Personal Growth

“If you love love, look for yourself.” - Rumi

When is the last time you felt that warm, gooey, love feeling? You know the one. It gives you tingles all over, maybe you feel some water in your eyes, or maybe it just feels like your heart is going to explode.

Humans are wired to connect. That’s because, at one time, our cooperation with each other enhanced our ability to survive under the harshest of conditions. Although survival threats are far less today, people still desire and need connection.

It’s common this time of year to feel pulled in too many directions, craving stability amidst the chaos. Autumn is a time when sticking to a routine can help us feel more grounded, present to the joys of life, and fully alive. Routines and schedules are antidotes to the effects of Vata’s airy qualities that dominate this season.

Once upon a time, a financial tale was woven for you. Its plot was carefully crafted from family experiences, societal influences, and cultural patterns. Even though the money story of your youth may not be representative of your present values, it has likely guided your entire financial life. Fortunately, you are not bound by the narrative of your past.

"Somos la suma total de nuestras experiencias. Esas experiencias, ya sean positivas o negativas, nos convierten en la persona que somos, en cualquier momento de nuestras vidas. Y, como un río que fluye, esas mismas experiencias, y las que están por venir, siguen influyendo y remodelando la persona que somos y la persona en la que nos convertimos. Ninguno de nosotros es igual que ayer, ni lo será mañana ". - B.J. Neblett

Wanting to be yourself is a natural desire, but also a confusing one. The mind is a wanderer, going anywhere it likes. All day it wanders not only from thought to thought but from self to self. Without realizing it, we slip from one self to another as the situation demands. This fluid sense of identity allows you to choose your best self while avoiding the pitfalls of the others.

“To know that you do not know is the best. To think you know when you do not is a disease. Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it. - Lao Tzu”

Everyone has a certain level of resilience. From time to time, we all experience stress, emotional upsets, and challenges in our lives. Resilience is the ability to withstand these situations, quickly recover from them, and be able to return to balance and harmony. Often our resilience depends on the resources we have to call upon, which could include friends and family, finances, knowledge, and past experiences. But resilience shouldn’t be just about surviving, true resilience opens the door for us to thrive and live life fully. What’s broken can be mended, what’s hurt can be healed and no matter how dark it gets, the sun is going to rise again.

If we learn anything over the course of our lives it’s that we are adaptable beings, capable of changing at a moment's notice. As we navigate the many transitions that life has to offer us, our ability to be flexible and move with, as opposed to against, is challenged. Though it may be uncomfortable at times, we all have the capacity for these types of shifts.