Happy 2019! Does it feel to you like spring should be around the corner now that you have fully indulged the winter holidays?
Alas, winter has only begun. In years past I’d forget this each January, which led to feeling disappointed and low when the holiday celebrations subsided and at least two more months of dark and cold days lay ahead.
Does it seem to you that old people care less about what people think of them? What freedom! What trust in one’s self! Who doesn’t want more of that!?!
Once upon a time, in a not so distant land, there was a strong and hardworking princess. People from all over the land counted on her to make the day-to-day minutia of the kingdom run smoothly and she was always willing to extend a generous hand to those in need. In her private moments, the princess spent minutes upon hours daydreaming about the adventures, projects, and contributions that made her heart thrill.
Last year my husband started an Executive MBA program. He goes to work in the day, studies most nights and is in class many weekends. This is a big departure from the routine we created in which we co-created our family time and shared household and parenting responsibilities.
Resilience is an up-and-coming buzz word in the world of personal growth and achievement. But the concept can get misconstrued to become a source of guilt and burden for those who already hold themselves to high standards of integrity and success.
As with most people, not all my emotions are equally welcome in my everyday life. I have done (and continue to do!) a lot of work in this arena, but the truth is that I grew up in a household more comfortable with anger than sadness, so it is on ongoing practice for me to affirm the power of vulnerability.
When is the last time you thought “I’ll be happier once I find the right job (or get the raise, find the partner, lose the pounds, launch the business, or finally go on vacation!)?
We all want to know what we’re good at. We want to know who we are and what our gifts are. And we want to know how to use our gifts in meaningful ways.
I have found, both for myself and my clients, that our greatest gifts and our greatest challenges are two sides of the same coin.
September is up and running (and almost over)! The new fall schedule is launched and a sense of meaningful productivity has replaced the spaciousness of summer.
But a harmonious and fulfilled life includes both spaciousness and meaningful productivity. If you are like me, sometimes the productivity leans towards robotic and your heart begins to feel stymied.
I’ve always been a goal person. When I was a younger adult my goals were big and splashy and included traveling to faraway lands for months at a time or pursuing adventuresome jobs and advanced degrees so I could be a part of big changes.
