Being Pollyanna – How To Be A Balanced Human

We may meet that occasional human being with that Pollyanna attitude, always positive; always looking on the bright side; always pouring light and love over any dark or dire situation; but Pollyanna is not whole. Pollyanna is missing half of who she is. But is there a negative side to positive thinking Unfortunately this is what some personal development paths are encouraging – being ‘positive’ pretty much all of the…

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Are You Chasing Self-Esteem?

For the longest time I believed that to have high self-esteem was a worthy goal to aim for. I didn’t even realise I had this goal until recently. Practising mindfulness led me into a less goal/future orientated approach to living and a more ‘present moment’ experience. Little did I know, lingering in the back of my mind, was the desire to not have low self-esteem and this automatically created the…

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Jealousy – How To Use It As A Motivational Tool

Jealousy, a feeling many people experience, is something that can cause a depressive mood, anger, rage and sometimes numbness. I was a very jealous person, and I still have my moments. My jealousy was not so much in romantic relationships, but more an intense jealousy of people ‘appearing’ to do far better than me in life. My list of jealousy moments included: Jealousy of friends and family succeeding professionally and…

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Top 10 Tips on Setting Boundaries

  1. Start to see your ‘No’s as an affirmative ‘Yes’ to your life! Every time you allow someone to cross a personal boundary you are giving them permission to keep on doing ‘whatever’ they are doing and saying to yourself that you do not deserve better. 2. Remember you are not being mean to anyone by setting boundaries. When you don’t set boundaries you are being mean to yourself…

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Rosacea and Shame

As a teenager I had quite bad acne, but rosacea did not come until my late twenties after my father died. I know that many people try to treat rosacea with a chemical or cream-based approach, and I did the same for some time so desperate was I to be rid of this condition. Alas nothing worked consistently until I realised that rosacea is not simply a ‘one-size fits all’…

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How To Embrace Uncertainty

Life is one big uncertainty. No-one can go through life without experiencing uncertainty. From life changes like jobs ending, to people dying, to relationships changing, to the general uncertainty of not knowing what direction to take in life, being human comes with the experience of uncertainty. Now the difference between those who embrace it and those that don’t, shows in the coping mechanisms of those who are unwilling to embrace…

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What Is Genuine Happiness?

Something dawned on me last night, one of those questioning thoughts I often have and it was: “Have I ever met anyone in my life who is truly happy?” (adults not including babies). And I realised that there was only one person. And I asked my best friend Mike if he had ever met anyone genuinely happy and he is in his late 70’s and he said no. I was…

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The Reality Of Hope – Living For The Future

In all my experiences and journey through the subject of mindfulness and Advaita, I naively thought I could keep HOPE. I realised how conditioned I was to hope. I have hoped all my life; I was hoping more than I was aware of until now. I thought if I just stopped trying to mistakenly ‘create my reality’, that I was fully present, in the now. I was wrong. HOPE was…

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Embracing Insecurity: Finding True Security in an Uncertain World

In our quest for security, we often find ourselves entangled in a paradox. Despite our diligent efforts to safeguard our lives with insurance policies, pension plans, and various safety nets, we continue to grapple with an underlying sense of insecurity. The events of September 11th starkly reminded us of this fundamental truth, shattering the illusion of invulnerability that many of us in the Western world had unknowingly embraced. Prior to…

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