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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
10Feb 2014 by CJ

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be celebrated only once a year

Love & Relationships
Today I made plans for my wife and I to see a dear friend of ours this coming Friday. She reminded me it was “v-day” as she put in her text, and admittedly at first I had no idea what she was talking about. V-day could mean the global movement to end violence against women, or the political campaign organized by Beppe Grillo in Italy years ago. But the “v-day” she was referring to was Valentine’s Day – the supposed day of love. Anyone who knows me is well aware that my wife and I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. While many will spend far too much money trying to convince their significant other how their love can be measure in overpriced dinners, flowers and gifts, we refuse to adopt…
Read More