Category: Life & Living

“Jealousy is vengeful – not to its target, but to ourselves.” – Terri Guillemets Combatting jealously is never easy. After all, it’s a natural human emotion felt by all of us at some point during the course of our lives. As human beings, we’re jealous of all kinds of things: relationships, fame, physical appearance, material possessions – the list is truly endless. My propensity towards having a low self-esteem, has often made me a jealous individual. To provide your life with relevance, you believe that having the “things” that others possess will somehow change the way you perceive yourself. Maybe that works for some people, but it doesn’t work for me – not in the long run. Over the years I’ve done an admirable job combatting jealousy with the realization…

“The goal isn’t to get rid of all your negative thoughts and feelings; that’s impossible. The goal is to change your response to them.”  - marcandangel.com For those who possess a natural tendency for optimism during adversity, for positivity during times of struggle, for courage when faced with unforeseen circumstances - I applaud you. If I’ve read one study I’ve read hundreds proclaiming that some people are simply chemically wired that way. In a sense, it’s part of their overall personality – an energy which effortlessly flows throughout their body and is almost as basic to them as breathing. I’m NOT one of those people. While I’m certainly not at the far end of the spectrum, I have a propensity to focus on what’s going wrong, rather than seeing everything…

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.” - Benjamin Franklin On my morning commute to work, I often find myself stuck at the same red light as I exit the highway. On the right-hand corner resides a local Ford dealership, with a digital billboard streaming car specials, and of all things, inspirational messages which seem to change weekly. During this particular week the message read, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” I appreciated the simplicity of this message, and the profoundness five little words could possess. The sights and sounds of the season serve as a personal reminder that life is not static. If nothing changes, then our lives would never change as the years seem to race on by like an out of control locomotive. Admittedly, some of those changes are beyond…

“Don’t ever lose hope because better days will come.” - Ana Monnar It was probably the first full week of November when I began noticing Christmas lights strewn across trees, shrubs and rooflines – proudly illuminated before the Thanksgiving turkey makes its debut. While retailers began installing their Christmas displays back in late September, this was by far the earliest I’d witnessed homeowners, from various neighborhoods, decking the halls before Black Friday. At first, I was annoyed by the complete disregard for the celebration of Thanksgiving. While I recognize the motivation of retailers, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could enjoy their Thanksgiving feast with a Christmas tree shining brightly in the front window. It wasn’t until I was driving home last night, mesmerized by Christmas lights sparkling…