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Worrying and Reflecting Aren’t the Same
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — Author unknown, often attributed to Albert Einstein We’ve all heard it, said it mid vent, nodded at it, and then gone right back to whatever we were doing. The quote about repeating patterns has become its own…
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Can We Grieve the Version That Saved Us?
This is a continuation of “Can We Let Go of Who Used to Lead Us”. If you’re landing here first, that’s the piece to read before this one. For most of our lives, one version of us ran the show. The guarded one, the one who stayed in control, the one who never needed anyone.…
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Find the Meaning First
I originally wrote this for a fitness accountability group that I am a member of, the Underground, but the idea underneath it isn’t really about fitness. It’s about why we start anything, and why we sometimes stop. I think it applies just as much to a career change, a relationship, a creative project, or anything…
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Man Cannot Stand a Meaningless Life
Good morning UG, normally I share just one quote on Motivation Mondays, but while reading through some of Carl Jung’s work, I came across three statements that seemed to speak to the same idea. These aren’t three quotes from the same passage, they’re separate statements, but when you put them side by side, they seem…
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The Lines of Life
I came across this image recently, and it could’ve felt like a callout, but to me, it read more like an invitation to reflect. As I sat with it, I realized I’ve knocked on every one of these doors. I’ve entered every one of them. I’ve criticized people. I’ve gossiped. I’ve chosen to look the…
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Grow Quietly, Build Consistently
“A weak person is found in the crowd, seeking validation and attention. A strong person is often found alone, seeking peace and quietly building themselves.” — Author unknown I don’t know who said it, but the principle behind it is one I believe in. There comes a point when we realize that our own opinion…
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Truth Is Not What You Want It to Be
“Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.” — From D. E. Tarver, interpreting Miyamoto Musashi’s life and work This is one of the underlying themes running through a lot of our transformations, the version of us that…
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Can We Let Go of Who Used to Lead Us?
This continues something I started in “Understanding Why We Became Who We Became in the First Place”. If you haven’t read that one, it’s worth starting there first. We know where we came from, and we know why we became who we became. We understand the patterns now, where they started, what they protected us…
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What Dies Inside Us While We Live
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” — Attributed to Norman Cousins Here’s the thing about our dreams. They don’t usually die all at once, they just kind of slowly fade. We finish school, get the job, get married, have a kid or…
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We Often Celebrate the Wins of Transformation, But We Rarely Talk About the Other Side
There was a moment when my own transformation looked like it might take a turn I never saw coming. It didn’t. I was fortunate to land on the other side of that edge. But in realizing how close it came, and in listening to those who weren’t as fortunate, I came to see a side…
Midlife Transformation & Personal Growth
