Personal growth
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Let it bloom by itself
“Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. God opens millions of flowers every day without forcing their buds.” ~Osho The act of letting go is an act of personal surrender. Letting go requires trust and faith in the unknown. It’s not our job to keep the earth spinning on its axis (which might be a relief for some control freaks). Letting go means allowing others to hold the reins occasionally — which takes grace and self-confidence. Letting go also takes courage. It can be frightening to loosen your grip on a particular situation or a worry. But no matter how hard you try to force or…
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Old-friends, good therapy
“A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” ~Lois Wyse No matter which party you support, it’s safe to say the past few weeks have been a political maelstrom. Unless you’ve buried your head under the sand, you’re probably feeling stressed and anxious — and a little unsure of how to discuss the issues in mixed political company. Thank goodness for the pals who “get” what we’re going through — the trusted friends you can safely text at midnight with a short phrase (OMG, are you kidding me?!) while knowing…
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How to brighten your dark thoughts
“I once had a garden filled with flowers that grew only on dark thoughts, but they needed constant attention, and one day I decided I had better things to do.” ~Brian Andreas To prepare yourself for disappointment, do you usually expect the worst rather than the best outcome? Sometimes it’s not a bad idea to lower your expectations. But if you’re not careful, pervasive gloomy thinking can become a habit or a way of life. And when you lower your expectations along with your mood, sometimes your standards get lowered at the same time — which is never a good thing. Negativity is lazy and self-destructive. Positivity takes tremendous effort, which is why so…
- Creativity and discovery, Dr. Seuss, Friendship and relationship advice, Personal growth, Photo stories
You can’t know it all
“It’s high time you were shown that you don’t really know all there is to be known.” ~Dr. Seuss Like most four-year-olds, our young grandson is an expert on a wide range of topics. Whenever we think we’re sharing something new with him, his typical response is, “I already knew that.” It cracks me up every time. I’m also very familiar with the adult know-it-all. You know the type: When you try to share fresh information or introduce an interesting topic, the know-it-all has already been there, seen it, or done that. You can’t possibly show or tell them anything new. And they’re always on the lookout for opportunities to…
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Choices, choices
“Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of. Some will haunt us forever. We are what we choose to be.” ~Graham Brown Every day we make choices that tell the world who we are. Our choices can change the course of our lives. And our choices have a ripple effect. The friends we choose, for example, have a powerful influence on our habits, beliefs, and even our reputation. Or, to borrow from the Aesop proverb, “You are not responsible for what your friends do, but you will be judged by the company you keep.” This applies to national politics as well as our personal relationships. How we…
