Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Personal Development”
Have you ever experienced a time when you’ve been thinking about a friend, and then they call you “out of the blue?” Perhaps you find yourself somewhere you’ve never been before and realize that this location has been presented multiple times (e.g. you overheard it described; your best friend mentioned it; or perhaps you had a very detailed dream …
“Oh, you’re my best friend…” The lyrics of that song by Queen have been running through my mind lately. Which is a much better choice than what usually cycles and recycles through my monkey mind at times. I heard the song a few days ago, and it caused me to ponder: what if we truly were a best friend to …
Late spring is the time of graduation ceremonies. A time when people come together to acknowledge an important rite of passage. Moving across a platform to signify saying goodbye to one stage of life and hello to another. I like these ceremonies because they typically have speakers who offer sage advice and/or worthwhile questions to ponder. I happened across the …
He has a brain tumor!!! My first thought as I examined the lump behind his left ear. “Did you bump into anything? Hit your head on a cabinet door? Is it tender?” I peppered him with questions, trying to identify a logical explanation for the bulge. My husband had been experiencing sharp intermittent pains in his left ear for a …
We spend our days, walking on the beach, lazing about, reading, watching and listening to the ocean, snorkeling, and relaxing. Our one and only goal is to completely relax and enjoy our time together. One morning we take a new direction on our walk. We strolled past ancient fishing ponds and through an area filled with washed up pieces of …
Sitting side by side, breathing re-cycled air, traveling at 35,000 feet, we are beginning to nod off. We got up at 2:30 that morning to catch a dawn-o’clock flight. The noise cancelling earphones are dulling the sound of the engines. The video I selected for us has begun, and within minutes we both fall asleep. This is not a statement about the …
While reflecting on an experience a few days ago, a vision of a trout thrashing on a shiny metal hook popped into my head. I imagined she had been swimming along peacefully, when she spied something that looked familiar and reacted by snapping at it. She was hooked! What caused me to imagine a hooked trout? I was that trout. I …
Do you have an emotional vocabulary? Do you use a wide range of words to describe how you are feeling or do you rely on “fine” and “okay?” In our environment of rapid change and clipped conversations (verbal and through technology), most of us rely upon the expedient answer of “fine” when queried by someone, especially in a non-intimate environment …
I entered the garden through a metal gate within a gray concrete brick wall. Straight ahead was a walkway and a three-story chorten (stupa) that looked like a large white and gold vase. Instead of flowers, there was a pyramid-like pillar topped by a crescent moon and sun. Each tier was encompassed by a white wrought-iron fence that looked like …
Extroverts, Introverts, and the Brain’s Reward Center As an introvert, I’ve always been intrigued (and at times annoyed) by the ability/propensity of extroverts to talk as much as they do, especially about themselves. Before I really understood how extroverts were wired, I used to think they were unusually self-absorbed. However, it is just that extroverts process information more externally, while …
