Change and challenge
-
Rethinking my resolutions
“Beginnings are notation for the symphony of the possible in us. They ask us to break the pattern of our lives and reconfigure it afresh — something that can only be done with great courage and great tenderness, for no territory of life exposes both our power and our vulnerability more brightly than a beginning.” ~Maria Popova, The Marginalian Have you made any New Year’s resolutions yet? You might loosely define a “resolution” as a self-improvement goal — such as eating healthier meals or exercising more often. Then again, a New Year’s resolution could serve as motivation to achieve or acquire something specific — a clutter-free storage room, for instance,…
You May Also Like
Celebrating freedom
Who are your heroes?
Registration open for Self-Help Book Club
-
Adjusting our perspective
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~Maya Angelou Whether I’m writing my own life stories or coaching others who are writing theirs, I’m amazed at how often we allow our experiences to define us. We might blame our suffering on bad luck (or someone else) and stop trying to improve the situation. Or we might label ourselves as “survivors” who had the courage to overcome a personal challenge or tragedy. Writing about our lives in a journal motivates us to take a closer look at how far we’ve come. We can view negative experiences from…
-
Small changes
“Few of us will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” ~John F. Kennedy Sometimes I’m completely stalled by the idea that it would take a huge effort to make a change in this troubled, turbulent world of ours. It’s much easier to sit in front of the TV or my computer while I criticize politicians or complain about everything else that’s gone wrong. But as today’s quote reminds us, each of us has a sphere of influence in our own…
-
Rescue mission
“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” ~Anna Quindlen Who hasn’t wished to be “rescued” at one time or another? Who hasn’t felt like a victim of circumstance? It’s always tempting (and probably instinctive) to blame outside forces when things go wrong. When life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped or planned, we might point a finger at our parents, family history, the economy, bad weather, people we don’t like, or the government. Or we can own…
-
Who’s really in control?
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ~ Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free Control freaks always top my list of annoyances. You probably know a few of them. They’re the ones who expect everything to go according to their plans, not yours. They always have a better idea, or so they’ll tell you. Their opinions are always right and yours are always wrong. This is partly why control freaks are such terrible listeners; there’s no room for other ideas inside their heads. At their worst, control freaks…
