just start a fight. The struggle you feel is because you want to control their opinion, even more than you actually want them to agree with you. Because if they're … Continue reading Opinions
Simple
Human relations can be so simple. They might not be easy, but they are certainly simple if we remember that we all just want to be respected and acknowledged. If we want to be treated with respect, then we might remember that everyone else wants to be treated with respect as well. So, it's simple. … Continue reading Simple
Love First
It seems logical that we should love our bodies, every inch of them, since they're the thing that we have to work with as we navigate life on planet earth. Of course it seems logical to love our bodies, but that's not what the advertisers and drug companies want us to do. They want us … Continue reading Love First
Within
I'm sailing through on a lifelong quest to fully experience (and maintain) joyful living. And all of my discoveries keep pointing out that it comes from within. In other words, we don't have to look very far to find joy. It's already there, inside of us. Eckhart Tolle says, Pleasure is always derived from something … Continue reading Within
Today
When we get stuck on what happened yesterday, or 10 years ago, or even on what happened in 1913, we are holding our lives hostage to the past. Let the past go. Today is a new day. You get to be brand new each day. Or you can be the same victim or hero you … Continue reading Today
Love in my mind
I'm going through the workbook for A Course in Miracles (that is, I've started it again - hey, third times a charm) and the lesson for day #30 is: God is in everything I see because God is in my mind. One of my favorite authors on the subject of ACIM is the very entertaining … Continue reading Love in my mind
Start Believing
If you're looking for harmony with others, start believing that your interactions will be harmonious. If you're looking for respect from others, start believing that people do show respect. If you're looking for understanding from others, start believing that people are inherently understanding. As with everything we experience, our relationships with other people are first … Continue reading Start Believing
Good Will
I read this advice that suggested you should mentally wish good will towards everyone you run into, because at some telepathic level they will mentally pick up on it, and respond in a friendly manner back towards you. It's a way to create a sense of harmony wherever you go. Even if this idea of … Continue reading Good Will
Practice
As I look back at my day, I notice that the times I felt the most ease and at peace, were the times I was just in the moment. I wasn't lost in thought. My attention wasn't being pulled by something online. I wasn't stuck up in my head. Time had no meaning, and I … Continue reading Practice
Better
We think everything happens out there, and that the world out there has too many things that need to be fixed. And it's a big world. And needing to fix such a big world makes it seem like a really big job. But it's important to remember that we each are a part of this … Continue reading Better
Life
Life is all too brief. So at some point, we should start living it, rather than always working on "getting our act together." How long do you need to give someone to "come to their senses" before you decide you better enjoy what time you have left - with or without them? How many years … Continue reading Life
Freedom
Don't you feel exhausted? I do too. It's from trying to keep up with all of the noise that's out there, while also constantly bracing ourselves against it. Resistance, being on guard and blocking out any and all of the injustice out there, takes a lot of energy. And that leaves us exhausted. What if … Continue reading Freedom
Fresh Start
Each day is a new chance for you to start fresh, create the life of your dreams, and under your terms. If you can breathe, if you find yourself to be awake in this new day, you get that chance. In the book The Magic of Believing, author Claude Bristol describes how Franklin D. Roosevelt … Continue reading Fresh Start
Simple
I'm a voracious reader. I always have a stack of at least ten books I'm reading at a time. And yet I have found with all of that book reading, along with all of the online blogs, articles and posts, with my formal academic education, and also the shoddy miseducation from those talking heads on … Continue reading Simple
No Guarantee
From what I know about life, is that it's not a guarantee that we'll all get to live through the end of the day. For some of us, today will be it for this lifetime. So, if you have a dream about how you want your life to be, it might be a good idea … Continue reading No Guarantee
Do Your Best
Just always do the best you can do in any given moment. Pay attention to your gut and your heart, they'll remind if you're not doing your best in the moment. They'll remind you if you know any better. It's really that simple. If you want to avoid regret, listen to your heart, pay attention … Continue reading Do Your Best
The Why
Why do you want what you want? If you know the answer to that, then getting it is a cinch. We're usually so much more wrapped up in how to get it, and that seems to be the trouble. If there's anything I've learned in my lifetime, it's that I just don't know enough to … Continue reading The Why
Anticipation
The anticipation of something happening is almost always a much more delicious experience than the actual event. Visualizing all of the exciting recreation for that upcoming vacation, planning the wedding of the century, working towards that degree which promises so many job opportunities, or merely dreaming of the time coming up when things will finally … Continue reading Anticipation
Amazing
Isn't it amazing that there is some force that cares so much about us that it makes sure we breathe regularly, our hearts beat, and that our blood circulates, supplying the energy needed throughout every area of our body? Isn't it amazing that this is all taken care of for us seamlessly, so we can … Continue reading Amazing
Consciousness
This is a heavy concept, but it's fundamental. Consciousness is a steady stream of Source Energy intelligence that runs throughout all of the Universe as pure Love. And we have access to this intelligence at all times. In fact, we should be accessing it to live a fully heart-centered life. What blocks it from us … Continue reading Consciousness
The Very Best
American author Wallace D. Wattles said, The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself. Change begins with yourself. Progress begins with your own life. We want to live in a world of peace, equality, respect and love. It's created from each one of us beginning … Continue reading The Very Best
Vitality
Love is a vital element in sustaining life. Just like any nutrient, when you're deficient in it, you get sick. Just like sunlight, if you keep yourself blocked off from it, you weaken. Just like oxygen, if you cut yourself off from it, you wither and die. Love is vital to life. So be sure … Continue reading Vitality
Light
Challenges in life, and troubling situations can cause such despair, but it's crucial to remember that there is a higher power, always available for us to turn to. Even in the darkest situations, we can ask what can we learn from it, and how can we help bring light through to it. Genesis 50:20 says: … Continue reading Light
Change
Wayne Dyer would always say, When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. It's helpful to remember that we have this power, especially when the things we look at don't look so great. And, oftentimes the world around us looks so troubled because there's a lot of noise … Continue reading Change
Get Happy
On a recent interview, Dr. Joe Dispenza said, Get Happy, what's the worst that can happen? You'll be happy! What are we waiting for? Are we waiting for the world to settle down again before we can be happy? It may never settle down, especially if we don't actively choose happiness first. I don't believe it's … Continue reading Get Happy
Focus
It's been said that on the other side of fear is your freedom. So why is it so hard to get to that other side? Do we not really want our freedom? Or is fear so captivating that we can't seem to see past it? It's also been said that the opposite of fear is … Continue reading Focus
Be cool
Most of the great teachers advise to let go of desperately wanting so much, and relax. It seems tricky, but it's true. If I'm focused on wanting something desperately, then I'm focused on the fact that I don't have it. I can't get it, because I'm busy wanting it. Wanting and having are two different … Continue reading Be cool
Perspective
Are you living from a perspective of lack, or from a perspective of abundance? Lack causes your energy to contract and close in. Abundance causes your energy to be open and expand. Living with abundance doesn't necessarily mean that you're suddenly a billionaire. Living with abundance means that you feel open, expanded and at ease. … Continue reading Perspective
Yesterday is Gone
Yesterday is gone. Whether it was good, bad, ugly or any combination of it all, it's done, gone and no more. It's only still bothering you if you're looking at it in the rear view mirror. The thing about that is, if you're focused on the rear view mirror, then you can't see what's ahead, … Continue reading Yesterday is Gone
Choice
We are gifted with free will. We get to choose how to approach each moment. We get to choose if we want to be happy or not. We don't always get to choose what's happening out there. But if we had to wait on the world around us to look just exactly how we want … Continue reading Choice
Knowledge
It's important to study and train to develop skills for success. But studying can easily turn into a way to hide from actually becoming a success. Seth Godin asks: What have you done with what you’ve learned? You can pick any subject and gain all of the knowledge there is to find on it, but … Continue reading Knowledge
Look Ahead
I've always been happiest when I have something to look forward to. I feel energized with excitement when I have an upcoming event, a trip, or a goal to achieve. It's different from when I've just wanted to have something end. Wanting to be done with a class, or a job, or even just a … Continue reading Look Ahead
Practice
A long time ago, when diapers were a staple in my wardrobe, I couldn't walk without wobbling, or use a fork, or say the word "truck" correctly. (my "tr" sounded like an "F"... it was laugh riot at gatherings) Eventually, with enough practice, I went from wobbling to walking to running. With enough practice I … Continue reading Practice
Blessings
Whenever I start to play the sad game of Regrets, wishing I'd never met certain people, or that I hadn't allowed certain events to unfold as they did, I have to remind myself that if it wasn't for living through those things, then I wouldn't be me exactly. Any of the achievements I now have, … Continue reading Blessings
What is certain
Today I heard one of the talking heads, from their little grid of Zoom boxes that lately make up what passes for television talk shows, say that we're currently dealing with a "weird loss of certainty," and it's hard navigating it, as they are a "control freak." Actually, I don't think we had any kind … Continue reading What is certain
Real Peace
I used to rehearse arguments in my head, (or out loud while alone in the shower) with all of the antagonists in my life. Sure, I would come up with some amazing zingers that would make the writers of Dynasty proud, but in reality they just never came up at the right time. Also, all … Continue reading Real Peace
Don’t forget
We forget all the time that this day could be our last. We forget all the time that we're not guaranteed another Monday, whether manic or chill. We forget all the time that the last text we sent, video we uploaded, or comment we posted could very well have been our final one. We forget … Continue reading Don’t forget
Practice Forgiveness
It's important to take care of yourself. And practicing forgiveness actually takes care of you more than whoever it is you should forgive. Holding on to anger, grudges and resentment affects your health, not the jerk you feel it towards. Forgive, and forgive often. I write this for myself as much as anyone reading this. … Continue reading Practice Forgiveness
Good Days
The days as of late are a strange mix of being way too long, or so short they almost didn't happen. And they all seem to blend into one another. But even still, I believe they each have something to offer. Each day is thread in the tapestry of your life. I believe it's helpful … Continue reading Good Days
The Real Deal
I was never a fan of dress rehearsals. The anxiety of a production is at an all time high that night, and anything that can go wrong, usually does. Actually, they say that a terrible dress rehearsal means you'll have a great opening night. Because, essentially then you've gotten all of the kinks out. They … Continue reading The Real Deal
It’s all here, now
When I feel overwhelmed, it's because I'm thinking I need to solve all of the problems in my world right in that immediate moment. I don't even know where to start, but I already feel like I'm behind. The deal with thinking about all of your problems is that you're actively directing your thoughts towards … Continue reading It’s all here, now
I’m awake!
My absolute favorite moment of the day, is when I first wake up and realize that I'm awake! It feels like a light switch is turned on, and I'm surged with electricity. The first thought that pops into my head is Thank You-for my life, and then I get so excited at the thought of … Continue reading I’m awake!
Life is short
Life is short. That's what they say, anyway. I know that when I'm at my lowest, life feels like its too long. Like if I catch myself sitting around waiting for a horrible pandemic to end, the days can seem to drag on forever. On the other hand, when it's time to turn in for … Continue reading Life is short
A loving world
More than anyone I've come across, Wayne Dyer had a knack for speaking truth that I felt directly from the heart. One notable truth-zinger of his, was the quote below that perfectly sums up my thoughts about the way of the world. These thoughts form a perspective I've had ever since I was a kid, … Continue reading A loving world
Happy all along the way
Beware of Destination Happiness. You know, that thing where you think like, I'll be happy when... (I graduate / I get a new job / I win the lottery / I get a new house / I get married / I get divorced / I get remarried... etc.) I've fallen for that trap so many … Continue reading Happy all along the way
Great advice
On my old computer's desktop wallpaper, I had this cute picture I found of a cartoon figure looking up at a full moon, with a caption that read: Two things to remember in life: Take care of your thoughts when you're alone, and Take care of your words when you're with people. Much like that … Continue reading Great advice
Forget time
When I'm fully engaged in the present, and when I'm really invested in what I'm doing in the here and NOW, I have no time to wallow about the past or worry about the future. In fact, at that point I have no sense of time at all. It's when I've taken my attention away … Continue reading Forget time
Divine Creation
The thing about acting in theatre is that the director can create a vision for the play, but it's up to the actors to manage it and bring the vision to life. And once it's opening night, and those stage lights are up, it's entirely the actor's responsibility. Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, … Continue reading Divine Creation
Control
I want to control how things turn out. I want to control how people act around me. I want to control how people re-act to me. But the only things I truly can control are which thoughts I choose to believe, which words I allow myself to say, and how good or bad I want … Continue reading Control
Be Happy
I've had this belief that I must suffer in order to earn happiness. It's that idea of "no pain, no gain." But, I'm learning that you cannot earn happiness. You have to just be happy. And you can't be happy while you're suffering.
The Treasures of Life
The things we want more and more of are only appealing as long as they are still an option. You may wish you could stay in bed forever, but ask a bedridden invalid how they feel about never getting up. You may want unlimited ice cream sundaes, but if that suddenly became the only food … Continue reading The Treasures of Life
Unconditional Love
Unconditional Love is one of those phrases that sounds so nice to say, and yet usually at that very moment we are expressing it, we don't really mean it. Instead, that's usually when we are placing conditions. Here's an example: "You have to know that I love you unconditionally. You just have to." In other … Continue reading Unconditional Love
Clean up that lens
"The world is so bright I gotta wear shades!" What lens are you choosing to see the world through? We all have our own unique worldview perspective, brought on by our default programming. This programming creates a filter through which we see the outside world. And based on this filter, our magnificent brains will constantly … Continue reading Clean up that lens
Loneliness
Do you suffer from loneliness? Or, do you enjoy solitude? People are only lonely if they don't like the person that they're alone with. So they need distractions. If those distractions are taken away, they feel the absence with a great sadness. They are lonely. But if you like the person that you're alone with, … Continue reading Loneliness
Appreciation by Default
Look for the Good. Look for what you like. Look for what you what you Appreciate. There is always something to celebrate! Look for the good everywhere. These statements could have been pulled from the script of any self-help guru. (Of which I have studied many!) I love reading those statements. Even when they pop … Continue reading Appreciation by Default
Control Freak
Confession Time: I am a recovering Control Freak. I grew up thinking that the way to become successful (which I equated with happiness) was to control every aspect of my life. And I tried to excel in the controlling of how others acted around me. Let's just say that early on I got smacked upside … Continue reading Control Freak
Defending yourself is a waste of energy
I'm sure you've heard the sage advice to not worry about what others think of you. Someone has even effectively put it all nice and blunt, perfectly phrasing it to fit inside a fortune cookie with these words: What others think of you is none of your business! It's great advice. And you know what? It … Continue reading Defending yourself is a waste of energy
Like a Fox! 