“Framework – an essential supporting structure of a building, vehicle, or object” In my case I would change the word “object” in the above definition to “my life” (e.g., Framework – “an essential supporting structure for my life”). This post is about three frameworks I use to provide a structure to giving my life meaning […]

For years I have heard others suggest meditation as a tool for personal growth, self-discovery, enlightenment. For years I have ignored this topic. I felt that I was doing an adequate job managing my life, my challenges, along with my personal growth. So what changed? What prompted me to look into meditation and what I have learned and applied so far? Is there value to meditation? If so, what and how? This is the focus of this post, a sort of, “meditation for those who have ignored this topic.”

What if we were able to change the way we see others? What impact would this have on our relationships, colleagues, connections? Consider the following framework from Ram Dass.

One of the challenges I often hear from our elders relates to the feeling of loneliness. Loneliness is not only a condition of the elderly, but of anyone at any age. Although there are many steps we can take to help deal with loneliness, this post focuses on understanding the root cause so that we can increase our happiness quotient which is the antidote for feeling all alone.

There are multiple levels or layers to self. The outermost layer is what we are most aware of. This is what we know about ourselves, or typically this is limited to what we see. Similar to the analogy of an iceberg (see image), we are conscious (portion of iceberg above the water), of only about 10% of who and what we really are. What lies beneath the surface represents our subconscious, or largely unaware of, which represents our beliefs, values, biases, prejudices, etc. This accounts for 90% of self, which is largely hidden from us, and requires a conscious effort to learn about our hidden self. It is what lies beneath the surface, our subconscious, that plays a major role in our behaviors and consequences. Hence the value of self-discovery is to undertand this connection so that we can change our unhealthy patterns, negative consequences, into more healthy beliefs and positive consequences. We are the cause of our own unhappiness which is so difficult to initially grasp!

Although turning 65 is just a number it was the psychological impact that “hit me like a Mack truck” (slang that shows my age). It represents entering the “home stretch” in life, asking a whole new set of questions, and confronting your mortality.

Personal Growth is to clean out our own house before we can begin to instruct others to clean their house. We all have personal issues, behaviors, and unhealthy beliefs that result in negative consequences in our life and an overall unhappiness. The focus in this stage is to; 1) learn how to go within to identify the root cause of our unhappiness, 2) heal our past, 3) develop our self-esteem and healthy core beliefs, 4) develop a new sense of courage and excitement about our life. These are the basis for learning how to take charge of our life and make more positive choices so that we go from victim to victor! Personal growth creates our sails so that can go from feeling stuck to moving forward with our life.

There are those who aspire to take charge of their life and ultimately to be the person they want to be. This series will provide a framework along with what I refer to as the process of self-discovery and ultimately becoming our full potential.

A podcast and YouTube video. A group of three of us met, who have each encountered death in their lives, to talk about our thoughts, feelings, fears, beliefs and experiences with death. From a person whose wife was killed in a car accident to another who was really close with his parents during their dying […]

Most of us see the issues we are facing today globally and locally. The question is how can we gain greater time, resources and effort to solve these issues?