Wanzology

How did you develop your individual sense of 'self'?  What kind of shirt do you like to wear? What style of shoes? Pants? Coats?? Did you have the same journey to 'self' that I did when it comes to style???

Mindfulness is a meditation practice I've gotten interested in because of my fearful/avoidant attachment style.  The technique starts with focusing one's attention on the breath and how it interacts with the body.  This engages the frontal cortex and gets a person out of their 'lizard brain'. Wanna know the difference between a reaction and a response?  Check this episode out.

Remember, you have been through a lot to make it to where you are, that's your 'evidence'!!

...and you may ask yourself, "How did I get here? And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway lead to?".  Everyone has a story, why don't more people share their story???

"...and the wisdom to know the difference.". This last line of the serenity prayer is what I call 'the catch'.  Everything in life has a 'catch'.  In this episode, I question is 'we' can always tell the difference between what going to 'happen', what is 'happening' and what has 'happened'.

Do you  know what you 'spiritual condition' is or how to maintain it?  You'd be surprised how simple yet, how difficult, it can be to keep your spirit 'upright'.

I learned something interesting from those who supported the No Kings Protests and those who didn't. I was taken by a single question, is there a difference between a person and a human?  What do you think?

My favorite line from my favorite movie "Shawshank Redemption" is, "Hope.  Hope is a good thing.  Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Where would we be without hope?  Let's consider a few things...

A different take on the concept of wasting time.  Even if it feels like you're not doing anything or you're lamenting in your head what you COULD have been doing, do you feel you've wasted time?  I think not.

I came across a video on YouTube outlining steps to recondition the body to feel positively about what used to be a negative experience. Feelings are connected to our body which is primarily run by our subconscious.  If you had a bad experience with a parent around learning how to drive, you may be tentative to teach your child how to drive because you feel 'some sorta way' about it.

All of us have an inner critic.  That voice that causes us to doubt, to not take chances, even when we know we can be successful. Here's a personal story of how I overcame my inner critic.

Knowing where you are in a given process is important information to have.  Why? When one knows where they are in any given process, one knows how far they've come, as well as how far they have to go. Stopping to evaluate where you are is always good.

"Trust the process" people say...well, what does that mean?  Which process?  Who's process?  Let's find out.

I have found that I am today triggered by people, places, things and situations that frustrate me.  That frustration is perceived as anger. Mindfulness and Self Awareness are, hopefully, my pathway back to self regulation, better communication of my needs and less crappy behavior in relationships.

Like a caterpillar that creates a cocoon around itself and after a while emerges as a beautiful butterfly, we humans are also in some state of 'becoming' whatever we decide is next for us. 

Healing takes time.  Time takes time.  I found a two-step process that helps me heal...as long as I'm paying attention.

How do you know you're being your authentic self and not being misperceived by you or someone else? Let's explore.

What is 'right sized' you ask?  Let's find out...

Making it through the holidays is not easy sometimes, especially when two people have differing perspectives on what they mean to each other as well as how they treat each other.  Check out the story of a friend of mine who made a disappointing discovery.

Where is the 'real' spirit of Christmas?  You think you already know?  Let's compare and see!

"Tis the season to be jolly!" or is it?? Here are a few suggestions to keep from goin nuts during the holiday season!!

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You're always a day away!"  That kind of optimism isn't for everyone, but it could be, if one knows how to change one's perception of present circumstances.  Do you know how?

Have you ever gotten tired of trying to accomplish a task and just want to give up?  Failure Fatigue is a real thing!!!

Sometimes, its easy to forget what's really important, so don't.  No matter how bad or good things get, be thankful. Some folks don't make it as far as you have, and if they have, they may or may not have what you have.  Simply being 'here' is the blessing, so give thanks that you're here.

Control is a test. It's a test of how you manage ‘your-self’. (two words), in a circumstance you don't control in order to regain control over the one thing you have control over and that is, you!!

Folks sometimes talk about 'goin through it'. That 'it' is usually adversity.  When life becomes more challenging that it seems it should be?  I work a three-step process to get through adversity.  Let's see how close your process is to mine!!

In 2019, I had the opportunity to meet and sing a little with Kamala Harris!!! She returned back to Seattle on her book tour, and here's what happened.

How long is too long to keep trying to accomplish something?  Do you know when to say 'when'? I had that struggle one day and came to accept a certain conclusion. I needed to surrender.

Anything and everything that has a beginning and an end is a process.  Some are small and insignificant, others are large and consequential. We humans are always going through one process or another and sometimes many at one time.  It was advised that I try to determine where I am in any given process.  Can you identify what processes you're in or have just begun or ended???

Time is the most valuable thing any of us have.  You can't replace it and nobody knows how much they have left.  When's the last time you considered how you spend your time?

If you're feelin a bit run down, a bit defeated, this episode uses a Tom Petty song to show a possible way out of it.

Some days, we can feel like we can't go on, like the currents in life are just too strong to swim against.  I know you're tired.  You've come so far though.

When your mind won't stop spinning, like a blender making a smoothie.  Take the lid off and you'll see a hole in the center and all of the other ingredients are whizzin' around and around.  Wanna stop your inner 'blender'?

The death of Charlie Kirk has exposed something in this country. Something, it seems, many have forgotten.  We may have to go back to our past in order to be reminded of the best way to get to our future.

Are you living to work, or working to live?  How can you tell the difference?  For me, a new job started an amazing list of events leading to one of the biggest phases of my life!! If it can happen to me, well......

Sometimes, finding the motivation to do what's needed or should be done is difficult to muster up.  Just a suggestion, do it anyway.  ESPECIALLY when it's something you don't want to do, do it anyway.

I've always thought being grateful and being thankful were one and the same.  I was wrong...

Sometimes, ya just gotta laugh at the situation you're in, with no real explanation or reason.

The game of golf can teach a person a lot about themselves. To develop consistency in one's swing is not unlike developing consistency in one's life. With golf, the idea is to complete a course with the lowest amount of swings or strokes.  In life, the goal is to complete a measure of time with the least amount of mistakes.

Life can be confusing.  Have you ever been in a mental space where you have so many things you could do, but you can't decide which thing to do?  Maybe start with something small...

Never forget...as bad as things can be, they could always be worse...

Making mistakes is totally human.  What happens after you make a mistake?  Let's look into that and see what's possible.

How does one actually 'know' they are sure of something? We tend to more often than not, make our best educated guess, why is that?  How do you become 'sure' of something?

Do you have a group or clique you hang out with? A gaming group, book club, perhaps?  If you don't have a 'tribe' you hang with, why don't you? 

What is independence? Because we can be reliant on so many things, and we should be reliant on some things, but there are other things that we should be independent of. There are some people we should be independent of.

Who is that one person you feel you can tell everything to?  Don't have someone like that?  Why not???

After attending a celebration of life for an old friend, I started thinking of life as a race that he had completed.  Then I started thinking about the different 'things' I did in a day.  I considered each to be its own race.  What happened next?

There's a lot going on in America right now.  There may come a time where you may face a 'flip of a coin' moment and you'll have to choose heads, or tails.  Are you ready?

Fear Of Missing Out is a 'thing'.  With the vacation season going into high gear, social media is going to be 'bizzy' showing you in far off places, smiling from ear to ear.  It seems simple to remind yourself of how unique you are, but sometimes, that doesn't work.

News Flash!!! Reality is life, life is circumstantial and circumstances are one of the most important things we all experience.  Doesn't it always seem like everyone has solved all the life mysteries you seem to never get?  Be of good cheer!!! Those 'others' are most than likely only showing you what they 'think' you want to see. The reality is...