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It’s a day for lovers. It’s a day of flowers, candy, romantic dinners and steamy evenings! But, what if you don’t have a Valentine? Then what? Read the rest of this entry ?
Archive for the ‘Personal Growth’ Category
Forgiveness: A One Time Deal?
February 6, 2012
Forgiveness & Rememberance (Photo credit: alex drennan)
I’ve been trying to write this particular blog for several months now, because it’s a topic that has been on my mind for a while: Is forgiveness a onetime deal? If I’ve forgiven the person involved in the wrong, shouldn’t I be able to just “let it go” and not think about it again? Once forgiven, it’s done, it’s over, there’s nothing else to process about it, right? Read the rest of this entry ?
A Bird’s Life
February 2, 2012The other night as I left the building and entered the parking garage, there was a young man standing next to a parked car just three spaces down from my car. He immediately asked me which car was mine, freaking me out just a little. I stopped moving, staying closer to the building than to him or my car and took in the situation: Read the rest of this entry ?
Practicing Mindful Eating
January 28, 2012
I am in Washington DC attending the Center for Mind Body Medicine’s Advanced Training. I realized yesterday at lunch that I desire to practice mindful eating more often. The realization came to me as we were beginning lunch when the facilitator invited us to offer gratitude for the meal we were about to eat, and I had already gobbled down half my plate. I wondered in that moment why in the world I eat so fast. It has been a way of life for me as long as I remember, and I don’t enjoy almost always being the first one finished with a meal. Read the rest of this entry ?
Pay Attention to Your Words
January 21, 2012
I attended an interesting workshop at the Baton Rouge Unity Church a few weeks ago about Effective Communication facilitated by Charles Frost. I was surprised to learn about his belief that “Why” may be the most damaging word in the English language. Charles explained that the word “Why” often puts people on the defensive because of negative experiences they had as children. For example, they may have been asked “why did you do that?” Or they may have received responses to “why” questions like “because I said so.” He suggested replacing “Why” with “How is it possible”. Read the rest of this entry ?
Heeding Your Body’s Signals
January 12, 2012As I sit here at my desk, I can hear the whoosh of cars driving by on the main road outside my door. It’s been raining, so, the sound is louder, and it’s carrying better because it’s night time. I’m pretty tired, because I’ve been working hard on a project for work that has to be completed tomorrow and presented. But more than anything, Read the rest of this entry ?
Celebrate and When You Cannot, Appreciate
January 11, 2012
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“Celebrate!” is our theme for these first months of 2012. In Louisiana, we celebrate food and music with various festivals all year and we like to parade on holidays. Just a few days ago I thought I would be celebrating my college football team’s championship victory but I am not. LSU did not win the BCS Championship game on Monday night. No parade or rally to attend, just feeling disappointed immediately after.
I, like many fellow fans, have focused on what went wrong in the game and the sad feeling of defeat. For awhile, I lost sight of the fact that LSU went undefeated until this championship game and is 13-1 for the season. I forgot this year’s football team is being called one of LSU’s best teams in history and is expected to be even better next year. I was letting this one game take away what there is to appreciate until someone pointed out that LSU beat 7 of the teams who celebrated victories in college bowl games this season, including the University of Alabama team we met again for this game. LSU played in the championship game and is ranked #2, which is something we don’t see every year.
Motivation and Follow-Through
January 6, 2012
Photo by Lisa Mayers Houff
Paths clear for those who know where they’re going and are determined to get there. ― Anonymous
Seeing this quote at the beginning of 2012 is just what I needed to remind me that when I’ve been passionate about what I want and focus on it, the way has opened. Lately I’ve been spinning my wheels on a few goals and this made me step back and review my stumbling. Am I going for what I really want? If so, am I determined in my actions?
As I pondered my motivation, I came across this blog post by Peter Bregman at HBR: “Your Problem Isn’t Motivation.” Aha! The challenge isn’t motivation, it’s follow-through, Bregman points out. Read the rest of this entry ?
Musing on a New Year: 2012
January 1, 2012
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2012 is here. It came with fanfare and parties. But now it’s here with us, and unlike a party guest, it’s not going away for a year.
In my neck of the woods, it’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, it’s a tad windy, but the temperature is in the mid-fifties. Lots of folks are out and about. I’ve been watching them come and go from my spot at my local Star Bucks bar. They are chipper, and giving “Happy New Year!” salutations. The roads are also busy with cars, as people are moving about and getting on with their lives.
So, I can’t help but think about the doomsday predictions for this year, given Read the rest of this entry ?
Treasure Your Desires into the New Year
December 31, 2011
As 2012 dawns, I wish for everyone to experience more abundance, peace, love, and joy every day. I hope prosperity and peace increase for you individually, collectively through your communities, and around the world. I desire for us all to contribute more and more to making the world a better place by first creating our own inner peace, which will flow outward to everyone around us.
I was intrigued to recently learn two variations of the new year’s practice of releasing those things you desire to let go of and choosing what to bring forward into the new year. The details are different, but each variation focuses on identifying what’s working and what’s not working in your life so you can consciously create a new year filled with more joy. I prefer this practice to simply making resolutions because I believe letting go creates the space for new possibilities and opportunities, and focusing on our intentions is the first step to bringing what we desire into our lives. Read the rest of this entry ?
