I would consider myself a perfectionist. I can hear my dad's words echo in my mind, "if you can't do it right, then don't do it at all". When I set out on project or task, I strive for perfection. This has hindered me many times. If I don't think something is as perfect as [...]
Have you ever started out on something and quit before you received the reward of your efforts? Often times we start something, get frustrated, feel like we aren't getting where we want fast enough and give up. Giving up robs us of the future of our efforts. No matter what the situation might be, perseverance [...]
Most of us take our lives for granted. Most of us don't stop to think how we received life or why. We know the biological process of conception, but have we thought beyond that? What about your chances of being born? First you have to consider women have only so many eggs and limited child [...]
There's an earthquake and your favorite vase fell off the shelf. You look down at all the pieces and feel like you're looking at your life on the floor. You fall apart. You feel like you have no control over outcomes. The life you planned isn't the life you're living. Sometimes the choices we make [...]
When we think of freedom, maybe we envision the last day of school as a child with our entire summer ahead of us, free to do as we wish, without the schedule of school. Perhaps we see ourselves running through a meadow without a care in the world. Maybe freedom is moving out of our [...]
A habit is defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. According to experts with Psychology Today, habits form when new behaviors become automatic and are performed with minimum conscious awareness. That’s because “the behavioral patterns we repeat most often are literally etched into our neural [...]
A trigger is something that causes (an event or situation) to happen or exist. While recovering from addiction, a trigger is some sort of internal or external stimulus that causes the former addict to desire to use drugs or alcohol again. Internal triggers include thoughts, emotions and memories. Examples are: stress, mental or physical illness, [...]
Imagine you're a child, you reach for the cookie jar. You pull it to the edge of the counter. As you put your hand in the jar it tips, falls and lands crashing on the floor with cookies scattering everywhere. Your mom comes rushing in and looks right at you. You tell your mom, “the [...]
Not a very big word, but a powerful one. Willing is defined as being ready, eager, or prepared to do something. It takes a will to accomplish anything in life. One must have a willing desire to finish a degree, go to work, work on a project, change a behavior. Willingness is the first step [...]
People who struggle with addiction should take a serious look at the risk they are taking each time they chose to use. Addiction in and of itself is a risk factor for suicide. Many other behavior disorders that may accompany addiction can increase this risk. It can be argued that each time an addict engages [...]
