Nobody Starts at the Top of Their Game

Everybody starts as a beginner. Every great began as a beginner. Whether they were a leader, writer, painter, artist, athlete, or whatever, they started as a beginner. Nobody enters any given field as an expert. Nobody. Yes, some people advance quicker than others. This is dependent on inherent skill and/or talent, how they learn, how fast they learn, natural ability, and all sorts of other factors along the way. Still, even those who have the most gifts and innate proficiencies

Why Is Genuine Gratitude Always Positive?

Tangible or intangible, big or small, gratitude is always empowering. There is no such thing as negative gratitude. Sure, there’s false gratitude, but that’s not gratitude. Genuine, true, real gratitude is always positive.   Genuine gratitude is an expression of appreciation. Appreciation is a direct pathway to kindness, compassion, and empathy. Everyone, everywhere, desires kindness, compassion, and empathy (sometimes inappropriately jealously, which is how we get so many who want it but refuse to give it. But I digress). Kindness,

The Question Is, How Will This Impact Me, If At All?

Before you get swept up in the happenings of the world, ask this question. It’s super easy to get caught up in the happenings of the world around us. If you spend even the slightest amount of time on social media, you’ll be drawn into the world outside, beyond your life. Sometimes you’re only drawn as far as the circumstances and drama of your friends, family, coworkers, and other connections. Other times, you are drawn further out, into national and

Why Should You Treat People How You Desire to Be Treated?

You get back whatever you put out to the world. When did it become acceptable to simply be rude to people? Seriously, when did it become acceptable to treat people with such disrespect? For example, it wasn’t all that long ago that when the President gave the State of the Union address, the other side got a rebuttal after it. Outright heckling? What are you, undisciplined grade school children? Name-calling, inappropriate gestures, and other disturbing behaviors have become increasingly normalized

So What if My Guru is a Muppet?

Some of the wisest words of wisdom I’ve encountered come from Yoda. When I was a small child, my parents took me to see a movie that would have a tremendous impact on my life. In 1977, Star Wars was this mesmerizing, amazing piece of fiction that had so many unexpected nuances wrapped into Campbell’s Hero’s Journey amid spaceships, lasers, and swords made of light. Yes, I’m well aware of the imperfections in the story and that it’s not high

Every Day You Get to Choose Your Life Approach

This is incredibly empowering for us all. Over the years, I’ve made some adjustments and alterations to how I define mindfulness. Specifically, what goes into it. Mindfulness, as I define it, is active conscious awareness. It’s the practice of being actively, consciously aware of your mindset/headspace/psyche self, here and now. In the present, the only time that’s really, truly, real. Initially, I quantified what went into practicing mindfulness as knowing what you’re thinking, how and what you’re feeling, and what

What Would You Do If You Could Do Anything At All?

No limitations, no restrictions, no caveats, just do the thing you desire to do. Lots of people talk about bucket lists. Those things they would do without restrictions, obligations, financial issues, and so on. Additionally, lots of people have things they will do when they have enough money, lose enough weight, get that promotion, publish the book, dump the dead-weight relationship, and so on. Get that one thing done, the prerequisite must be met, and then you do the thing.

I Don’t Hate Myself, But Some Days I Don’t Like Myself

Kindness, compassion, and empathy are necessary for ourselves, too. Today I got really upset. Angry, mostly. At myself. Why? Because I’ve put on a bunch of weight, I have a bizarre nerve pinch in my left hand that’s causing recurrent pain depending on my grip, I’m a bit flustered trying to decide on a new editor for my book series, I feel like I’m letting people in my life down, I’m failing to live up to my potential, work as

To Live Life, If Not Today, When?

The best time to live is now. Apologies if this is triggering, but I need to say it anyhow. You could die tomorrow. Death tends to be the most terrifying topic for many people. The thought of no longer being, the questions of what – if anything – might come after this life has led to debates, arguments, and wars. Somehow, we still ignore that it’s inevitable. Life ends at death. That’s the nature of every living thing that we

How do I Release the Discomfort?

What steps go into centering and balancing? Depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses have common threads to them. They are comprised of elements of thought, feeling, and various blended and/or mixed emotions. Though I can’t and don’t know for certain, I believe that everyone feels their feelings in different parts of their body. Sometimes it manifests as a buzzing in the back of your head. Other times, it’s butterflies in your stomach. Maybe you experience a sensation like a weight

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