When I was younger, I would speed towards the parking space to get it before the other car. I was selfish. Even now, I experience impulses to gratify and soothe myself before considering the needs of others. I still have seeds of selfishness. What I’ve learned is that I am better off if I put others first. When I let someone go in front of me in line, I feel good. Last week I canceled a meeting and went to visit my mother-in-law, who is recovery from an illness. It felt good

We’ve all heard the phrase “Love Heals.” Is this true? What does it mean, really? Let’s start with a definition of love. I think of love as a combination of two things. One is an attitude of reverence for Life. This attitude then inspires actions to nurture Life—our lives, the lives of others, and all of Life. So love is reverence-inspired actions to enhance Life. This would include any acts to heal our wounds. In fact, to act to heal ourselves or someone else is one of the m

There are three mental practices that make prime the brain for change. They are visualization, affirmations, and intentions. Positive change starts with a positive vision of the life you want, positive affirmations of that vision, and positive intentions you commit to doing to make your affirmations a reality. Intentions are the last of the morning visualization-affirmation-intention process. Your visualization of your dream life includes seeing yourself going through your da

Once you have written out your life vision and key life goals, you need to go about making your dream life a reality. This requires daily, positive, purposeful action. Negative, self-limiting beliefs hinder the realization of our life vision. We counter negative, self-limiting beliefs with the daily practice of positive affirmations, followed by intentions to act to make our affirmations a reality. Affirmations coupled with intentions, or commitments, lead to action, which le

For your life to get better on the outside, you first must get better on the inside. This requires certain practices. What you think and feel shape your actions. What we think, we become. Your actions shape your life. If you start the day with visualizing the life you want as if it were real today, followed by reciting positive affirmations and then reinforcing your affirmations with specific intentions, you will eventually start acting on those intentions. Then, your positiv

How you start your day determines in large part how your day will go. How each day goes determines how your life will go. If you want your life to get better on the outside, you must first get better on the inside. Bettering yourself requires regular practice—working on yourself to both heal and to become the best that you can be. Yet what do we practice? Tens of Thousands of people have discovered that “The Miracle Morning,” developed by Hal Elrod, has helped them to live ha

What is hope? People speak of different kinds of hope, including inborn hope, chosen hope, borrowed hope, bargainer’s hope, unrealistic hope, false hope, and mature hope. Let’s focus on mature hope. Mature hope arises from seeing the nature of things clearly. We see that in the long run, good prevails over evil. As Martin Luther King once said, “The long arm of history bends towards justice.” We see our past successes and know that we can succeed again. Hope sees that life al

What is Generosity? When we are generous, we give. We give freely and joyfully, not begrudgingly. We give or our time, money, affection, skills, and assistance to others. We give more than is expected or required. If we are truly generous, we give without expecting anything in return. True generosity is not barter. There is a continuum from greedy to self-centered to generous. Greed and self-centeredness are hindrances to generosity. They arise out of a sense of lack. Yet wha

What is contentment? One of the love practices is the practice of contentment. Contentment is being happy with who we are, with the people in our lives, and with our life situation. It is a practice of reverence for the reality of this moment just as it is, reverence for who we are just as we are, and reverence for others just as they are. When we are content, this moment is more than enough, and enough is an abundant feast. The benefits of contentment There is a paradox abou