choose your thoughts. change your life.
More than anything, most of us want to feel heard. We want to believe that the people in our lives are actually listening. We often think of people as either those who listen or those who don’t, but there are actually five levels of listening described by psychologist Dr. Elliott Rosenbaum. These go from the …
We are in the darkest time of the year. The sun sets earlier today than any other Friday this year. It’s cold and gloomy (at least where I live) and I don’t want to leave my home. So what exactly is darkness? I learned some fascinating things about darkness from my Jewish tradition that I …
Most people think that happiness is something that you get to feel when something good happens in your life. You buy the new outfit or car or dream house. You get the job or grade you wanted. You go on the vacation. Someone does something or says something kind. You make every green light. You …
It’s eleven at night on a Saturday. I’m in a hotel room by myself in Nashville, Tennessee where I flew for a medical conference. There are thousands of people at this conference, but I came alone without any family, friends, or even colleagues. It’s my first time in Nashville and I definitely feel the spirit …
Many of us are about to celebrate the classic American holiday of Thanksgiving today. It’s a day that brings people of different religions, creeds, genders and ages together to give thanks and share a meal. It’s a wonderful model for joy because as research has taught us, it’s not being joyful that makes us grateful, …
These eight words have dramatically changed how I see myself and the relationship I have with myself and others. Read them again. You are a soul. You have a body. What if this were true? Would it change anything for you? If you believed that you are a soul who wears their body as a …
Mistake #11: Thinking that your child is an extension of you (and Not Taking Up Your Rightful Space) This is the final parenting mistake I’m going to discuss in this series that I started a few weeks ago. There are many others, but I think this is a good place to stop and this particular …
Mistake #10: Spending Too Much Time In Guilt Most of us judge ourselves way too harshly. We do something that we regret and then we are ridden with guilt. We snapped or yelled too much or didn’t give enough attention to our child. We worked too much. We were unkind or unfair. We criticized or …
Mistake #9: Putting Too Much Pressure On Your Role You could be the absolute best mom. You could do all the right things. You could give your kids every advantage in life. But guess what?! They may still end up unhappy. They may not get into the school or job that they want. They may …
Mistake #8: Listening to others more than to your own wisdom When it comes to parenting, everyone has lots of opinions on just about everything. Advice starts coming even before you have the baby. There are ideas about when you should get pregnant. What you should or shouldn’t eat while pregnant. How active you should …