Knowing what you don’t want can lead you to what you DO want. Knowing what you do want leads you to what you can do. Shifting to an “I can” mindset creates healing.
Did Your Resolution Love You As Much As You Loved It?
Maybe you spent months dreaming up a plan that was sure to take you to new heights or maybe you thought the exciting energy surrounding the trending new diet, exercise or self-help regimen sounded like the next best thing for you, too. Now, for whatever reason, your in-it-to-win-it spirit has turned into God-how-I-hate-this-I-just-might-puke-if…or a You-suck-you-quitter/loser/faker/despicable/[insert your whatever]-You.
Regardless of how you came to setting your resolution, it is obvious that this is more than a little slump; it is just not working for you. In fact, it could be all wrong for you. A few simple questions will help you isolate where the breakdown(s) might be and help you redirect.
Giving the Gift of Receiving
Dear Journeyer, ‘Tis the season for giving, right? A time of year when we do more and give more of our time and our money. And yet there is one gift that many of us overlook. I call it “The Gift of Receiving.” We parents, nurturers, teachers and healers often find it difficult to receive anything, whether it be a … Read More
Energized by Envy
Happy Sunday-now-Monday, Journeyer! First up on the Happy Happens tribute list? First week of Back to School is behind me!! Woot! Woot! As always, the return to the early morning six o’clock alarm is a little daunting. Thankfully the first day back wasn’t a split shift, which meant I was able to entertain a much needed, midday nap! My mood … Read More
On Validation and the Value of Self Worth
As I sat in my therapist’s office last week, a small truth began to unfold before my eyes. “I guess I’ve just always been looking for validation,” I said. Learning. Growing. Understanding, Journeyers. That’s half the battle. As those words tumbled from my mouth, I remembered a conversation with my first successful therapist. I say “first successful” because my parents … Read More
Minding Weeds
This summer’s northeast weather has been ideal for weed growth. A wet spring followed by a record-setting heat wave. Thankfully, I only have a couple of areas I plant, and those are filled with low-maintenance, perennials. Who has time to toil in a garden, when they are working, raising a family, tending a house, and running a business? Certainly not … Read More
Training Sleep
Two nights ago, I trudged up to bed about half-past midnight. Normally, I fluff my pillow beneath my head, lie back, and proceed to fall asleep. Instantly. On this night, however, I couldn’t turn my mind off of from a few unnerving thoughts. One teenager is half-way across the country, “just doing his thing,” with a female friend whom he … Read More
Moments
I have needed today. I have looked forward to today. I don’t spend enough days devoted to pampering myself. How many of us do? Yesterday I toiled and worked and slaved at my computer, preparing for year-end. Papers up the wazoo. Though I felt a great sense of elation when I checked off giant piles of receipts that needed reconciling, … Read More
A Personality Peril
After the Thanksgiving meal, our family conversation somehow landed on the topic of personality traits. Each of us seems to be bent toward a particular action. Caretaker and fixer are the two types our nine members discussed around the dinner table. I have thought often about my inherent nature. What I have discovered is this: I am the problem solver, the fixer. Many a dilemma places me on a path of contemplation … Read More