I’m not always happy… not even close. Like most, I have a darker side.

I recently wrote a post called Depression: The Long Dark Road, in which I shared with you that I used to suffer from depression. In reality, I will always suffer from depression, but now I have learned to live with it, to work around it, to be happy in spite of it, and not to give in to it.

David Cain, from Raptitude, recently wrote a brilliant article about How To Keep Bad Moods From Taking You Over, in which he says, “Remind yourself that your perspective is currently limited, and that your faculties of wisdom are currently impaired or dormant.”

This is something I had to learn the hard way.

Posted in depression, mental health, music therapy 15 Comments »

I am very excited about today’s Spirit of Adventure story because it is a guest post by my dear friend, Jay Schryer, who has a wonderful blog named Porsidan (Persian for “to question,” in case you wondered). Jay is in search of answers, just like the rest of us. He dreams of helping others and making the world a better place. But he doesn’t just dream it, he does something about it. That makes him an adventurous spirit.

Life and Love 600 Miles From Home

I grew up on a farm close to a small town in the middle of nowhere, Alabama. Our nearest “next-door” neighbor was nearly two miles away, and on clear nights you could see stars forever.

Posted in helping others, love, Spirit of Adventure 14 Comments »

The single best strategy I can give you for finding inner peace is this:

KNOW YOURSELF.

Take the time to look within and become aware of who you are, what you believe, and what you value. Understand why you choose to believe the things you do.

Once you do this, behave in ways that support your values and priorities. Move towards minimizing the presence of actions and people that make you feel bad about yourself. If you like who you are, no one else gets a vote. Right?

Think of inner peace as your own personal garden, and tend to it regularly.  Cultivate seeds of happiness. Eradicate weeds of suffering. Create a nurturing environment for your peaceful inner self to bloom.

Posted in Fellowship Fridays, inner peace, simplicity 16 Comments »