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There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of our achievements. Success requires hard work and wisdom but it also requires support from others. Without our relatives, friends, colleagues, and loved ones; none of us would be able to make anything happen.

Very few of us realize that every word we pronounce or write conveys a supremely powerful message: “this is who I am, this is where I come from, this is how I do things”. Talk about a statement!

I have addressed the topic of assumptions before but it was a long time ago. The reason I want to write about assumptions once more is because they are recurrent in pretty much everyone’s lives. It’s astonishing how easily and subreptitiously assumptions can take hold of our perspective. When we act driven by what we assume, things can get rocky.

When someone praises us most of us adopt an attitude of polite disbelief. We think it vain to rejoice in our strengths. Instead of saying ‘thank you for that’ and believing it, we tend to make self-deprecating remarks of the following sort:

We all have our ‘pet peeves’: those little – or sometimes not so little – things that drive us up the wall and make us lose our grasp of reality. Many times these reactions are a response to continuous stress; or to a series of unpleasant experiences that we endure one after another without properly manifesting our emotions in the right way at the right place and time. Then, something silly happens and we just explode. We’ve all been there: it’s only human.

You have probably been wished a happy new year a lot these past few days and you have more than likely replied in the same manner. While it’s beautiful and noble to wish a happy new year to one another; the truth is that setting intentions for the new year is never as simple as that. It’s not enough to feel it – you have to do the work, too.

Most of us usually end the year with a list of losses, disappointments and unfortunate events. Some of them (such as the death of loved ones) we will never fully overcome but we can learn how to carry on with our lives in a loving spirit, honoring the memory of our relatives and friends who have passed on.

We are funny creatures. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this human trait is that most of us have to face incredibly challenging situations in order to realize that we need to shift one, or several, aspects of our attitude.

Sure, nothing and nobody is perfect. It’s a fact that we will never be one hundred percent satisfied or pleased with the current state of affairs. It’s human nature. Humans are the only species of mammal who aspires to or expects perfection.

It’s inevitable: when we move to a new home or office, a large part of the dread we feel is caused by the certainty of having to go through all the ‘junk’. These past few weeks I’ve been going through all kinds of junk. Sometimes it’s not junk: it’s just the feeling of having ‘too much stuff’.

So much to do, and so little time to do it – sounds familiar? Well, trust me: if every other day you feel overwhelmed by your ‘to-do’ list, you’re not alone! After returning from my brief trip, it seems like I’ve hardly had a moment to sit down and collect my thoughts.

While it’s true that our activities don’t define who we are, it’s undeniable that our patterns of conduct have a profound impact on the way we live. Indulging in negative behavior doesn’t just hurt us: it alters the balance of the universe, because we send not-so-great energy out to the world.

Here we are: another year went by in the blink of an eye, and December is upon us once more!
At this point, it’s easy to go into panic mode over any project we might have fallen behind with. Tasks, goals, resolutions…sometimes they tend to pile up and haunt us even while we sleep! Let’s try to keep in mind that December should always be about reflecting on what we learned for the past 11 months; and appreciating the blessings in our lives.

It is so usual, and so easy, to be discouraged by the attitude of others. Whether it’s another individual’s opinions, or those of the majority; it can be frustrating to either accept or try to modify what most people believe to be right.