Deciding to Be Human

There is a balance between deciding to be human and deciding to be spiritual. So much emphasis is put on following a spiritual path that sometimes a person can go overboard. I’m not talking about those over dramatic, hamming it up, spiritualists that put on a good show. I’m talking about going so deeply into the spiritual realms that we lose our connection to the human world.

Day after day of spiritual connection, ignoring your human side, can lead to detachment. While this is a goal of some, it comes at a price. I hear people speak of detachment and all the benefits of it, and I agree. However, there is a line that can be crossed where we lose the want and desire for human connection, emotion and adventure.

My Dog Was Dying

When my dog was dying I had a choice. I could tap into my intuition, check to see what was going to happen to her and then settle in to the comfort that if she dies it was meant to be. “Everything happens for a...

Making Choices

Following in someone’s footsteps is not a requirement, it’s a matter of making choices. To clarify, many of us unconsciously make the choice. We allow status quo, habits and cultural requirements to push us forward. For example, we listened to the teacher in grade school and we obeyed our parents when we were children. These patterns, many of which are necessary in our society, can turn into adult habits. Later in life we fall easily into staying at job we hate, letting a mean friend control us, or even continuing in a negative relationship we know is bad for us. Thus we follow in the footsteps of the people who came before us, letting our lives ride down the same road.

Take a Step Back

If possible, take a step back from these situations. Take an even bigger step back from the idea that you have no choice. The pattern in your mind, telling you that you are stuck and that this is just how it has to be, is a pattern that can be changed. For some people,...

Stress is Solvable in the Moment, Not in the Future

Above all please know that stress is solvable. At some point in your life you will feel overwhelmed, lost, and perhaps you will feel confused. When this happens, I tell people to start looking for solutions, to problem solve. And while this is helpful most of the time, occasionally it is best to not look for solutions. Sometimes it’s best to look for emptiness.

What Does it Mean to Be Overwhelmed?

Think of what being overwhelmed really is. It’s your mind focusing on all aspects of your life - past, present and future, all at the same time. Overwhelmed is a state of being, not a reality. It is a mental experience, but not a real experience. Thus, before you start overwhelming yourself with even more thoughts on how to fix the situation, perhaps it is best to step out of the situation. Breathe and notice that the world, and yourself, are perfect in this exact moment.

An amazing friend once introduced me to the idea that...

When the Future Doesn't Look So Bright

Everyone can recall a moment in their life where they felt the future doesn't look so bright. The crushing moment when you think the road ahead will be just as bleak as it is right now. That moment when you decide it won’t get better. We have all been there, if even for just a moment and in those moments there is despair.

Be in the Feelings

A wise man once told me it’s okay to have those feelings. It’s okay to be in them for the moment you are in them. But it’s not okay to live in them. I hold those words dear to my heart as they have helped me through a tremendous amount of turbulence in life. Those words have allowed me to have my disparaging moments, to explore them to their depths. Then to pick myself back up again to keep moving forward.

It’s those words that have made the moments of despair shorter and more navigable. They have given me the right to feel the lows so strongly that the highs have become...