How to Stop the Pain

By Kayla Albert Published in clarity, happiness

Photo of Gala Darling by Made U Look Photography

Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances. ~Wayne Dyer

I’ve spent the last week brooding over unexpected events that have transpired in my work and personal life, holing myself up in a darkened room contemplating all of the dire consequences these events will have on my present and future.

The same thoughts have been turning somersaults in my mind for hours on end, disrupting my sleep and pushing me to lash out when it’s entirely unnecessary and, sometimes, inappropriate.

In truth, I took situations that were completely neutral and transformed them in my mind to represent all kinds of gloom and doom. I’m beginning to see this as something I’m ridiculously good at–something I know that I need to change.

8 Lessons on Love

Guest post by Sandy Weis Published in happiness, relationships

Keep your heart open for as long as you can, as wide as you can, for others and especially for yourself. ~Morrie Schwartz

I distinctly remember the time I first thought about love.

I was 5 years old. It was a bright, sunny day outside and my mother told me that she and Dad no longer loved each other; and that they wouldn’t be living together anymore. My little 5-year old world was rocked.

I remember trying to take it all in—to process it all as fast as a 5-year old brain could. Thoughts rushed through my mind one after the other. I would no longer be living with one of them and seeing them everyday.

5 Lessons From a Tragedy

By Kayla Albert Published in clarity, Gratitude

The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it. ~Helen Keller

My beautiful state, the one I’ve called home for all of my life, is burning.

Wildfires have swept through some of the most picturesque corners of Colorado, forcing thousands to take stock of their belongings, grab what matters most and flee their homes.

The destruction is heartbreaking and the enormous mass of land that’s been destroyed ensures that each person in this state is affected in some way.

My Proudest Achievement

By Tina Su Published in clarity, updates

This is kind of an embarrassing story …

Last year, I wrote a book.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. For anyone who has attempted to write a book (or even a Blog post), you can likely relate. The emotional resistance and fear of failure is so great, it can paralyze you into taking no action.

I wrote about this experience here: Fear and How to Beat It

Anyway, so everyday I forced myself to sit down at 6am, and to not get up until I had 1000 words or more written down. The writing each day wasn’t always great, in fact most of it wasn’t good and had to be removed during editing.

How to Find Motivation

By Kayla Albert Published in happiness, motivation

Always concentrate on how far you’ve come, rather than how far you have left to go. ~Unknown

The first time I attempted running as a form of exercise, I huffed and puffed my way out of my apartment complex, made it approximately one block and stopped out of fear that my heart would beat out of my chest and my lungs would explode. I promptly turned around hoping that no one noticed how out of breath I actually was.

A few years later, despite the memories I harbored of previous failed attempts, I tried it again. This time I made the not-so-smart decision to run in 100+ degree heat. I made it approximately half a mile before my head started spinning and my vision blurred.

Even after that incident, I was still inexplicably drawn to the sport of running and the breed of people who become dedicated runners.