Guilt often comes from expectations

Guilt is a feeling of culpability of being responsible or blameworthy for harm or error. Like fear, guilt can be healthy or unhealthy. We can be overly sensitive to other people’s expectations and feel guilty when we disappoint them; we can set unreasonable expectations on our self and feel guilty when we fall short; we…

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Wasting time, energy, and emotions on illusions causes discontent

Someone says or does something; suddenly a worrisome thought spawns in our mind. We unconsciously react, thus giving power to the false idea that this is a real problem. Thus starts the building crescendo of emotions and thoughts about the false problem. As we mature, we learn to pause and evaluate if we are facing…

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If nothing changes, NOTHING changes

If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting the same results (and keep feeling the way we’re feeling.) Burning our hand on a hot stove brings immediate changes so we don’t do it again; however, we may suffer emotional pain but continue to volunteer for the very acts that cause our misery.…

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Do you live in the “SOMEDAY ISLE”?

The Someday Isle is a little like Never-Never Land. Of course, adults don’t really believe in Peter Pan and Never-Never Land; however, many supposedly mature people spend a lot of time in The Someday Isle where they may join the chant that pervades the land.  “Someday Isle … Someday Isle… Someday Isle…” Someday I’ll quit…

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God's love heals our emotional wounds

God’s love naturally flows to our individual need, and there, like healing oil, supplies the exact agent required to heal the suffering. Sometimes the healing is a direct response but other times, we receive an option to see, think, and feel differently; we must choose to pursue that option to facilitate the healing. We find…

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A jar full of vinegar can’t hold honey

We cannot be loving and angry at the same time; we cannot be full of gratitude and also have guilt, anxiety, fear, or resentments. When these miserable feelings start bothering us, we focus on the positive things in our life. Write a gratitude list. This action changes our attitude quicker that a 1000 thoughts. The…

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It’s not any of your business what most people think of you

When another person judges or criticizes us, we should seek to understand their motives, values, and experience. We pay attention to those who love us, want the best for us, and share our goals and values. However, everyone is human. Their judgments reflect their life history, maturity, and how they feel about themselves in this…

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