Banishing Boredom
Last night, I went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant with my friend Tracey. She started telling me about her colleagues at work, then her voice suddenly trailed off. “You were saying something about your clients…?” I encouraged her. “I got bored with my story,” she replied, going back to her masala. I […]
Marble and Mantras: Lessons from Mexico
Last month, I lived in Mexico. The last time I visited Central America, I went as a backpacker, staying in barebones hostels and interacting with low-income, indigenous families. This time, I lived with an upper class, Spanish-descent family, studied at a private language school, and taught at a well-funded university. Wanting to stay in […]
My Spacesuit Hurts
One of my favorite quotes is, “We are not humans having a spiritual experience; we are spirits having a human experience.” From this view, we are just visitors on Planet Earth, here to learn life lessons so that we may progress as spirits. In order to survive in this earthly environment, we’ve each borrowed a “spacesuit” […]
Don’t Forget to Party
This may seem like a silly reminder, but you’d be surprised how often we forget to celebrate. So caught up in achieving our tasks and goals, we check one off the list, then rush ahead to complete the next. All too often, we forget to pause, pat ourselves on the back, and rejoice. I myself […]
Happiness on Hold
“Please hold. A happiness representative will be with you shortly.” Why do so many of us put our happiness on hold? How many times have I heard friends and relatives who hate their jobs say, “It’s only for another 2 more years, 5 more years, 10 more years…?” So many people I’ve talked to who […]
Get Real
Why is it so hard for us to tell people our real feelings? Whether we’re in a work setting, personal relationship, or family scenario, why are we so hesitant to be honest in the moment to someone’s face? Are we afraid to hurt their feelings, afraid of confrontation, not sure what to say, or afraid […]