Guest Blog: You Love Your BFF   Make Sure You Don't Let Them Forget It

Guest Blog: You Love Your BFF    Make Sure You Don't Let Them Forget It

Your best friend is there for you through thick and thin. Whether you regularly talk about how much you appreciate each other, or you have a more strong-and-silent sort of friendship, you know that your life is better because your best friend is in it. It's easy to take the people we love for granted, and letting then know how glad you are to have them in your life is a great way to celebrate the special bond that you have. Let's take a look at some fun ways to celebrate the joy of having a best friend in your life, and letting your partner in crime know how much they mean to you.

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9 Paths to Inner Peace in the time of Covid-19

9 Paths to Inner Peace in the time of Covid-19

The word pandemic is a scary word. You are in shock. You never dreamed this would happen. You, along with the rest of the world, are living in strange times. Coronavirus is impacting the whole world.

You are anxious about the health of yourself, your family, colleagues and community. You are also worried if you are going to have enough money to survive. You are disturbed by a massive decline in the stock market, reducing your retirement savings.

Living in the time of Covid-19 is hard. The good news is a great time to learn about yourself.

This worldwide event has the potential to bring our families, communities, countries and the whole world together. It is time to let go of our conflicts and come together as one people. What are the signs that you are seeing and experiencing?

The Enneagram, a map for personal growth, can help us all to find inner peace in the time of Covid-19.

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Enneagram Type Two: The Helper

Enneagram Type Two: The Helper

The Enneagram and You

You are amazing! You are unique! There is no one exactly like you! You are entirely, you!

You are given in the first few months of life, one of nine ways to survive in the world. Your personality type is critical for your survival. Your ego helps you to see yourself as separate and distinct from the people around you, even your parents.

Your ego gives you a framework to make sense of the world and keep you safe. The trouble begins when we come of age and don’t realize how much your fear of doing something new limits your freedom.

Each personality type is no better or worse than others. They are just different. Your type shows you where you are already stuck. Working with this fantastic tool helps you to escape the limitations of your personality, helping you to become stronger in all nine types.

In this series of articles, I am going to take you on a journey through the nine Enneagram types. Remember, you have all nine types within you. To learn more about how your Enneagram Type Impacts what you observe and see in yourself: Click Here

Enneagram Type Two: The Helper

At Your Best:

You are a loving, compassionate person. You are sensitive, optimistic, helpful, romantic, supportive, energetic and emotionally expressive.

You get great satisfaction from helping friends, family and acquaintances. Your strong intuition helps you to know what others need. Your true nature is love, and you desire to serve.

While you are always there for the people in your life, you also take care of yourself.

You freely offer your time to serve others without any expectations of people returning the favour. You take no offence if people do not accept your offer to help.

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Nine Ways to Heal after the Death of a Loved One

Nine Ways to Heal after the Death of a Loved One

The death of a loved one, whether that be a family member or friend, is hard. The worst thing you can do is hold in your emotions. Holding in your feelings will only make you feel worse.

If you fear losing control, you are among many. You can only hold it together for a short time before you feel the strain.

Avoiding grief is destructive. It will make you sick. The longer you hold it in, the more it is going to hurt you.

Grief is a natural response to loss. If you are willing to take the journey through the intense emotions, you will find healing. Life will never return to the way it was before death, but you will find a new purpose to life.

Here are nine ways to heal after the death of a loved one:

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Nine Ways to Liberate your Inner Critic

Nine Ways to Liberate your Inner Critic

You have an inner critic, and it is never going to go away. The good news is that you can learn to quiet down this part of your self.

First, here is an introduction to the inner critic and the ego.

The inner critic is part of your ego. Your ego is there to help you differentiate yourself from others. It is the beginning of your growing self-awareness that separates you as a distinct person. Finding your own identity is essential for your survival.

Your inner critic wants to keep you safe. During your childhood years, It helps you to stay safe at a time in your life when you are vulnerable.

The trouble is that the inner critic tries to keep you safe by pressuring you to stay with the familiar. It will panic whenever you try something new.

When you become an adult, it is beneficial to notice when your inner critic is speaking. The voice of the inner critic is usually loud, impatient, abrasive and angry. The voice of your true self is typically gentle, persuasive and patient.

When you are aware that your inner critic is speaking, you then have the choice to ignore it and follow the voice of your true self. You have the option to invite your inner critic to help you be more constructive. You might ask it to let you know when you are getting stuck in fear.

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Why  Doubt is Good for You (And How it can Deepen Your Faith)

Why  Doubt is Good for You (And How it can Deepen Your Faith)

Dought:

Doubt is one of the most excellent tools available to you.  It is what your brain does well when given a chance. It is called critical thinking.

To doubt is to be uncertain of a belief or opinion. It is to suspend judgment to seek more opinions deliberately.

Think how much better the world could be if all of us practiced critical thinking before we made any decision for our family, workplace or religious community.

You already do this without realizing it.  Many of us, when making a big purchase, will learn about the different options. You will read up on any information you can find.

If you are new parents, you will read some of the latest books on parenting.  You will probably go in with some healthy skepticism until you find the author that speaks to you. 

Often if we think an offer feels like it is too good to be true, we will do further research, such as being in touch with the Better Business Bureau.

Can you imagine the world without the gift of doubt? Who would you choose to follow unquestionably? Who would you trust so much that you would do as told without question?

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  5 Ways to help express your desires (and Get) What You Want in Your Relationship ...

  5 Ways to help express your desires (and Get) What You Want in Your Relationship ...

Do you expect your partner to read your mind?  Even if they could read your mind, would you want them to read your thoughts?

Thank goodness, your partner can not read your mind.  It is up to you to let them know what you want.

You first will need to discern what you need in your relationship; then find the best way to communicate your desires.

An excellent way to learn what you desire in your relationship is to do some journaling and meditation.  If your partner is open, you could experiment with ideas you both have to see if these are activities you desire to do as a couple in the future.

Most of what a good relationship comes from both your willingness to bring out the best in each other. 

Here are five ways to help express your desires (and get) what you want in your relationship:

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Being a Better Human Being: Bringing out the best in each other at Christmas

Being a Better Human Being: Bringing out the best in each other at Christmas

Christmas can be stressful. The more stressed you become, the more miserable you get.  The more miserable you are, the less patient you are.

Ironically, Christmas is supposed to bring out the best in you, and yet sometimes it does the opposite.

Christmas celebrates the goodness of humankind.  It is a time to be generous, share your love, let go of resentments and give hope to the hopeless.

Do you put so many expectations on yourself? If you do, you are so busy; you have no time to quiet down and open yourself to the spirit?

To find joy again at Christmas, you first need to acknowledge how you feel about this time of year. If it brings you joy, you are on track. If it raises your blood pressure, it is time to make changes.

What are the essential qualities of Christmas for you? Here are some of the qualities that are important to me.  Check these out and see if they fit for you?

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Five Ways to connect with the spirit of Christmas without going to Church

Five Ways to connect with the spirit of Christmas without going to Church

Christmas is a busy time of year full of activities.  People judge you if you don’t seem happy.

You, among many, find it hard to slow down at this time of year. There is so much to prepare, people to entertain and perfect gifts to buy.

You feel pressure to make everything seem right for you and your family.  You want to make sure that everyone who comes to your home has a perfect time.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, you are among many.  But there is hope.

Christmas is really about the spirit of spreading, love, peace and justice around the world. It is about slowing down enough to listen to the spirit speaking in you.

This holiday season is about showing gratitude for all the people in your life and for the many blessings you enjoy.

Even for churchgoers, it can be tempting to miss church with all the pressures of Christmas.

For the many who have lost connection with Christianity, this time of year can feel empty. The good news is that it does not have to be so.

You are a spiritual being whether or not you go to church, mosque, temple, synagogue or any other place of worship.  You have worth just for being you.  

It is good to slow down to feel your connection to spirit.  Here are five ways to connect with the spirit of Christmas without going to church.

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Perfectionist and Christmas (How to Survive)

Perfectionist and Christmas (How to Survive)

Christmas is supposed to be a joyful, happy season. Yet for many of us, it can be challenging.

Do you find it like a command performance when you must pretend to be full of joy? When you feel forced to lie to people about how you think, it makes you even worse.

You are not always going to be happy when Christmas rolls around every year.

If you are a perfectionist, you can feel extreme pressure at this time of year to have everything “perfect” for your family and friends. You think you need to host the perfect party, give the ideal gift, prepare the perfect Christmas dinner and keep your house in immaculate condition.

Here are five ways for the perfectionist to survive Christmas:

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