making your home work
While relationships can be such a rewarding place of intimacy, delight and love, it’s also true that they can trigger us to shut down our hearts. This is a constant struggle for many people, and also the place of potential for our biggest personal growth. What would it be like to open up your heart instead of shutting …
We’ve all felt the frustration of having someone in our lives who seems constantly negative — complaining, getting offended by small things, angry, pessimistic. This can be very difficult, draining us of energy and turning our minds to negativity as well. One solution that many recommend is to cut these people out of …
All my life, I’ve struggled with being half-committed. Not always, but more than I’d usually like to admit. I say I’m going to stick to something, and I actually believe it … but then a week later (sometimes sooner, sometimes longer), I falter. I justify it. I feel guilty. I try not to think about it. I resolve to do …
I was talking with a friend yesterday who is going through a very hard time, and of all the emotions that have come up for them during this struggle (anger, despair, etc.), shame has been the most challenging emotion of all. We all feel shame, and it’s perfect OK to feel it. There’s nothing wrong with us if we feel …
There’s a subtle, mindful shift that we can make as we tackle any task, enter any project, start any conversation, move into any activity … and this small shift can make a huge difference. The shift is a softening, a warming, an opening. And that might not sound very powerful, but it is. Let’s say you’re about to …
I was talking to someone today and he said that with all the time he spends putzing around on the internet, he gets maybe 2 hours of focused time a day. I actually think that’s higher than average! But if he does incredible work in those 2 hours a day, think of the good he could do if he doubled or even tripled that …
I’m far from mastering this skill, but one thing I’ve been playing around with is how important mental states are to our productivity, happiness, focus, health habits and more. For example, if you’re tired or feeling down, there’s a good chance you’re not going to focus on your meaningful tasks, and instead will look …
There is a part of us, in all of us, that worries that we’re not good enough. Not good enough to succeed, to handle the chaos of life, to be loved. It’s the reason we get anxiety and stress — if we’re not good enough, what will happen when everything collapses and we can’t handle it? It’s the reason for social anxiety …