Tree rings tell the life story of the tree. They speak of seasons with blossoms and growth and they divulge times of struggle and hardship. Trees that endure the stormiest times grow the strongest and the most beautiful.
This blog is intended to help you through all seasons and weathers of life. It will cheer you on, inspire you, and help you grow as you thrive and bloom into your mightiest you. Please comment, ask questions, and share your own experiences. Life is easier when we do it with others.
Cheer You On. These posts provide optimism, support, and humor to brighten your day.
Inspire You. These posts motivate and encourage you to be creative and try new things.
Help You Grow. These posts provide education and skills that are proven to create well-being.
This blog post is the first in a series on the topic of focusing on what you can control. In the course of my career as a therapist, many have asked how I carry the load of listening to so many tragic stories. Fortunately for me, the answer to this question has never been complicated or hard to describe. I’ve known it intuitively…The answer is this:
Read MoreI didn’t imagine that a virus and a shooting could teach me so much about freedom in just four months. This holiday weekend...we have time to examine our beliefs about the privilege we have of both choice and responsibility of consequence. Read More...
Read MoreWelcome to Life Experienced 2.0! A new look, better subscribe, new pages, videos, and searchable categories. My desire to continue helping others had me come face-to-face with my fears. What benefits can come from facing our fears?
Read MoreA black policeman walked by my car. I had an urge to say something, acknowledging what is happening in our country. But I didn’t have my thoughts in order and so I said nothing. This blog post is what I could have said, and here's where I'm starting.
Read MoreIn 1939 the British government prepared several posters in preparation for World War II. The posters were intended to raise the morale of the British public who were being threatened with massive air attacks on major cities. One of the posters created was: Keep Calm and Carry On.
Read MoreWeeks ago, many were wishing for time to slow down, to spend more time at home with family, and reduce the crazy pressures of modern living. We were longing for time to catch our breath, organize, study, play, or just do nothing. While none of us could have imagined the answer to this wish coming from a world-wide pandemic, the result of being isolated is safety and the elimination of schedules and time pressures. Today, and for a while, we can experience living without rush. This may be the opportunity that comes with this crisis.
Read MoreAs news of the coronavirus spreads, the stock market bounces from low to high, and the elections heat up, we can easily be overwhelmed with worry and anxiety for our health, wealth, and well-being. This blog shares a timely story that reminds us to focus on what we control and let go of the “what if’s.” Learn how you can sleep when the wind blows. Read more…
Read MoreEvery morning around 6:30 I get up with my dog, Sandy, walk out to the pasture to feed my horses, Henri and Gus, and my barn cat named Cat1. (She’s a stray and I wasn’t sure she was going to hang around, so I just gave her a number. It’s probably time to give her a decent name since she’s been here a few years!) I return to the house, feed the dog, and then sit down at my desk for some personal study before I get ready for the day. This is my morning habit and because it’s a habit, I can do it in my sleep and some mornings that’s exactly my form.
Read MoreAre you feeling the swift current of holiday madness? It’s rushing earlier and faster than ever. Hallmark Christmas movies began in October. Christmas wreaths and lights are in the same aisles next to the Halloween ghouls and witches. Mail flyers are already promising that if you “buy this, your holiday will be perfect.” And if we’re not careful, we’ll believe the flimflam and flit away our precious resources, only to realize we’ve been seduced by commercialism, again.
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As important as “to do” lists are, maybe there should be consideration for a “not-to-do” or “stop-doing” list. What you say, would be on this list? Let me give you a prompt: Martha Stewart.
Read MoreDid you know that the average length of time of a diet is…TWO days! That’s humorous evidence to me that we have magical expectations about being transformed from a beginner to an expert almost while sleeping. Consequently, after a brief effort, when we don’t quickly and easily achieve our goal, we turn to our self-talk library of judgement and blame to find the justification for quitting, defeated once more. This cycle of false starts is the result of grossly underestimating the price and process of mastery.
Read MoreThe words of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence represent a remarkable example of a mission statement for our country. One of my favorite lines from the Declaration of Independence is this:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Read MoreIn recent years my view of how to become my best self has been significantly influenced by three things: the book “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, teaching a workshop called “ You Can Change Anything”, and this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
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