I have been forged in the fire of doubt, lies, and forgetfulness, and I am made of self-love. In addition to granting us the ability to be happier and make a greater positive impact in the world, self-love is an inoculation against some of the most challenging experiences in life. It is the armor of…
One key to being more empowered in our life is self-acceptance—truly embracing all of ourselves, both the good and the not-so-good. When we embrace all of who we are, when we\’re willing to move into a place of true acceptance, it eliminates a lot of confusion. It limits the other challenges that arise when we\’re…
Compassion, freedom, love, integrity, vulnerability, and happiness are built on the bedrock of our trust in ourselves. When we can look in the eyes of the person standing in front of the mirror and know that we are showing up to the truth of who we are, we have everything. Life’s betrayals do not just…
Often, when we think about trust, we think about whether or not the other person is trustworthy—whether or not they\’ve shown themselves to be someone who has a character worthy of our trust. Because of this, we go around evaluating people based on whether they meet our criteria; if they do, we trust them. It…
Authentic One characteristic of a trustworthy person is authenticity, which means being true to one’s personality, spirit, and character. When a person is authentic, you can feel it. They\’re telling you it as straight and directly as they can. This doesn\’t mean that their reality is the end-all, be-all reality, or that what is true…
While love is a magnificent gift that we can offer those around us, an even more poignant offering is the gift of our trust. Love can flow through us unabashed regardless of our wounding. Trust requires our effort. Most people have had their trust broken many times by the time that they reach adulthood. It…
Whether you are the person who has been hurt or you are the person who has broken trust, you very likely will want to do some repair work. Here are fourteen things that you can do to help rebuild trust with another person once it has been broken. 1. Take Responsibility: Regardless of which role…
Both self-care and pleasure begin with self-love. As we love ourselves more and more, it creates the conditions for pleasure, for our continued well-being, and for us to really care for ourselves. However, it\’s not necessarily a linear process wherein one thing creates the other. It\’s more of a cycle: This love creates the conditions…
When people think about self-care, they often imagine a list of things that they need to do for themselves. So, they check the boxes, making sure that they\’re exercising, drinking enough water, sleeping enough, eating the right food. All of these things belong to the basic category of self-care. If we are doing these things,…
Our pleasure shows us where we are in alignment. It is a natural built-in system that shows us what is right for us. However, not all experiences we might label as pleasurable are created equal. It is helpful to learn to differentiate between types of pleasure. For example, eating a piece of chocolate cake might…