Category Archives: Young Men

Ten Choices That will Make you Happier

In the interest of brevity, I’ve created a “Top 10” list for your dose of personal growth for the week! Hope it grabs you. Accept what is. It’s here (a situation, a feeling, a loss or a gain), no matter how you feel about it. Leaning into it allows you to learn from it. Using […]

It’s Hard to do the Right Thing

There’s a phenomenon I’ve witnessed over the years as I’ve worked with families, and honestly, as I pay closer attention to myself: it’s not always easy to do right. I’m gonna get more specific and and talk about why it’s hard to do right in our relationships. While I think our innate goodness wants us […]

Unconditional Love

One of my favorite teachers says, “Love everybody and tell the truth.” Sometimes I think about the things we hold ourselves back from saying. Does pride ever keep you from telling someone how much you love them or how wonderful you think they are? Does anxiety ever keep you from sharing your concern for someone […]

The Power of Boundaries

Boundaries keep us connected to our true self and they allow us to know if we are safe in the presence of others. How does this work? In my experience, the way we often become aware is by how we feel when we’re not honoring our natural limits. When we’re unable to say no by […]

The Right Hand Doesn’t Discriminate Against the Left

The skeptical part of my brain sometimes wonders what these buddhist monks really know about relationships, seeing as how they’re living monastically and all. But then I stumble upon teachings (like I did this morning) that reach directly into my heart and remind me that we are all part of a tribe, we were all […]

How we Give in Relationships

Growing up, I’m sure I didn’t understand all that my parents sacrificed to give me the blessed life I had. I couldn’t be aware of the hours of sleep they gave up to care for me as a newborn, the way my mother’s body ceased being her own and became a vessel for my nourishment, […]

We are Loving Awareness

What draws me to buddhist philosophy is the belief that the nature of our souls is gentle.  When I held my nephew for the first time, what I knew about him beyond a doubt was that his nature was love. I continue to be reassured of this because each time I see him, I am […]

Relationships & Attachment

For those growing up with generational trauma, attachment can be a tricky thing. Insecure attachment develops when we don’t get our needs met early on in life. We develop attachment patterns that reflect anxiety or avoidance. In adults, anxious attachment shows up when we feel we aren’t getting our relationship needs met. We become easily […]

Looking Inward

If today you woke up and recognized your full worth, what would you do differently?  If you accepted that you have needs in your relationships, what would you ask for? If you could repair any hurt, what would it be? If you owned your strength, what would it tell you to let go of? If […]

What Wisdom Is

When my head puts a judgment on someone, something, or myself… I ask my heart what it has to say about that. The heart softens me up enough to hear the truth: to be more kind.   When my emotions feel like they are going to swallow me up… I ask my head what it […]