Confidence: Belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities. I’d say that confidence is the ability to be yourself. That’s easier said than done. We’ve all been there. A situation arises and your self-confidence goes out the window. It can look like: Can’t say no Can’t say yes Can’t make a decision Can’t control your temper Anxiety/Panic Attacks Second guessing oneself Replaying a social interaction over and over Can’t stand up for yourself Can’t take a risk So Where Did it Go? Part of the reason people are so confused about confidence is that there is a misguided view of what...
Read MoreMy horse Hermano died on March 2nd, 2012. Here are the 3 most important things he taught me: 1) The most healing thing you can offer another being is your complete attention and presence. 2) Health is unique to each being. There is no one size fits all approach. 3) When there is suffering, stay present. Even if it means standing, walking, and hopping on a broken leg. To read the entire article, click...
Read More“You have to feel to heal.” ~ Julia Butterfly Hill Most of us have bought into the notion that it’s not ok to cry, especially in front of other people. In reality there are social, emotional, and physical benefits to allowing ourselves to cry when we need to. To read the entire article, click...
Read MoreThrough the practice of mediation, we are able to create a gap between our thoughts and our behavior. By staying present in the energy in the body instead of getting wrapped up in our thinking, we can create choice about our behavior. This is the story of my own experience of getting bit by a cat. I couldn’t believe it. “We were supposed to be friends,” I thought, and to my horror, my next thought was, “Kick it!” To read the full article, click here....
Read MoreParenting. It’s hard. Every holiday season I’m struck by the whole “naughty or nice” syndrome that takes over our culture. In this article I explore the idea of parenting without punishment or reward, and explain why I think the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon is harmful to the self esteem of children. To read the whole article, click here....
Read MoreOne of the hardest things for people to hear is, “If you are not compassionate with yourself, your ability to be compassionate with others is limited.” I get it! I didn’t like hearing it either. Why? Because it means the jig is up. So What’s the Jig? The jig is that we have all this compassion for the pain of others, when in reality, we don’t. At least not in the true sense of the word. (For more information on what compassion is, read my article, “Compassion Confusion”). Not having compassion for ourselves is a way of avoiding our own pain. It is also aggressive. If we cannot fully be present with (feel) our own pain,...
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