Emotional Intelligence for Critical Thinkers
What do you do when you have to face a challenge that you believe you’re prepared for, but fail instead?
The feelings of failure can be debilitating, especially when you’ve spent a lot of time and energy working on self-improvement. It can feel like you’ve taken 10 steps backward. Learning comes with the challenge of applying what you’ve learned, so expect challenges to be just more than you think you’re prepared for.
When you have the tools, the challenge will come.
[Read more…]In part one of this special three-part article, I dive into the underlying currents of fear, anxiety, and discomfort that can shadow our everyday lives, influencing decisions and interactions, particularly with toxic individuals.
These choices, often made to avoid conflict, can lead to a cycle of unhappiness and fulfillment. I explore the concept of “taking the bullet”—making tough, pivotal decisions that can either perpetuate misery or halt it altogether.
In part two, I address the despair that comes from a life where everything seems to lead to more pain and toxicity, questioning what to do when all seems lost and when your past is marred by abuse and neglect. There is a way of rewriting your future, regardless of past hardships.
In part three, I talk about the importance of building trust in relationships. This journey involves making definitive choices and moving toward closure about things you feel like you can’t let go. Closure allows for a shift from a life of turmoil to one of peace and fulfillment.
[Read more…]Sexual and physical abuse survivors develop an abused mindset which they take into relationships. This mindset sets them up to be strung along and tolerate bad behavior. Often, former abuse victims end up with abusers in intimate relationships.
[Read more…]When is a bad thing a good thing? When is a good thing bad? How attached are you to outcomes? I share a quick Zen Buddhist parable that might make you think twice about the stressors in the world today, especially with the heated political climate and growing fears of what might happen next.
Not everything is as it appears.
[Read more…]Is love enough? Will it overcome anything that happens in your life?
Financial struggles, family problems, arguments, abuse, and more… will your faith in love be enough to get you through the tough times? I read a letter from a young man who wonders if love is enough to get through anything. To add a bit of challenge on top of that, what if that love is only one-sided?
Love is supporting the other person’s path and wanting them to be happy. When you start with that, it can blossom outward from there. If you start with anything less, you may not have room for anything more.
