Best of Ourselves

What bring joy into my days?  What energizes me?  A few tips on how to know what is life-affirming and how to choose it.

It is easiest to think there is a line: on my side are the good people and on the other side of the line are the bad ones.  However, the line is much more permeable than we would like to think.  Peer pressure, time pressure, tunnel vision are just a few of the ways we slip into duplicity or hurting others.  How do we look at ourselves with clear eyes and then learn to forgive.

What would you say if asked to deliver a "I have a dream speech..."  Day-dreaming and awake-dreams serve us.  Fallow time creates space for creativity and self-awareness. Awake-dreams helps us focus our energy on what matters most.

How do we move beyond name-calling and create space to understand each other?

August 4 is the International Day of Forgiveness.  Forgiveness is a great healer; it heals our hearts and it heals our communities.  How do we learn how to forgive a bit more?

Life can create stressful situations.  And sometimes we stress ourselves out unnecessarily.  Why do I stress myself out about tomorrow or yesterday? What does it take to manage optional stress?

There are many self-serving reasons to be generous: it improves your health, it builds relationships and it begets generosity in return.  How might I be a bit more generous in my life?

Affirmations don't work in every situation and there is a lot to be gained from cultivating positive thinking.

Research shows affirmations do not always work - what makes a difference?

What does it take to let my light shine a bit more often?  What are the ingredients that increase that possibility?