Having made a PACT to Practice Attitudes and Characteristics using serenity-building Techniques, let’s consider Characteristics. Previously on Insanely Serene we explored the personal traits that determine our ability to change ourselves, Do You Have What it Takes to Change? Check the 10 Personal Traits. These are important elements in creating peace of mind on a [...]

Last week we looked at attitudes (What’s in an Attitude? Only Peace of Mind) and how they affect peace of mind. Now let’s get down to brass tacks with practical examples in an area we all struggle with at different points – relationship conflict. Relationship conflict is certainly in the top 10 causes of stress [...]

Turkey isn’t the only thing to gobble today, and it’s not even the tastiest. As we celebrate the end of the fall and a bountiful harvest, the best thing on the menu is gratitude. It’s better than food for so many reasons: It’s an attitude anyone can choose at any time – no matter what’s [...]

When someone in your life has an addiction, the focus is usually on that person. Addictions take many forms, from substance abuse to workaholism and overeating, and the effects on that person are often very obvious. Chaos, conflict, lost jobs, unpaid bills, arrests, jail, hospitalization, institutionalization, even death. Less obvious are the effects on the [...]

For those of us who regularly beat ourselves up for our flaws, I have news: Hidden in every flaw is a precious gem – a piece of self-knowledge that can lead to transforming that apparent defect into a personal advantage Flaws are just aspects of our characters that have been exaggerated to help us cope [...]

In the same way a child may repeat a grade for lack of passing the courses, each of us is given the chance to learn our life lessons over and over again, until we have mastered the proffered knowledge. Until we learn our lessons, we are not maximizing our enjoyment of life. So listen up [...]

What? Someone doesn’t like me? ME? I’m so nice, I’m so sweet, I wouldn’t hurt a soul, everyone on earth should like meeeee! How can I survive in this world knowing someone does not like me?! Sounds a bit silly, but this is how many of us really think. I used to have a huge [...]

We are so good at lying to ourselves we don’t even know we’re doing it. The lies are as subtle as they are profound: I don’t deserve to be happy, suffering is my lot I’m not meant to be hugely successful Fading into the background is easier than developing my talents It’s better to be [...]

I’m pleased to bring you a guest post from Henri Junttila from the Wake Up Cloud. Henri writes about “life hacks for conscious people,” easy-to-absorb suggestions for clearing the obstacles from the life you truly want to live. In this article, he discusses the false promise of perfection. Having just touched on the subject myself [...]

Perhaps this is not the most profound subject for this series, but it’s close to my heart this week. I’m one of those lucky parents of school-age children who gets to share the carpool burden. It’s a double-edged sword, however; for the hours of driving saved, I get the company of two 15-year-olds (one boy, [...]