Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. 

We suffer in the denial of what is.  We attempt to change it, deny it, suppress it, hide it, ignore it, numb it – anything to avoid feeling discomfort. We crave pleasure and have an aversion to discomfort.  Our ‘doing’ is almost always an attempt to move away from pain and toward comfort.  We rarely are stillContinue reading “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. “

Who am I? (part 2)

The persona. The mask we wear. The character we choose to become to play our role in the particular drama we found ourselves in. A role given to us and created by us so we could fit in, belong, be accepted, so we could survive. We couldn’t survive alone. We needed to be in relationshipContinue reading “Who am I? (part 2)”

Redefining Strength

I recently read a beautiful chapter from Branden Collinsworth’s upcoming book, The Love That You Are. The chapter, titled A Man’s Worth, is a rich exploration of the achiever, the performer, the competitor, the warrior -identities that exist in all of us, regardless of gender. It speaks to those who have ever felt they had to prove their worth,Continue reading “Redefining Strength”

What happens if ‘the fear’ is the best thing about me?

One of the things I have found useful is the exploration of my own sense of fear, not the fear that prevents me doing myself harm but the fear that is a source of my own internal narrative. What I wanted to find out is whether the old stories and the habits they create continueContinue reading “What happens if ‘the fear’ is the best thing about me?”

What happens when you run out of excuses?

“I don’t have the time” has always been a useful excuse for me. I’ve used it all sorts of circumstances and it’s almost a get out of jail free card that isn’t challenged all that often. The lockdown has really exposed how weak it is. I’ve an abundance of time but there are still thingsContinue reading “What happens when you run out of excuses?”