Most people live the majority of their lives through ideas rather than direct experience. When I was younger, I had the idea that I liked camping. When I was a child, I did like camping so it gathers I did. However, as I grew older, some of the magic had worn off, only I hadn’t… CONTINUE
How Do You Find What You’re Looking For?
You come home from a long day, sit down on the couch and relax into some television. A couple of hours later, you realize you’ve misplaced your car keys. You assume they must be in the couch. You dig around beneath the cushions. You lift up the couch and poke your head underneath. Still no… CONTINUE
Are You Playing Whack-a-Mole with Your Life?
Most people are waiting on something. Better job, financial freedom, better relationship, improved health, completion of a stressful project. Maybe the thing you’re waiting on will happen, maybe not. But even when you do finally complete that stressful project, for instance, what then? Then something else comes up. It’s like the whack-a-mole game: smack down… CONTINUE
Overcoming the Monster Beneath Your Bed
As a child, were you ever trapped by a monster under your bed? Having a suspected bed monster presents an uncomfortable dilemma. On the one hand, you want to get away from the monster ASAP. At the same time, we all know what happens the minute you step out of bed to make your escape…. CONTINUE
Staying Centered – Nourish Your Center Through Awareness
Have you ever spent an afternoon having pleasant thoughts about someone, only to spend the evening having not-so-pleasant thoughts about that same person? Have you ever done a kind deed one day, only to follow up with a not-so-kind deed the next day? Of course you have. Inconsistency is part of being human. You are… CONTINUE
Suffering is Part of the Cycle of Life
Suffering is part of life’s soundtrack. When we suffer, we tend to see it as a sign of failure, but everyone experiences pain. Even the richest, most beautiful, most successful individuals cannot avoid suffering. Hence the media industry of celebrity scandals. Life is up, life is down. This is true regardless of your accomplishments, your… CONTINUE
How Life Experience is Your Fruit
“You will know a tree by its fruit” Jesus said that — but what does it mean? Think of a tree as a biological computer. Sunlight and rain are its main inputs. Over time, the tree processes these inputs through its roots, cells and leaves. Eventually, a fruit is outputted. You recognize a healthy apple tree because… CONTINUE
Chasing the Next Big Thing
by James Robbins, M.A., LPC Not getting what you want doesn’t make you happy. Obviously. But neither does getting what you want. It’s human nature to focus on the Next Big Thing. A wedding, a promotion, a cross-country move. You’re waiting for that thing to happen because then life will be better. And life probably… CONTINUE
Are Your Values Genuine?
by James Robbins, M.A., LPC What personal value is most important to you? Love, money, health, kindness, career, spirituality, honesty, family? Now consider this: Does your current life reflect this value? Do your daily behaviors, your daily thoughts and feelings, strongly align with this value? If you spend hours daily thinking about money, worrying… CONTINUE
What Are You Waiting For?
by James Robbins, M.A., LPC Are you waiting for your life to “kick in?” After the move, after you graduate, after the kids are out of school, after your credit cards are paid off . . . Thing is, no one ever reaches “after.” After is like a rainbow. Run toward it all you want,… CONTINUE