There are those of us who feel different, isolated, lost, and disconnected. Yet we share the basic human need for love and. This post uses the story of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and his visit to the Island of Misfits to talk about this feeling of being lost and the wonderful aspect that these individuals bring to the world.

It is only appropriate to follow-up a post “On Death” (previous post) with one focusing on Life, which is what we do know, that we are alive here on Earth today and in this moment. Life can be viewed here in a number of ways. Let’s begin with some demographics about life here on Earth. Source: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population […]

What a challenging topic to write about! It is a topic that we all confront many times during our life, and ultimately with ourselves. Yet, this topic is rarely discussed with the possible exception of during funerals. Many subscribe to various religious beliefs on death to give them some degree of comfort when dealing with […]

One of the real frustrations I have is how this topic gets played out in the press. Even more frustrating is the lack of empathy, awareness or understanding many have, even in the medical and education field where you would expect greater levels of knowledge, expertise and compassion. We are susceptible to what we hear, […]

Think of the spectrum of emotions we can experience. Everything from elation, love to anger and fear. Emotions can be very challenging to deal with. A great example of this is FEAR.  At its most challenging state, it hits to our very core, fearing for our life, and causing a fight or flight response. And yet it […]

If we were to freeze frame the world right now, how many of the 7 billion plus would be experiencing some form of loneliness in this moment? Whether it is lying alone in a hospital bed, walking the streets aimlessly, in an unhealthy relationship, grieving the loss or suffering of a loved one, feeling alone in […]

So, how did you do so far? Learn anything? If so, I would love to hear from you. Okay, let’s continue… Though often difficult, force-ranking can help explain why certain changes impact us more than others because it allows us to understand what we think is most important. This exercise can be transcribed to nearly […]

Our identity—how we define who we are—is a key component in understanding self, what we value, and our beliefs. Everyone has a unique identity comprised of a variety of factors and experiences. The following exercise is intended to help you initiate the process. It comes from my book on personal growth (Discovering Michael: An Inspirational […]

I was so fortunate to have had the amount of time available to my personal growth and self-discovery in my early thirties. What I am so appreciative is that I made the most during this time, dedicating myself to identifying and dealing with my core issues early on, many of which originated during my childhood, […]

One of the tools I strongly suggest for those on the path of personal growth and self-discovery are personality assessments. For as significant an element as our personality is, I am amazed at how few know of these resources, understand them, or make use of them. Although I believe it is our deep rooted beliefs […]