The Gatekeeper Why is it so hard to see the truth about ourselves? Our desires and fears color everything we think and see. We’re not completely objective about anything. But, it’s easier to look at someone else’s situation and see it more clearly, more truly. Do you ever find yourself going in circles, unable to decide, unable to [...]

The Incredible, Shrinking Relationship Relationships shrink. They get smaller and smaller until there’s no room to breathe. Then, you must break out, or go crazy. Have you ever felt like that? If you can get past the pain and frustration and sadness, ask yourself how something rich and alive fell apart. We may try to blame every problem on someone [...]

Living Dreams I love imagination, passion, and possibility. Weave them together with a sprinkling of hope. Dreams of a bright future will fill your heart and mind. And dreams are the fuel that drives personal growth. Do you think that you’re too old to dream? Many people assume that only the young can dream. Everyone has moments when they are filled [...]

  In the first two articles in this series, we explored seven ways that choice becomes a burden and a problem in your life. Then, in the third article, we introduced three tools you can use to overcome those seven problems, and get back control of your life. Here, we present four more tools to master [...]

Out of Control? Are you in control of your life? Life is wonderful, and dangerous and unpredictable. Sure, you pretend that you have everything under control. But you know that’s not true. Pretending to be in control makes you feel safe. And everyone wants to feel safe. It’s hard to think about personal growth, enjoying life, or anything else, when you don’t [...]

Very few things in this world are one-sided, all good or all bad. In Part 1 of this series I introduced the idea that the extraordinary human power of choice can lead us into our own personal hell. Barry Schwartz has written an insightful book on the dark side of choice, called The Paradox of Choice. I’ve extracted [...]

Do you think that having more choices is good for you? Choice is critical to the feeling and practice of freedom. Without choice, you would be doing exactly what you’re told to do, every moment of the day. You’d be following your programming like a machine with no soul. A kind of pretend choice is where you [...]

Leading a Double Life Imagine that there is a door in your apartment or house. Each day you step through that door and visit a distant and strange world for a few hours. In that world you have a different name and face and body. You live, work, earn money, face challenges, create, succeed, and grow – every single [...]

The Free Exchange of Ideas vs. Censorship Do you feel angry or even afraid when you hear that the government or other organizations are trying to control the content of your entertainment and your information? There are laws and regulations that control the content of television, movies, video games, and to a lesser extent, the Internet. [...]

Trapped In A World of Pain Do you remember as a child, when the world seemed endless, and every stone was full of possibility? And whatever we knew of the world, was only a beginning — a glimpse of endless knowledge that we could only dream of. What happened to that world? It seems so far away. Do you feel [...]