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Exercising Your Psyche To Overcome Mental Hurdles

"If you hold back in hurdles, you are going to fall over." 

-Sally Pearson, Olympic athlete

Mental hurdles. Our journeys are full of hurdles. They stand there, taunting us, getting in the way, blocking us from achieving our goals. We shout at them to go away but there they are. Mental hurdles staring straight into our eyes and challenging us. 

Saudade: A Feeling Beyond Longing

Saudade. It is what I feel when the plane rises above the clouds and the destination below fades away from view. 
Saudade. It is what I feel at airports, watching people coming and going, into and out of loving embraces that remind me of those special people in my own heart from the past, present, and future to come. 

What, exactly does Saudade mean?

Dear Self: A Letter From The Future

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." -William Shakespeare

Have you ever felt like you're at the crossroads? On the cusp of adventure...as if there were multiple pathways before your feet, and you wanted to run forward but were strangely planted to the ground, not knowing which way to go? 

Live The Questions

"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer."

- William S. Burroughs

 

How does one achieve peace of mind? How does one quell constant inner chatter?

Your Story: In Only Six Words

What's your story in six words?

That's a story shorter than the 140-character Twitter limit!

In the spirit of conciseness, I'll keep this post short and sweet.

Do Easy: Easy Does It

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."- Confucius

As a Project Manager by profession, I am passionate about simplification, and streamlining manufacturing and business processes. In Lean Six Sigma training, we learned methodologies to eliminate waste and inefficiencies. Cutting hold times, getting rid of defects, reducing costs...SIMPLIFY. One could say that I am thus trained in keeping things simple--an Expert of Easy. 

Innocent Joy: Being a Child Again

 

Remember when we were kids, and the world was bright and full of hope?

When each day was a new adventure, and everything that we imagined (fire-breathing dragons, giant castles, space ships made of cardboard boxes, stuffed animals that came alive) was indeed our reality?

When we didn't have all these adult worries, and our responsibilities included: PLAY, finishing our snacks during snacktime, sharing toys, and finding the shovel in the sandbox? :)

When everything was possible? (and your inner critic didn't exist?)

Creating Healthy Boundaries

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others." -Brene Brown

I've recently had a big game-changing A-HA!!! *shiny light bulb over head* moment, where I realized that I need to become better at creating healthy personal boundaries. As a "Giver" (Myers-Briggs type ENFJ), I genuinely love to help people, and to make others happy. However, it's become evident that I also need to take care of my own needs too-- to give to myself as well. After all, I am responsible for my own happiness.

Desiderata: Peace With Yourself And Others



The theme of finding inner peace, and peace with others, has come up in multiple conversations with friends in the past week.

When attempting to find peace with myself, and with others, I return time and time again to the poem "Desiderata", by American writer and lawyer Max Ehrmann.  I hope that in sharing this poem with you, you may find peace too. 

Mercury Retrograde: Moving Backward To Move Forward

Sometimes you have to pull backward, in order to be propelled forward

Whether you believe in astrology or not, you may have heard the term "Mercury Retrograde" or "Mercury in Retrograde" mentioned.

It's recently gotten more attention in pop culture and social media. Perhaps you saw an Instagram post on it...or a funny meme posted on Facebook...or Ryan Seacrest's Tweet about it.

Vulnerability: Not a Weakness

Maybe it's the new rain. Maybe it's the new year. Whatever the reason, recently I've been thinking a lot about vulnerability. In particular, becoming more vulnerable again. 2014 was spent trying to find my true happiness, to become stronger than ever, and to be more self-confident. Mission accomplished! It was a pretty kick-ass year. However, somewhere in the journey to become a warrior, I also started to fiercely protect my heart and shield myself from pain. I became fearful of being "vulnerable and weak."

But now it's time to take down the walls. Because I'm learning that vulnerability isn't a weakness. It's a strength.

Cutting The Cord

Yesterday was my born day. I came into this world a few decades ago, umbilical cord cut upon emergence from my mother's womb.

While out celebrating another year of this wondrous life with the dearest of friends, my phone was stolen from my purse in the first hours of my birthday. At first I was shocked and sad. I felt violated. However, over the course of the next 24 hours, I came to realize that this was not truly a theft, but instead a gift in disguise.

How could this be a gift?

Beginnings: The Birth of a Blog

"Nourish beginnings, let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed."  - Muriel Rukeyser, "Elegy in Joy"

Beginnings--life is a series of beginnings. With an upcoming birthday, and the delight of growing another year wiser, I wanted to finally begin writing a blog that has been gestating in my brain for awhile now, and share it with the universe.