Through the attribute of forgiveness, it is not a matter of trying to be forgiving as a way of fast-tracking healing relief. Rather, you become so objectively aware of pain that it opens up the remembrance that everyone deserves to be liberated from the plight of human suffering.
From the heart of compassion, the more we acknowledge what we don’t know, the fewer conclusions we draw about others as a space to project our unprocessed pain.
Next time you are “mindlessly” taking a shower, washing dishes or driving, ask yourself: What are you thinking? Are you grinding old thoughts, or contemplating your life in new rewarding productive ways?
There are countless books and blogs that outline the path to success. Yet, the internal work required to turn success and happiness into a packaged deal is under-acknowledged.
I wrote the following poem about four years ago to help me stop worrying about what my neighbors/friends/relatives/dentist or other writers thought about my writing style and ability.
What I wish I could have told myself when I was hopeless about my writing prospects is that I should have defined artistic success in ways that weren’t shaped by forces beyond my control.
Self-care isn’t a goal you strive for. And it’s not about becoming YOU Version 2.0. It’s about meeting yourself where you are with a soft and open heart. It’s believing “my ordinary self is enough.” It’s feeling safe enough to show up in the world 100% you and inherently giving others permission to do the same.
Growing up, our overachiever family placed a high value on competency. Often that translated into a critical mindset toward self and others, where we frequently saw the bad before the good.
I seem to have one of those faces that invites all manner of advice from strangers. Some of it is well meaning. But most of it feels like an aggressive judgment of my entire being, a kind of property assessment.
Stress can interfere with cognition, focus, problem-solving, memory and mood. When we reach the point of complete overwhelm we need to pause, breathe, get out of our heads and re-set.
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