The Myth, The Legend: One Passion to Rule Them All

March 1, 2010

Please note: This is a guest post by Amanda Farough, from VioletMinded.

For some of us, finding that one true passion is just not an option. We want to do it all.

I’ve never really been able to concentrate on one thing at a time. I’m a notorious multitasker with an apparent inability to focus. In university, people kept telling me to slow down, pick something, decide on a path. Academic advisers would preach that my future (and future earnings) depended on my finding a niche and sticking with it, at least until my mid-thirties.

I can’t tell you how many times that gave me borderline anxiety attacks.

Posted in Life, choices 33 Comments »

OCD: The Pendulum of Caution, Risk, and Reasonable Doubt

February 24, 2010

I was once a bit OCD. I don’t mean that my house was neat and tidy (though it probably was), or that I was a control freak (though I definitely was); but rather, I had obsessive thoughts that I compulsively acted on, even when I knew I shouldn’t. I would tell myself NOT to act on those thoughts… but, when they arose, it was like I was on autopilot. I absolutely, compulsively, had to follow through, no matter what.

When I was dealing with this issue, I learned that OCD people live in an imaginary world that is Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Some doubts, of course, are reasonable and prudent.

For instance:

I just cut raw chicken on the counter, so I should disinfect it. (Reasonable)

Posted in bad habits, balance, choices, compulsions, mental health 38 Comments »

4 Things You Need to Know About ALL Ideas

February 22, 2010

Please Note: This is a guest post by Christopher Kabamba, of consciouSynthesis.

Every now and then, I come across the word “hype” as I try to read my way to a better life for myself and the people around me. It is a word which, in the realm of personal growth and development, is usually used to refer to ideas that promise a runway in your backyard and a mansion in the middle of the sea.

The promise is not always material possessions; at times there is no specific promise at all. You know what I am talking about… the carefully choreographed words that seem intended just to make you feel good, while you wallow in your problems; all the big words from past sages, which at face value seem to promise more that they can deliver.

Posted in Life, helping others 27 Comments »