As we go through life, we pick up mental and emotional wounds.  Some of them are big, and some are small, but everyone has received some at one point or another. The nasty thing about emotional and mental wounds  (consolidated to just emotional for this article) is that we have a natural tendency to keep them from healing completely.  This leaves a constant drain on our mental and emotional resources. It's somewhat like an improperly [...]

Have you ever had one of those times when it seemed like your entire life was in flux, where almost nothing seemed to be stable, something to hold onto while everything else shifts?  It's relatively common to have had that experience, although not everyone is required to go through it. So… why do I bring this up?  Well, you might say it has a little personal relevance for me right now.  My employer is currently [...]

Many people live their entire lives drowning in doubt and fear.  Almost everything they do is motivated by trying to avoid something bad, not pursuing something good.  This leads them to look at everything through a negative lens, which in turn causes them to live lives far below their potential, both potential for success (by whatever their definition) and for happiness. This is not something that anyone has to accept, though changing can be very [...]

We all have a natural tendency to start losing our focus as the day drags on, especially when we're working on something other than what we really want to be doing.  It becomes harder and harder to pay attention to what you're doing… your mind starts to wander and pretty soon you're working at a fraction of your peak efficiency.  Sometimes you may even become annoyed at yourself for it, but that doesn't really help, [...]

What is the real you?  What is it that makes up the true you, what belongs to you and only you?  What do you get when you see past the surface, past the anger and fear, "love" and betrayal, hurt, pain, and even agony?  The real you… the deep you, the you that is beyond what the surface you can even imagine. When you are born, you have no concept of your "self".  As you [...]

The world around us is filled with beauty.  There is some way to look at anything around you and see beauty in it.  Take, for example, the picture above… it's a photograph of an ordinary tree with a few small flowers around its base.  You could easily pass by and not even notice it consciously… it is very ordinary.  Looked at from the right angle, though, it can produce a very interesting picture. Life is [...]

If someone asked you what the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word “peace” is, would your response be “quiet”?  If it is, and you were asked to come up with a mental “image” of that, what would you come up with?  For me, the picture above almost perfectly captures the mental feeling that the phrase “peace and quiet” conjures up. When you think of peace and quiet, the quiet you [...]

Do you have bad dreams, whether nightmares of being chased or just those really intense, weird dreams that leave you more drained than before you went to sleep?  There's a really simple process that, when done regularly, will very nearly eradicate such dreams, leaving you sleeping like a baby. As you probably already know, dreams are generally related in some way to events that happened or things you thought about during the day.  While your [...]

Are you distracted all the time?  Do you have trouble focusing on what you're doing? Well, it's your own fault, but there is something you can do about it. First of all, let's get what distractions are out of the way.  Distractions are when something comes to your attention that draws your focus away from whatever it was that you were doing.   This breaks your concentration, and can throw off your rhythm, making it [...]

Does your mind keep going off on its own, thinking about things that have nothing to do with the task at hand? Do you have trouble coming up with solutions to difficult problems? Do you feel stressed out and overwhelmed? If you follow the steps outlined below, you can overcome these problems. Step One – Early Morning Quiet Every morning, after you are up and have gotten ready, but before you start working, take a [...]