As far as I can tell there is only one truth. The one truth is that all meaning is made up. Religious ideas, political ideas, psychological models—all made up. Our brains are meaning making machines. Put an image in front of me and I’ll make meaning of it. I’ll interpret it based on what I […]
Tag Archives | Enlighten
Seeing Through Existential Anxiety
Have you ever noticed that even when things are going well, somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you may feel antsy or a little bit anxious? And other times, it may be much more pronounced. There’s a good chance that what you’re experiencing is existential anxiety—the angst that comes from being human, regardless of […]
Part 2: Trying To Be Present Creates Anxiety—Creating Presence Reduces Anxiety
So, you want to learn to be present—to live in the moment? There are times and places when this may be helpful, but in Part 2 of this article I want to point out that trying to be present may be contributing to your anxiety. Why? Because when we think about being in the moment—and […]
Wake Yourself Up — live on the wild side
“We use the word “wilderness,” but perhaps we mean wildness. Isn’t that why I’ve come here, to seek the wildness in myself and, in so doing, come on the wildness everywhere, because after all, I’m part of nature too.” Gretel Ehrlich Gretel was considering wildness while hiking in the wilderness, but as I read her […]
A Reason For Hope
Even in these challenging and divisive times, there is a reason for hope. That reason is that we all have access to the greatest capability ever created. Individually, we can use this capability to shape our lives. And when leaders use the same capability they can change the world. The capability is consciousness. People often […]
Stop Thinking and Be Present
I’ll keep this short because I don’t want you to think too much about what I’m sharing with you. That’s the point of this short article, to suggest you think less. I’ve been a therapist for twenty-five years, worked with hundreds of people, and seriously thought about life for fifty years. Only now do I […]
Is Your Compassion Conditional or Unconditional?
Are you a compassionate person? I suspect that most people will answer by saying things like, “most of the time,” or “generally, yes.” But I’m intentionally looking for a “yes” or a “no” answer. And although this may cause some people to squirm a little, there’s a reason I ask the question this way. We […]
The Answer To Life’s Problems
Are you ready for a New Year? How different will it be from last year? Will you be far less anxious? Will you have much greater clarity about your life purpose? Will you free yourself of your negative self-talk? Will you love your partner as well as you’d like to—or finally attract the kind of […]
The Invitation
The Invitation—by Oriah It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for […]
Growing Younger — What’s holding you back?
Or in Perception Language we might say: “Why hold yourself back from growing younger? “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.” Mary Lou Cook In the year 2000 I went to Japan with my husband, Jake. He was teaching in Tokyo again and I decided to go along […]