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I’m a perfectionist. Always have been. And sometimes it drives me crazy.
Like most ‘Type-A’ people, there isn’t enough time in the day to be a perfectionist about everything, so we often prioritize areas of our lives where our standards need to reach their highest, and those where we can ... Views: 866
Feng Shui is about so much more than the placement of things, decluttering and organizing. It is about being in control of your external and internal environments so you can create prosperity, well-being, peace and harmony. It is about living a lifestyle using positive energy in your ... Views: 1325
Most of us wear a kind of mask, a persona that hides our deepest thoughts and feelings, and presents a polished, controlled face to the world.
To be sure, a persona is a good thing to have. For example, meetings at work, holidays with the in-laws, or a first date are usually not the best time ... Views: 693
We hear that our thoughts are powerful in metaphysical, new-age circles these days. They have the power to shape the course of your life, determine your destiny, and even have obvious physical effects on your body. The quality of your thoughts can either make or break your life. It is ... Views: 1622
Mr. X’s life is filled with an incessant round of activities. He is constantly on the move. He is driven and he pushes the boundaries. He soars high in his career. He is sure he has it all - the trappings of wealth and success, accolades and a great lifestyle. What more could he possibly ask ... Views: 840
As I grew up, at home and school it felt dangerous to be myself - my whole self, including the parts that made mistakes, got rebellious and angry, goofed around too loudly, or were awkward and vulnerable.
Not dangers of violence, as many have faced, but risks of being punished in other ways, ... Views: 657
If you’ve been on this planet for more than a few years, you have probably wanted something with all your heart, mind, and soul, right?
Did you get it?
Why not?
According to the Law of Attraction, we get what we hold in our subconscious or what we put all our emotions into, whether that ... Views: 884
“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking.” ― Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910)
The Optimum ... Views: 1660
Hustling through an airport, I stopped to buy some water. At the shop's refrigerator, a man was bent over, loading bottles into it. I reached past him and pulled out one he'd put in. He looked up, stopped working, got a bottle from another shelf, and held it out to me, saying "This one is cold." ... Views: 792
When you're young, the territory of the psyche is like a vast estate, with rolling hills, forests and plains, swamps and meadows. So many things can be experienced, expressed, wanted, and loved.
But as life goes along, most people pull back from major parts of their psyche. Perhaps a swamp of ... Views: 899
We can only truly act in our self-interest when we are responding appropriately to objective truth, not belief. Belief has no boundaries, no limits, and is founded on hope. Truth is finite—with immoveable boundaries and absolute limits—and is founded on scientific fact. Those of us who assume ... Views: 922
The human body has about 100 trillion cells (plus another ten quadrillion microscopic critters hitching a ride, most of them beneficial or harmless). Each one of your cells has aims - goals, in a sense - controlled by its DNA: cells conduct processes aimed at particular functions, like building ... Views: 812
Many people suffer from low self-esteem, especially if they often compare themselves to celebrities that adorn the covers of magazines, wear perfect eyeglasses, and walk so elegantly on the catwalk.
You may never achieve celebrity status, but this does not mean you cannot look, and feel good; ... Views: 812
“Keep hope alive” is a slogan which was popularised by the American civil rights campaigner, Jesse Jackson, in a speech given 25 years ago. Since then, the electronica group, The Crystal Method, used it as the basis for a single on their album Vegas.
In short, the phrase connects with how we ... Views: 985
"Tell the truth." It's the foundation of science, ethics, and relationships.
But we have a brain that evolved to tell lies to help us survive. As I've written before, over several hundred million years our ancestors:
Had to avoid two kinds of mistakes: thinking there's a tiger in the ... Views: 887
By "war" I mean here a mindset, not combat between nations with tanks and bombs. The "war" I'm referring to is an attitude of conflict and animosity toward a person, object, or condition. Parents can feel at war with a misbehaving teenager, and certainly vice versa. Neighbors quarreling over a ... Views: 758
WORDS ARE WICKED
By
Bill Cottringer
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
For over 50-years now, I have worked in criminal justice as a law enforcement officer, prison warden and a security manager, and ... Views: 1106
Most of us were raised to always make sure we have (and wear) clean socks and underwear. As it turns out, there might be more to that advice than simple good hygiene. Recent research suggests that the quality of your clothing can have a direct effect upon your self perception and overall mental ... Views: 1716
One time I watched a three-year-old at her birthday party. Her friends were there from preschool, and she received lots of presents. The cake came out, she admired the pink frosting rose at its center, and everyone sang. One of the moms cut pieces and without thinking sliced right through the ... Views: 731
The Power of Awareness
By
Bill Cottringer
“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” ~Abraham Maslow.
Focusing on one thing in life being more important than any other is a common mistake we often make. This usually results in over-embracing a ... Views: 1200
You know how in every comment section online there’s always that one guy who’s bitchy and moany about whatever the subject matter? Yeah, don't be that guy.
Often, there’s more than one. (Lookin’ at you, YouTube!) And of course, girls do it too, but they tend to be more passive-aggressive, ... Views: 828
Do you understand the power of words? Words can be terribly effective weapons when used with malice.
I have a friend who was verbally abused while growing up. Today – at 47 – he still suffers the wounds from the words used on him by his mother. “You’re no good,” she told him. “You’ll never ... Views: 1005
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
A few days after working with an energy worker, I had a revelation: I understood that as a young child, I was captivated by people. I observed and empathized with them. It was natural for me to ... Views: 1089
Last week, Barry and I found ourselves at 10pm sitting at a special reserved table at “The Stud,” the 50-year-old first gay bar in San Francisco. First of all, there are a few things you should know about us. We are quiet country people who like to go to bed early. We never drive the ninety ... Views: 1104
We often see people running like crazy, putting all their efforts in getting into the best jobs they can, when all of their energy is inclined towards earning more and more grands. They think they will achieve their ultimate happiness once they are successful in attaining financial stability, ... Views: 796
In response to a previous JOT - Find Stillness - a wise therapist, Betsy Sansby, reminded me that sometimes a person just can't find any stillness anywhere. Maybe you have epilepsy or chronic pain, or are wildly worried about a child or other loved one, or have been rejected in love or had the ... Views: 777
Life on this planet is influenced by many factors. Human beings are primarily driven by their habitual neurology but they remain unaware of how they are captured by it. A release from that neurology can move us a great deal towards living vibrantly.
Releasing oneself from the conventional ... Views: 1171
Don’t you just love optimism? It’s the feeling that rejuvenates you after first feeling stuck in life.
We are naturally designed to be optimistic. However, being around pessimistic people can cause you to unlearn your natural desire to be optimistic.
When you choose to be optimistic ... Views: 999
Things keep changing. The clock ticks, the day unfolds, trees grow, leaves turn brown, hair turns gray, children grow up and leave home, attention skitters from this to that, the cookie is delicious but then it's all gone, you're mad about something for awhile and then get over it, consciousness ... Views: 689
didn’t understand why it always felt as though this debilitating mantle was restricting me. There was always something inside of me that looked at the way I would express myself to the world and compare and see others doing it naturally. If you have shyness you have most likely observed how some ... Views: 965
The way you react to a situation affects the outcome. Repeat this reaction again and again and eventually this creates a pattern for your whole life. Many people find themselves thinking about the worst case scenario for any situation they are in. As children we are taught to “expect the worst”. ... Views: 1018
Having a weak will is often considered “normal”. Strong-willed individuals are admired for their success. While those with little to no will power just assume willpower is something some people get and some don’t. This belief deters them from ever attempting to change, or find the source of ... Views: 1061
Do you spend your days feeling like you aren’t really living up to your potential? Are you frustrated by the feeling that the way you are today isn’t who you really are? Many people don’t realise it, but your Authentic Self can, and probably has, become buried over the years under old emotional ... Views: 816
Did you know that low self-esteem leaves you feeling like a second class citizen who must regularly submit their wishes to the whims of others? Can you relate to this? More importantly, did you know that low self-esteem is something that is actually programmed into you by negative memories of ... Views: 891
Do you ever feel like there is something, or perhaps ‘someone’ inside you that doesn’t have your best interests at heart? Do you ever get the feeling that this inner force is always two steps ahead of you trying to sabotage any attempts you try to make to improve your life? Do you feel like you ... Views: 920
Did you know the only reason most people live in scarcity is because they have been hypnotised into accepting a host of limiting beliefs around their ability to create the abundance they rightfully deserve? Did you know most of those beliefs are held outside of conscious awareness stored deep in ... Views: 950
Does procrastination rule your life? Does it feel like you sit helplessly on the sidelines of your life as you watch this uncontrollable force run it into the ground? Do you realise that means you:
a) have totally lost control over your life and therefore;
b) have no life?
Do you feel ... Views: 994
Did you know that the main reason one continues to feel like a failure after having endured a negative event is that they harbour the negative memory of that event within themselves? Did you know that memory serves as the solid evidence for the belief that they are a failure? Finally, did you ... Views: 821
Learning from your past experiences is great, but I’m sure you’ll agree that being stuck in the memories really isn’t. Are you constantly living in your past, and do you want to break out? If so, read on!
Do you continually find yourself rehashing past events, all the while wishing they could ... Views: 791
Did you know that procrastination is directed by negative beliefs and feelings such as the fear of disappointment, fear of failure, fear of taking responsibility for one’s own life, the need to remain dependent of one’s friends, parents, and loved ones, the fear of facing the world and becoming ... Views: 831
Did you know that it is not a coincidence that you attract situations that make you question if you should accept them? The man with kids, or the job with less pay, the unsavoury housemate, the woman who isn’t fully committed when you truly desire to be with someone who is.
Many people live ... Views: 822
Do you ever experience feelings of not being good enough? Do you feel that it’s normal to actually have the belief of not being good enough inside you, creating self-doubt? Do you feel like it’s normal that you have to be and do things in order to feel good within yourself? Do you find yourself ... Views: 822
Anxiety is largely the result of what I call ‘emotional landmines’ i.e. negatively charged memories stored in your unconscious mind and body that keep getting re-triggered by daily events. The triggering of these ‘landmines’ leads to anxiety and other painful emotional and physical experiences ... Views: 751
As you move through your life do you ever find yourself repeating or recreating situations that are less than desirable? For instance, do you find yourself caught in certain self-sabotaging or self-destructive habits that have taken control over your mind and life?
Do you feel sufficiently ... Views: 766
Self-esteem is a value that you unconsciously place upon yourself. It is based upon choices that you make throughout your life and you will find that it fluctuates. The main reason why psychology experts have failed to increase self-esteem through many different approaches is because self-esteem ... Views: 695
6 Ways to Be Happy At Home
“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labour tends.” – Samuel Johnson.
Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. It’s our comfortable refuge, the place we feel relieved when we walk through the door, it’s where ... Views: 997
If you are someone who is haunted by the fear of stepping up, or are unsure as to why fear motivates you to avoid doing the one thing you know you want to do – you are likely feeling helpless to understand why its hold on you is so strong. You may also be wondering why so called “experts” have ... Views: 644
Making someone happy isn’t really hard to do, and the payoff is that you boost your own mood by spreading happiness all around. You cause a ripple effect that affects the happiness of people you don’t even know and you may even become healthier through your random acts of kindness. So, what is ... Views: 984
People who seem overconfident or too interested in themselves are often called narcissistic. Narcissism is a thought and behaviour pattern that involves many negative elements including:
• Overconfidence
• Fascination with the self
• Excess ... Views: 1276
Are you one of the millions of people in the world who suffer from shyness? Would you like to develop confidence, and become the attractive and carefree person you really are inside? If so, this article is for you!
First, I want to address some of the most common myths about shyness. Many ... Views: 787