Seeking peace of mind is not peaceful – in fact, if we truly want it, we must be prepared to get disturbed. Peace is only possible when we face our demons – the flaws in our character, the anxieties we live with, the self-destructive behaviors we’ve come to rely on. Ready to get disturbed? Ironically, [...]

Self-love – treating the self with care and respect – is one sure-fire way to improve serenity and peace of mind. But any time we move toward self-care, we must watch out for that enemy of serenity – self-hate. Not only that, we face a cultural paradigm that values self-sacrifice and caretaking of others. Taking care of [...]

“Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.” —Jawaharlal Nehru The journey from insanity to serenity is often long and [...]

mis·take –noun 1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc. There is no such thing as a mistake. If someone had told me that years ago, I would not have believed it. Then, I thought nearly everything I did and said was just wrong. I made [...]

Special Notice: This post was originally published  in The Infopreneur. Since it is no longer available there, I republish it here for your reading enjoyment. denial [dinī′əl] Etymology: L, denegare, to negate 1. refusal or restriction of something requested, claimed, or needed, often causing physical or emotional deficiency. 2. an unconscious defense mechanism in which emotional [...]

Special Notice: This post was originally published  in December 2010 at The Daily Brainstorm, a blogazine compiling the best blog posts on topics including personal growth, simplicity, health, cooking, science and medicine, art, productivity, fitness, blogging, travel, and more. Since the blog archives only the current year, this post on relationships is not available at the site. I republish [...]

This week I’ve come across several inspiring ideas that have fueled the inner fire. It’s the last week of unofficial summer with Labor Day just ahead, and time for the school year and the season to pick up speed. In honor of the day we celebrate work by resting, I thought I’d pause…and share some [...]

Putting ourselves first is the best thing we can do to help others. Wait you say, isn’t that just selfishness? It certainly seems to run counter to what we learn growing up. We’re taught to think of others, consider their feelings, and take care of them, while simultaneously discouraged from doing the same for ourselves. [...]

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 [...]