Personal growth
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The joys of reading
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ~Alan Bennett, The History Boys I’m a lucky reader with an active book club in my own neighborhood. Once a month, I get to walk down the street or around the corner to a friend’s home to discuss a novel or memoir that I might…
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What is success?
“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others; it’s about how it feels to you.” ~Michelle Obama What does it mean to be successful? In our culture, we often define success in terms of money, power, or outstanding achievement. And if we spend time on social media, we might compare ourselves to others and wonder if we fall short. We might begin to doubt the success we’ve already earned. Even if we’re relatively happy or content, we wonder if we’ve achieved “enough.” Today’s quote reminds us that true success is measured individually, by our own standards. Your idea of a successful life might look different from someone else’s. Maybe…
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Living off-line
“When I grow up, I’m gonna look up from my phone and see my life.” ~Phoebe Bridgers I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day holiday. Three sunny months of summer stretch ahead of us, giving us the perfect opportunity to set aside our phones and laptops while we gather with friends and experience the beauty of the world outside. A growing body of research shows that being more connected online is actually making us lonelier — despite all those Facebook friends and Instagram followers. For instance, the American Medical Association examined several studies on internet use and psychological well-being. Overall, increased internet use was associated with “a decline…
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Taking action
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie often wrote about turning our anxiety into fuel for success. He understood that our problems and worries always loom larger when we’ve got too much idle time on our hands. Productivity moves us out of the shadows of rumination. Once we tackle an issue head on, it becomes less intimidating — even if we start with small steps toward resolution. What plan of action will you start today? ~CL Miss any posts this week? Check out the…
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Be kind to yourself
“I dreamed I called you on the telephone to say: Be kinder to yourself.” ~Adrienne Rich, poet and essayist In her hit song, “Harshest Critic,” Allison Ponthier asks: “Why is ‘being good to myself’ for someone else?” and “Who’s the harshest critic in the room?” I think we all know the answer. Most of us are incredibly hard on ourselves. On one hand, constructive self-criticism can be helpful at times. We can learn from our mistakes or oversights when we’re willing to admit them and repair the damages. We can grow and bloom from the soil of what went wrong. But if we get stuck in the traps of perfectionism…
