The goal is to change your response to what you can’t control — to gradually grow stronger on the inside, so less on the outside affects your inner wellness without your conscious permission.

The mind is the biggest battleground. It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides. It’s where we develop daily habits that put us in direct opposition with reality, where over half the things we fear…never actually happen. It’s where our expectations get the best of us and we fall victim to our own trains of thought, again and again.

Truth be told, in the game of life we all receive a unique set of unexpected limitations and variables in the field of play. The question is: How will you [Read more…]

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
— Mae West

Twenty years ago, I was lucky enough to witness the humble, elegant, peaceful passing of my 89-year-old grandfather. As I sat quietly in his hospice room alongside my grandma and other family members, his nurse smiled softly and said, “I can see he lived well. People his age often pass just the way they lived.”

And as I drove home that evening a couple questions kept cycling through my mind…

“Am I living well?”

“What do I want to be able to smile about on the inside when I’m on my deathbed?”

These questions are tough, especially the second one. At the time, I desperately struggled to envision myself on my deathbed — just thinking about it stressed me out. So I simply avoided the question and the soul searching it demanded of me. I distracted myself for a few more years until I found myself back in a hospice room with my 90-year-old grandma (who was the most amazing human being I’ve ever met, by the way).

On the final day of her life, [Read more…]

If somebody is working on themselves and changing for the better, it’s unnecessary to keep bringing up their past. People can change and grow. You know that’s true. But have you given yourself a fair chance to change and grow, too?

Have you consciously loosened your grip on what’s behind you, so you can step forward again with grace?

If you’re shaking your head, you aren’t alone. At times we all fall victim to our attachments. We simply don’t realize how often we block our own present blessings by holding on to the past.

Thus, it’s time for a quick true story about life and letting go…

When Our Old Stories Hold Us Back

She rarely makes eye contact. Instead, she looks down at the ground. Because the ground is safer. Because unlike people, it [Read more…]

As we look forward to everything 2024 has in store, I know many of us are yearning for a simpler and selective range of life experiences in the year ahead — the happier days, the normal times, the settings and experiences that make us feel more comfortable. And yet, the full range of reality often brings something very different. The year ahead will inevitably give us an extensive array of experiences that evoke feelings ranging from sadness to struggle to pride to growth to hope, and more.

So we have a choice starting today. We can revolt against reality — the reality of having to deal with discomfort, of having to cope with uncertainty, of having to feel upset sometimes. Or we can [Read more…]

Think a little less about managing your problems and a little more about managing your mindset.

Remind yourself that inner peace and progress are both built through tiny recurring victories. It’s the seemingly inconsequential choices we make day to day that either break us or make us whole in the long run. Yes, the fulfillment of our lives ultimately depends on the quality of our daily thoughts and actions.

So as we move toward (and through) the impending New Year, challenge yourself…

1. When a new day begins, challenge yourself to smile genuinely and gratefully.

2. When you don’t get what you want, challenge yourself to [Read more…]