Posts tagged with “wisdom”
The Benefits of Vipassana Meditation and How to Start Your Practice
“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there.” ~Deepak Chopra
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the chaos of daily life, longing for a sense of calm and clarity? That was me a year ago, trapped in a cycle of overwork and unhealthy habits. It wasnât until I rediscovered meditation, particularly Vipassana, that I began to find true peace and transformation. Hereâs my story and how Vipassana changed my life and how it could change yours too.
My Personal Journey with Meditation
I’ve always been drawn …
4 Fears That Create People-Pleasers and How to Ease Them
âIt feels good to be accepted, loved, and approved of by others, but often the membership fee to belong to that club is far too high of a price to pay.â ~Dennis Merritt Jones
Like a lot of people, I grew up putting othersâ needs and wants first. I learned early that doing things for other people and accommodating their wishes gained me attention and approval. It was only in those moments that I felt good enough and deserving of love.
As a child, I liked nothing more than feeling indispensable and being told I was a good and …
The Dangers of Safety and How to Live Fully
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but thatâs not what a ship is built for.â ~John Augustus Shedd
Growing up in the Midwest in a traditional family steeped in Catholic values, safety was paramount. We adhered to conventional roles: father, mother, brother, and sister, with me as the baby sister.
My parents were loving, but my mom parented through a lens of fear, constantly worrying about potential dangers. This fierce protection was a testament to her love, yet it ingrained in me the belief that taking the safe route was the only way to navigate life.
One day, when …
The Importance of Setting Strong, Healthy Boundaries
âIf you love yourself, it doesnât matter if other people donât like you because you donât need their approval to feel good about yourself.â ~Lori Deschene
I spent my whole life trying to please other people. I would put myself through stress and discomfort to fit in with what they wanted or needed. I would rarely feel confident enough to communicate what I wanted because when I did, I would be met with frustration or anger, and Iâd often come away feeling stupid.
When I was growing up, I would feel my emotions very strongly, so a lot of …
Healing from Chronic Fatigue: The Amazing Impact of Self-Compassion
âIf you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.â ~Dalai Lama
In my mid-thirties, my active and adventuresome life as a broadcast journalist collapsed. It began with a trauma, followed by flu-like symptoms that stuck around for thirteen years. Almost overnight, I lost the pep to walk around the block, much less file reports for the evening news.
A battery of doctors diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), among other diagnoses. They said Iâd have to live this way since there was no reliable cure. I became one of the …
How I Changed My Life by Becoming a Thought Snob
âLoving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world. ~Wayne Dyer
Driving home from another visit to the pediatrician, Mother reiterated how puny I was: âYouâre just like Mommy. She was so frail. You get sick easily.â Iâd say I was five years old when I wholeheartedly accepted this hogwash as fact. Iâm not exaggerating when I tell you I stayed sick for three decades because I truly believed I was prone to illness.
I come from a long line of women who never got what they wanted. They settled, conformed, and were …
The Breakthrough That Helped Me Stop Comparing Myself to Others
âComparison is the thief of joy.â ~Theodore Roosevelt
In March 2020, the UK went into its first Covid lockdown, and the country was swept with anxiety and sadness. When would we see our loved ones again? Would our health be okay? Was my job safe? And more pressingly, how the heck was I expected to teach my kids?
Along with everyone else, I first received the news with a sense of impending doom and tried to make the best of a bizarre situation. âNormal lifeâ consisted of stressful home schooling, online working, mask wearing, and (in the UK at least) …
Shadow Parts: How to Recognize and Release Them
âWhen we are aware of our weaknesses or negative tendencies, we open the opportunity to work on them.â ~Allan Looks
Last year, I took my then-six-year-old son to a kite festival. He was ecstatic about flying his kites, and we spent a lot of time doing just that!
At one point, his kite string got tangled with another ladyâs kite string. Both kites crashed to the ground, and the lady and I started working to untangle the strings.
In his excitement, my little one repeatedly asked if we were done yet and if he could fly his kite again. I …
How to Move Forward After Loss: The 3 Phases of Healing
âWhatever youâre feeling, it will eventually pass. You wonât feel sad forever. At some point, you will feel happy again. You wonât feel anxious forever. In time, you will feel calm again. You donât have to fight your feelings or feel guilty for having them. You just have to accept them and be good to yourself while you ride this out. Resisting your emotions and shaming yourself will only cause you more pain, and you donât deserve that. You deserve your own love, acceptance, and compassion.â ~Lori Deschene
To this day, I still remember that call. I had just …
5 Lessons Pain Taught Me About Love
âIf there is love in your heart, it will guide you through your life. Love has its own intelligence.â ~Sadhguru
Love was something I craved for most of my life. I dreamed that one day, a person would come into my life, preferably a man, who would love me and save me from my painful suffering filled with emptiness and desperation.
Even when I was single, which I was quite often and for prolonged periods, I would fantasize about a perfect relationship with someone whoâd understand and accept me even in my worst moments. I wanted a partner and a …
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 