06Mar 2014 by CJ

Don’t let your life be haunted by regrets

Life & Living
How much of your time do you spend helping yourself rather than helping others? Do you continually find excuses not to offer a sympathetic ear, a cure for loneliness or a temporary reprieve from life’s unending burdens? America is littered with skewed priorities. Money, popularity and material possessions seem to be more important than offering one of the greatest gifts you can give a person – the gift of your time. But time here on earth is not infinite, and at some point those we’ve essentially abandoned for our own self-serving behavior will be gone forever. The Dalai Lama once said, “We must each lead a way of life with self-awareness and compassion, to do as much as we can. Then, whatever happens we will have no regrets.” There are…
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03Mar 2014 by CJ

How you cope through life is what really matters

Life & Living
There are days when I’m brimming with confidence and personal strength – and others when I’m crippled by a lack of self-esteem and anxiety. There are days, when regardless of circumstance, I feel overwhelming joy and happiness – and others when the afflictions of life literally reduce me to tears. There are days when I feel surrounded by unconditional love and appreciation – and others when I long for the care of those who have passed on from this world. But then I’m reminded of a quote by pshycholigst and educator Virginia Satir which always seems to inspire me. “Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” Life will never be consistent. With every good…
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28Feb 2014 by CJ

Flexibility is truly the key to maintaining your sanity

Life & Living
I’ve always been a big fan of planning and organizing. I think A.A. Milne said it best: “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” Binders and tabs are my tools of choice in order to stay organized at work or at home. While I used to just dump everything into one folder, all that really did was contain the chaos, not make any sense out of it. I always think that planning is a way to keep you on track and give you something to look forward to. A way to manage your progress and make sure you’re hitting important milestones, so you’re not just spinning your wheels and accomplishing nothing. But one thing that always…
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24Feb 2014 by CJ

Why do we hold on to the pain?

Life & Living
Life is funny – the more space you have, the more things you collect. I’ve noticed this lately in my own home, where some early spring cleaning has revealed that while I need things to be organized, I also have difficultly letting things go. I wouldn’t classify myself as a pack rat necessarily, but when it comes to paperwork… well let’s just say I’ve cut down my share of the forest. But what alarmed me most while going through a few folders buried in a desk drawer were its contents. While there were many wonderfully positive things I still find worth saving, there were also a sprinkling of negative things I’d chosen to save for some reason. Personal and professional correspondents that were littered with defamation and even hatred and…
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17Feb 2014 by CJ

We all deserve to speak highly of ourselves

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
If somebody said to you… “Look how fat you are.” “You haven’t a thing to offer a new employer.” “You’re so dumb you’ll probably say the wrong thing.” You’d be highly insulted – and rightfully so. You might point out their rude behavior – maybe even say how inappropriate their comments were. At the very least, you’d expect an apology for these actions, right? But what if it’s not another person saying those things…what if it’s YOU! Far too often that’s exactly how we talk to ourselves. Some call this “negative self-talk” - and I’m just as guilty as anyone. This inner critic isn’t something we’re born with - it’s developed from our day to day environments. Maybe it’s the sting from the bully on the playground, a domineering relationship…
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