Our minds do not like change, this isn’t a new revelation. If we left all life decisions to our rational thinking we wouldn’t see much change or innovation in the world. According to famed physicist, Erwin Schrodinger, life is always in the process of seeking order found in the external environment. He believed that life is dependent upon the balance between efficiency of patterns and entropy (i.e., loss of pattern). Perhaps this is why our thinking becomes rigid and fearful of any change. Our … [Read more...]
How To Be A Compassionate Listener
Depending on your family or cultural norms, stuffing your emotions can be the proper way to behave; there might be great pressure to prevent you from allowing your emotions to flow. When you freeze your emotions long enough, it can be hard to get in touch with how you really feel, and this creates another set of challenges. Eventually, these emotions need to be released. Many times they can be out of proportion to what is occurring. If you notice yourself emotionally over-reacting to a … [Read more...]
Are You Aligned With Your Brilliance?
Do you feel like you’ve found your life’s calling and have been moving in that direction for a number of years? Are you passionate about what you do yet for some reason, you can’t seem to connect with the abundance you expected? Do you recognize your own mastery? If you’re unable to recognize your own unique gifts, your audience can’t either. This usually means you’re not aligned with your brilliance. This can be evident if you don’t believe you’re at the mastery level or even more common – you … [Read more...]
An Example of Power in a Culture of Force
In these modern times, we seem to be living in a culture of perpetual force. It’s a way of living that has become so prevalent that it just seems normal. We see numerous examples in business and our current political process. Force is a strategy that seeks a win/lose outcome. It’s expedient and usually backed up with the justification of “making the tough choices”. When one form of force doesn’t work, we escalate our tactics, creating another forceful reaction. Force commonly results in … [Read more...]
Human Nature vs. Grace
We spend the majority of our lives, eating, sleeping, releasing, and preparing to do it all again. These activities consume our days as they do all animals on our planet. At times, we get so caught up in these routines that we forget our unique ability to experience grace. We miss the beauty that’s all around, asking us to remember our choice between our animal nature and grace. This choice separates us from the animals and reminds us of our true human potential. Sometimes we come to this … [Read more...]
Win – Lose…Winning Formula?
In 2009, writer-director, Quentin Tarantino, released his long-awaited film titled, Inglourious Basterds. Mr. Tarantino took over ten years to complete his film and it was successfully received by selling over $314 million in sales worldwide. When asked at the Cannes Film Festival about the mis-spelling of his movie, Tarantino said, “I’m never going to explain that. When you do an artistic flourish like that, to describe it, to explain it, would just ... invalidate the whole stroke in the … [Read more...]
You Always Have A Choice
We all have times where our current situation isn’t pleasant and no longer seems to be working. This could be a job where there’s no life balance, a marriage dynamic, or your current financial situation. If you recognize situations in your life that don’t seem to be working anymore, remember you have a choice and can always choose something different. Find a new job, go to marriage counseling, or find a financial planning coach. Whatever the situation, you can choose differently. Changing … [Read more...]
Life Doesn’t Have To Be So Serious.
We all know people who see life from the perspective that their glass is always half-full and not half-empty. Their perspective defaults to an upbeat way of looking at life. Are you drawn to people like this or do you see it as a “Pollyanna” approach that’s annoying and not realistic? Your perspective will determine how joyful you are in life. You can choose to moan about reality or take the route Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) did in the classic film, Dumb and Dumber. It’s up to you. We … [Read more...]
Are Your Feeling Out of Control?
We all have periods in our lives where it feels like we’re emotionally out of control. It’s as if our emotions are running the show and others are responsible for how they play out. We’re simply at the mercy of our emotions. We are their victim. If you recognize this happening in your life, try grounding your emotions. Being accountable for your own emotional reactivity is tricky business. What do you do when the emotions just seem to overwhelm you and you don’t want to be reactive? You … [Read more...]
Are Your Emotions Frozen?
Emotional reactivity in our selves and those around us has a cost. It limits our abilities to choose differently. When you begin making your needs a priority, this change can create reactivity in others. You’re no longer predictable emotionally and your new inner strength can be unsettling. When we are anxious about how others will react,we don’t pursue our needs because we’re afraid of getting their reactivity thrown at us. It’s just easier to keep pleasing others. This is especially true … [Read more...]