Positivity: Motivation

Some days just getting out of bed is a challenge.  Those days often require motivation. Finding motivators is an enormous positive.  Motivators help us to quit bad habits, start and maintain good habits, and make positive changes in our lives. Motivation can come from any number of places, both within and without.  This is one place where outside influences are often to your advance, rather than against it. Self-motivation can be challenging.  Simply setting a goal, like quitting smoking or

Crossing the Bridges: What Inspires Me

One of my favorite books is The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.  I have read it more than once, and listened to it countless times (the audio book is brilliantly narrated by Jeremy Irons). Nothing I have ever read has resonated with me like The Alchemist.  Doesn’t matter if we’re talking fiction or non-fiction, this book speaks to me like no other. It is not a long book.  But it is very, very deep.  Although it is a work of fiction,

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It’s unhealthy to ignore the outside world completely. We need to be aware of what is happening in the world.  While there is something to be said for the bliss of ignorance, knowledge IS power. The problem is, it can be very hard to stay focused when you are inundated with a barrage of upsetting information.  How do you find and maintain a happy medium between knowing what’s going on, and being completely drowned in data? The mistake I keep

Positivity: We Are

Sometimes the most positive thing to face is that we are here. We are alive.  We are breathing.  We have endless possibilities ahead of us for the day. In the face of a whole lot of insanity from outside influences, the holiday season, or you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder; finding and maintaining positivity can be a particularly challenging idea. It may seem trite, but just being alive is a huge plus.  You are breathing.  You have the ability

Crossing the Bridges: Affirmations and Mantras

Last week I came up with a new mantra for my life and my goals: The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  I gain more than I lose when I act upon my dreams.  Fear is the mind killer, and I am not afraid.  Do or do not.  Remember that there is no spoon. I have managed to memorize this, but truthfully it’s a tad long. I believe that I have mentioned previously that I have hired

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I will do what I have to do when and if the time comes. In the meantime, I cannot live my life anticipating possibilities.  In especial, focusing on worst-case scenarios.  There’s a terrible idea – get fixated on awful, no good, scary things, and consciousness creates reality. We are now living in particularly uncertain times.  We are witnessing an unprecedented situation in America due to our President-elect’s vast unpredictability, and his particularly vulgar, hate-spewing supporters (I am being specific here

Positivity: Hope for The Future

Like a lot of people I know, I have many concerns about the future. Long buried ugliness has boiled back to the surface.  After decades of progress in equality and fairness no matter your race, creed or color…the lunatic fringe is feeling re-empowered to attempt to be dominant once again. They may have gained a voice in politics and will work to alter public policy…but we can make all of their efforts a struggle.  They are NOT in the majority,

Crossing the Bridges: Fighting my Fear

What am I so afraid of? This is the question that has haunted me for most of my life.  Unlike many of my fellow Americans who can point to this thing or that which they live in fear of, I fear a number of intangibles. Since this is my more personal blog posting, let me get personal here.  I have been in and out of therapy for most of my life.  My parents divorced when I was 5, and this

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What do you do when you reach a dead end on the path you’re traversing? This doesn’t happen too often, but from time to time you may find that the path you are on has not only forked, but actually ended unexpectedly. Why?  How does a chosen path simply come to an end?  The universe works in mysterious ways.  You get laid off from the job where you were seeking that promotion; or you wreck your knee and need to

Positivity: Compassion Overcomes Fear

Compassion overcomes fear. Following the results of last week’s election, a lot of people have become fearful for the future.  It is certainly understandable why, given the overall uncertainty and emboldened hate groups. But it has also shown how compassionate, loving and dependable people can be. I have witnessed numerous people pledge to stand by those who most feel under threat.  I have seen countless examples of people offering to stand up and keep friends and loved ones safe and

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