There are times in life that change us forever.
September 2022 was one of those for me, when I received the news that my best friend had been diagnosed with Stage 4 rectal cancer.
Warning: This blog deals with sensitive issues around death.
Death is something that, as a culture, we tend to run away from. That’s understandable. Part of being human is avoiding the things that cause us pain and distress. But sometimes, we need to head toward the pain.
Jon comes into my office, clearly frazzled.
“No one appreciates me. I do everything for everyone else and no one cares.”
There’s an angry tone to his voice.
Successful women often fall into one of two similar traps. But the good news is that you can get out of these traps. First, let’s take a look at them and how they work.
Are you still looking back at your past relationship?
You know how… when you can’t resist taking a quick look at your ex’s social media profile and see what they’re up to… how they’ve coped without you? … and you feel … well…. either happy for them because you’re doing just fine in your own life and you genuinely want them to succeed… or, let’s be honest .. jealous?
We all hear it all the time, you can do anything you set your mind to.
It is a good thing to believe, especially when you are young and your whole life lies ahead of you. But even young people know that not everyone is gifted at everything.
And some people are just not good at some things.
One of the greatest gifts you can give people you love is the presumption of innocence.
Years ago, I had a conflict with someone at a family gathering. Later as I reported the bad behavior to my husband, he replied: Did you ever consider she might be having a bad day?
There’s a certain type of client who comes to me with a very specific issue they wish to resolve.
Co-dependency.
The image these clients present to the world is a passive one, but that’s far from the truth. Their need to be less dependent is usually linked to just one person or one relationship but what surprises them is my response to their ‘problem’, which goes something like this:
“What I really want is for you to become dependent on way more people”.
This sounds at odds with our individualistic, egocentric culture but let’s take a walk back in time.
A few years ago I decided out of the blue while on vacation in Kauai that our whole family would attend an Ash Wednesday mass to mark the beginning of Lent. I knew it could go either way. These services rely on a priest who understands how to gently hold everything together which isn’t always the reality.
I’ve not written for a while. Like all of us trying to come up with different topics and angles for blog content, I’ve felt like I reached my limits for new ideas.
This week threw me for a loop though. A client who I’ve been working with for only a short time called to let me know how much the work we’ve been doing together has helped her. In my work I have to say that isn’t unusual to hear but I’ve seen a huge change in this particular client.
And this experience has finally inspired me to write again
