Change and challenge
-
How to fix things
“Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” ~Maya Angelou This is the time of year when I focus intently on fixing things I don’t like about myself, or things that aren’t working in my life. Self-improvement, after all, usually involves effort as well as introspection. But when something is broken beyond repair, or a bad situation is totally out of my control, the best thing I can do is adjust my attitude. I can change how many calories I consume in a day, for instance, but I can’t change…
-
Who’s the boss of you?
“I need to take an emotional breath, step back, and remind myself who’s actually in charge of my life.” ~Judith M. Knowlton This month, you’ll find plenty of articles on how to break bad habits and establish new routines. One feature I read defined a bad habit as anything that harms us (and others), negatively impacts our relationships, or steals the time we could be spending more constructively. Habits get tricky when there’s a fine line between what’s good and bad for us. My coffee addiction has several health benefits, according to medical research, but a third or fourth cup pushes my anxiety over the edge and isn’t good for…
-
The space between
“Wisdom means to choose now what will make sense later. I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be, to inspire me and not terrify me.” ~Tracee Ellis Ross So, the holidays are over, the Christmas elves are packed away, and our social schedule is winding down. For those who prefer a jam-packed calendar with no blank spaces, January is a month-long letdown. Like a heavy snowfall, the silence that blankets us after the holidays forces us to be still and let life unfold at a slower pace. Today’s quote embraces the value of patience — not easy to practice…
-
Happy New Year!
“No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book. That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this book is newly opened, has just begun. Look, it is the first page — and it is a beautiful one!” – C. JoyBell C. I love fresh starts, don’t you? Last year, I faced, reconsidered, challenged, or changed some things that I’d been putting off or neglecting for a while — including health issues, relationships, and even my attitude. I still have more work to do, of course, but I’m feeling excited about the possibilities ahead and…
-
Facing down fear
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt This week, I finally tackled a fear that’s been eroding my peace of mind for way too long. In the fall of 2019, I had an unusual experience involving a medical test that nearly put me in a coma, then left me with a wicked case of post traumatic stress. Most of my doctors advised against…
