Posts tagged with “Change”
Honor Your Progress and the Path That Led You Here
âIn time and with water, everything changes.â ~Leonardo da Vinci
This is a story about our past and progress. Itâs about holding on and letting go, moving forward by moving inward, and time. And like any good story, itâs a love story in the end. Iâm talking about the kind of love that eases suffering and restores peace. The love we show ourselves through patience and unconditional acceptance.
It begins with a box in the back of my hall closet, tucked neatly beneath the snorkeling equipment and board games we always forget about. I’ve moved that box from Texas …
Everything Seems to Be Falling Apart⌠Because It Is
âA bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch, but in its own wings. Always believe in yourself.â ~Unknown
If youâve ever stopped and thought, âWhat the hell am I doing?â or âHow did I end up here?â believe me when I tell you that you are one of manyâincluding me.
Feeling lost is stressful enough, but what about when we disappoint ourselves more than anyone around us? What do we do when we have no sense of direction or purpose, and dwindling confidence in ourselves?
I …
Maybe I Donât Need to Make a Big Change in the World
âBe the change you wish to see in the world.â ~Mahatma Gandhi
As a teen, I was passionately idealistic about justice, love, and compassion. Reading the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and other icons of justice inspired a desire to make a big change in the world.
Older people would attempt to temper my enthusiasm with a dose of jaded reality, saying things like, âThatâs just the way the world is,â and âYou canât change people.â
I vowed to never be like that. I didnât want to give into the status quo and turn …
That Big Life Change Wonât Be Satisfying IfâŚ
âNothing changes unless you do.â ~Unknown
In the fall of September 2017, after one of the longest summers of event planning I could have imagined, I quit my job.
As I proudly exited the workforce to pursue my creative talents as a writer, I looked confident and excited on the outside. Yet, in that moment and for the years to follow, I was terrified on the inside.
Even though I’d exited my cubicle walls, head held high, the boundaries, fear, and rules of the office environment followed me around daily for over two and a half years.
I was now …
How to Free Yourself from the Burden of Your Potential
âChanging directions in life is not tragic. Losing passion in life is.â
We all have natural talents, and in some cases, we may have devoted years to honing our skills and turning them into a career. As weâre on the road to achieving our goal or fulfilling our potential, there may be this invisible weight that starts to bear down on us.
Thatâs because there is a burden of potential. The burden is that fear that weâll never reach our full potential, and the obligation and pressure we feel when we donât want to continue on the path weâre on.…
When You’ve Lost Your Passion for That Thing You Once Loved
“Do it with passion or not at all.” ~Rosa Couchette Carey
If youâve ever had a passion for something, you are probably well aware of the peaks and valleys that are natural side effects of pursuing the thing you love most.
Whether itâs music, writing, sports, fitness, or anything else, sometimes you lose sleep because the thing you love keeps you up all night, and some days you just feel tired and uninspired. There are ebbs and flows in following your passion, which is completely natural and healthy.
But what happens when the âvalleysâ stay valleys? Maybe you have a …
An Exercise That May Help You Make a Big, Scary Life Change
âChange your thoughts and you can change your world.â ~Norman Vincent Peale
Making a major life change, such as changing careers or moving to a new state, can be really scary.
Even if our hearts are pulling us in one direction, we may still be plagued with doubt, fear, and anxious thoughts, such as: How do I know if Iâm making the right decision? What will my family think if I do this? Will I regret this?
Even after we make the change, doubts and worries can still linger.
In 2016, I was on the brink of a major …
How a Creative Hobby Can Boost Your Mental Health
“The world always seems brighter when youâve just made something that wasnât there before.” ~Neil Gaiman
A few years ago I wrote an article about my personal experience with bulimia. The piece was published by several different media channels, and some time afterward I was interviewed by CNN.
It was the first time I had publicly, and explicitly, spoken about that particular part of my journey. But the desire to acknowledge and address the emotional effects of my experience had been present for some time.
Prior to writing the article, I hadnât felt ready to lay myself bare in …
It’s Not All Love and Light: Why We Can’t Ignore the Dark and Just “Be Positive”
âThe dark night of the soul comes just before revelation.â ~Joseph Campbell
If you frequent Instagram or any other social media platform these days, you may notice countless posts about positivity, self-help, yoga, and green juice. And gluten-free everything.
Most of us equate these messages with spirituality and good vibes. I wonât disagree. These messages do promote good vibes. But, the problem is these posts donât tell the whole story, and once we log off, many of us still feel incomplete, fearful, and insecure because all of these âinfluencersâ and gurus seem to have it all figured out.
Iâm …
How to Get Past Doubt and Do What You Really Want to Do
âDoubt everything. Find your own light.â ~The Buddha
As far back as I can remember, Iâve allowed my life to be shaped by external forces.
On the outside, it appeared like I was just another carefree soul, living in the moment and going through life like a leaf on the wind. But on closer inspection, I was actually running away from having to make any real commitments and avoiding getting into a position where I had to make difficult or important decisions.
It wasnât until recently, when I realized it was four years to the date since Iâd fallen into …
The Key to Acceptance: Understand That Everything Changes With Time
“If you argue with reality, you lose, but only 100% of the time.” ~Byron Katie
I love this quote. Ironic, really, because when I first read it I was furiousâfurious with my reality and anyone who encouraged me to accept it. In my mind to accept chronic illness was to accept defeat.
I had just been diagnosed with fibromyaglia, an incredibly painful condition that had me bedridden most days and unable to care for my then two-year-old daughter, never mind myself. My home became filled with carers and aids and adaptations.
Rather than starting a new career as a newly …
Sometimes We Are the Ones Who Need to Change
“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.” ~Albert Einstein
When I was younger, I had a lot of opinions about what other people needed to change.
“Why can’t people conserve more?” “Why can’t people stop throwing cigarette butts on the ground?” “Why can’t so-and-so stop being so annoying?”
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I’ve recently realized that as I focused on all of the things that others needed to do, I was avoiding taking a look at my own very real flaws and failures.
I used single-use plastic …
Siddhartha (Running Water) by Syne
Ever since I can remember, I have loved creating. Thereâs something about the process of making something out of nothing that drives the universe and satisfies the soul like not many other things can.
This is my passion.
I was fortunate to have been brought up with unconditional love and kindness, surrounded by the most dedicated and loving family one could ask for. They taught me to be curious and kind, and they helped me paint a beautiful picture of the world in my eyes.
This is my inspiration.
But as I grew up, I became exposed to the harsher …
Itâs Not Either/Or: The Power of Opening Your Mind and Seeing Both Sides
“Compassionate listening is to help the other side suffer less.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
In late 2017 my husband and I were both getting ready for work one morning when I casually said, âHey, I think Iâm going to start teaching yoga in the jail.â
Without missing a beat my husband said, âWell, thatâs a terrible idea. Why would you do that?â
He gave this comment as a statement, flat and decisive. I had suspected I would get this type of response, so I tried to play it cool, like it didnât bother me. But it still stung a bit, since …
How Gratitude Journaling Can Boost Your Mood and Change Your Life
âGratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.â ~Melody Beattie
A few years ago I had an ulcer and I would get dizzy after almost every meal. There was a point when I was afraid to eat. I lost twenty pounds when I didn’t need to lose weight.
I wasn’t sleeping well.
I was a complete wreck inside.
It took me two and half …