The First, Most Important, Guideline to Personal Freedom
The past several weeks I’ve been navigating a challenging and time consuming situation, known as an eviction. I’ve never been involved in this process before, and it’s been quite a learning experience. As my dear friend, Max Young, said to me this week (he owns three rental properties). “Business is business. Christmas is Christmas. And this […]
When A Train Goes Through A Tunnel, And It Gets Dark, What Do You Do?
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie Ten Boom When we are traveling through dark times, it requires that we have an internal mechanism that allows us to do so with minimal stress and […]
Joy Does Come In The Morning
At those times when you are feeling trapped, stuck, or caught in life’s circumstances, it is useful to remember that . . . . . . most butterflies emerge in the morning. The stage when the caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly is the Chrysalis Stage. During this evolution, the beautiful being that is becoming […]
What is Exhausting You?
“Incongruent living is exhausting.” Brene’ Brown We all have an idea about how we’d like to live ideally – how we’d like to show up – what quality of life we’d like to live. We’re drawn to harmony. It soothes and uplifts us. It helps us live well. We crave the flow and the ease. It feels […]
A String of Pearls That Will Change the Course of Your Life
“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” Christopher K. Germer Dr. Kristen Neff, a researcher and professor at the University of Texas studies how we cultivate self-compassion. She identifies three essential components necessary for this transformative process. They are . . . […]
Is Anticipating Blessing the Same As Magical Thinking?
“Giving thanks for unknown blessings already on their way”??? I must admit when I first read this quote, I felt a rather child-like excitement; something akin to anticipating the arrival of Santa’s reindeer on the roof. It felt good to believe something magical was in the wind. But then I felt a bit uneasy. Life’s […]
Who Sings While Scrubbing Toilets?????
This week I stepped into a restroom and heard singing. Yes, singing. It was the cleaning woman singing and humming a light-hearted melody, as she was scrubbing toilets and polishing tile. She was contentedly absorbed in the tasks at hand. A few hours later I went into the DMV to update my license plates, and the woman […]
A Surprising Coping Strategy
My dear cousin recently shared with me about some important changes in her life. While managing her own personal and professional responsibilities, she has become the primary caregiver for her mother as well as supporting a brother long distance recovering from a stroke. The demands for care and intervention are ever present and sometimes urgent. […]
Value of Friendship for Your Well-Being
Four months ago, I lost a dear friend. He succumbed to cancer after an aggressive battle. In our last conversation he said to me, “Susie, I’ve learned some amazing things on this journey. And I can tell you it’s all about love. It’s really ALL about love.” He is now free of pain. That is […]
Using Mistakes and Failure – Foundational to Success
If you’re not making mistakes or failing, then you’re living in a lukewarm comfort zone. It is impossible to be successful, creative, productive, or contributing without error or failure. I’ve never known a successful artist, athlete, chef, composer, scientist, engineer, designer, carpenter, salesperson, supervisor, or teacher that hasn’t tossed out numerous attempts until they got it “right”. […]
