Being Less than Perfect is Perfect!

This week, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to practice better habits with my eating. I am probably getting this “opportunity” to practice because I am blogging about mindfulness this month. Thich Nhat Hanh says that if you ask for more patience, God does not grant you patience but circumstances for you to learn more patience. To me it feels like walking through mud with loose shoes on, but I think he’s right!

Zeitgeists

There is little doubt that we live in interesting and many would say, troubled, times. Across the globe we’re seeing more terrorist attacks, or at least more reported ones, spanning a spectrum of isolated individuals with mental health issues to highly planned attack by an extremist group. Then we have the Americans nominating Donald Trump as a presidential candidate and the British voting to leave the EU: neither of which were in any way predicted 12 months ago. What’s going on! Are these developments, puzzling and worrying to many, a sign of some underlying trend, a Zeitgeist?

Designing a Future Marked by High Self-Esteem

Studies show that more than 85% of the world’s population suffers from some degree of
diminished self-worth. For most people who lack a positive self-image, the future looks like a mere extension of their troubled past. Their expectation of what is to be is consistent with what has been — with a slight and predictable level of improvement. Because of their lacking self-esteem, most are resigned to a life that lacks the excitement and passion that characterizes the lives of those who feel worthy of tapping into the best things life has to offer.

How to Complete Your Past and move on?

Does the following scenario remind you of anyone?
Sue was totally in love with Jim. The couple met in high school and dated for
eight years. Everyone who knew them expected them to get married and live happily ever
after together. Then Jim met Karen. Before anyone knew what was happening – including
Sue – Jim had eloped with Karen, putting an end to all of Sue's dreams and expectations.
Sue was devastated. All she could think about was Jim and how she had been cheated out
of a happy and secure lifetime with him.

Why it is important to Communicate Authentically?

You maximize your personal power when you exude an energy of authenticity. When
you not only speak from the heart but walk your talk, others get the real you. Living
authentically comes from closing the gap between who you are, what you do and
what you want others to get about you. Authenticity results when who you are being equals what
you are speaking. In contrast, when you project a facade that differs from what you think and
who you really are inside, others sense the disparity.

Are Your Teens Addicted to Anger?

A recent Harvard Medical School study found that nearly 8% of adolescents experienced bouts of extreme anger sufficient to be diagnosed as “intermittent explosive disorder” – a form of mental llness. My only surprise is that the number was not higher. Over the past 20 plus years during my work as a self-esteem elevation coach, I have witnessed a growing addiction on the part of the majority of people to three primary emotions: anger, sadness, and fear. Although all people display all three of these emotions at times during upsetting situations, I’ve observed that adolescent males are addicted most to anger.

Are You Addicted to Sadness?

In the United States alone, it is estimated that 18.8 million people suffer from a depressive disorder
in any given year. That translates into nearly 10% of the US population. Worldwide, that number
is estimated at more than 120 million.

Are You Acting from Gratitude, Love, and Trust Or Doubt and Fear?

As human beings, we operate daily reflecting a wide range of emotions with a multitude
of motivations fueling our behaviors. All too often, we react emotionally to what others
say or do. If our reactions are preceded by the emotions of fear, anger, or sadness, we
forfeit our ability to act with personal power and effectiveness in lieu of a knee-jerk
response. This reaction is all too often sourced in fear and low self-esteem. We may focus
on what’s wrong with us and our lives, fear being controlled, hurt, or taken advantage of.

Beyond Peace

I woke up this morning feeling uneasy, which is strange as I went to bed feeling peaceful. I’d had a good day and been able to resolve a couple of issues that had been bugging me. But this morning that good feeling had evaporated . . . as a deeper sense of uncertainty began to surface. In today’s world, it seems, there’s always something to unsettle us.

beautiful-bad-hair-day jessica-uys

How to Feel Beautiful When You’re Having a Bad Hair Day

As women, we want to feel beautiful. Period. I still find this annoying. I still feel enraged by what I see as media-driven insecurity that makes women undermine their real power. Women tend to focus way too much on the value they add by being appealing to the eye. Women still feel that their worth diminishes in direct proportion to their age.