Awakening Pathways

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What path do you choose?

It human nature to seek vitality, challenge, growth, and happiness. It’s also human nature to have a shadow, and to want to hide from what hurts and scares us.

We can choose how to respond to what nature or karma gives us. Will we let the pain open our hearts? Will we let ourselves rejoice in the pleasure and beauty we find? Or will we harden our hearts and shrink from opportunities to grow?

I believe that each of us has the will and ability to grow and make meaning of our struggles. We all desire to be happy, joyous, and free.

I’ve created this site to offer encouragement and whatever wisdom I’ve gathered from my own journey to heal from a painful past, to become happy and keep my heart open, and to use my strengths and accept my weaknesses.

There are no quick fixes or magic strategies to transform suffering and create wellbeing. It’s a winding road of trial and error, but if you are dedicated the fruits are well worth it. I hope you find this site helpful—if nothing else, then as a reminder that you are not alone.

Working With Regret

Regret is one of the hardest emotions we can feel. It can be a relief to realize that regret is a secondary emotion, and by addressing the primary feelings regret can be released. The primary emotion in this case is grief. Grief occurs when … [Read More...]

Cultivating Self-Discipline is Best Done Gently

Self-discipline is tricky. In the movies, there is always a big motivating factor, and then a montage of activity toward a goal, and finally a triumphant success. In real life, it rarely works that way. We get the initial burst of energy. We … [Read More...]

Accepting Our Brokenness Helps Us Heal

One of the major tasks of healing is self-acceptance. While a lot can be gained by developing mindfulness and skillfulness, there is a fundamental peace and clarity that comes from accepting and meeting yourself where you are without judgment. We … [Read More...]

Healing Hyper-vigilance and Learning Peace

Those who grow up in an environment that is not safe (whether physically or emotionally) develop a heightened sense of threat. They learn to scan the environment for potential danger, and react defensively. As an adult, this can continue as a … [Read More...]

Book Review: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life

Like her earlier book Organizing from the Inside Out, Julie Morgenstern takes an inner approach to working with clutter. Instead of tough-love and admonitions that "less is more", she offers a rational approach that takes into account both our … [Read More...]