Becoming Yourself

Developing a Better You

Category: Spirit (Page 12 of 50)

How an Amazing Fact About Redwoods Helped My Depression

May 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

While I’m away on book tour promoting my debut novels for a few weeks (you can read about them here), I decided to share some popular previously published content. Here’s a rare video post from September 19, 2020, featuring me with long Covid hair. (Remember when we stopped getting haircuts for awhile there?) I hope it helps you on your journey toward Becoming Yourself.

I’m trying something new. After over one-hundred written posts here at Becoming Yourself, I decided to make a three-minute video to share this week’s personal development thought (you can subscribe to my YouTube channel here). I’d honestly love to hear your opinion or advice on this format. Do you prefer video or written posts or both? Leave any thoughts in a comment below, and thank you so much for being a part of this community. It means more to me than you know.

The Wonderful Superfluousness of Beauty

April 8, 2023 / / 0 Comments

It was completely superfluous.

During the recent Spring Arts Festival that took over Tempe, Arizona where I live, the city hired an artist to paint a giant sunflower on the circle drive in front of my office building.

Between the cleaning, prep work, and painting, it shut down the little street for six days. Deliveries were halted. It was highly inconvenient. And who knows how much money it cost the city to pay workers to prep the space, buy the paint, and hire the artist.

As I watched the work progress directly below my office window, I was reminded of a quote:

It is the useless things that make life worth living and that make life dangerous too: wine, love, art, beauty. Without them life is safe, but not worth bothering with.

stephen fry

There is a superfluous nature to beauty. It’s not like food, water, oxygen, or shelter. We don’t need it to exist. But is the goal of human life mere existence? Just piling up as many days as possible before succumbing to the inevitability of death? I think not. I’d rather live a short abundant life than a long bleak one. I’m guessing you would too.

So I say bravo to the city of Tempe. I wholeheartedly support the use of my tax dollars on “superfluous” beauty. Thank you for making my life a little brighter, a little more colorful, and for bringing a smile to my face each time I glance out the window.   

What “superfluous” beauty can you enjoy today? Take a walk in a park. Stroll an art gallery. Stream a YouTube nature video on your TV. Set out fresh flowers. Frame a picture you love. Surround yourself with beauty. If you do, you’ll breathe more life into living, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

The Healing Power of Vulnerability

March 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Admitting weakness is hard for me.

I prefer to share how the personal development practices I’ve learned help me lead a more joyful, peaceful, and meaningful life. But being open about my recent struggles in my last post brought relief. The act of sharing honestly, of being vulnerable, eased some of the weight I’d been carrying. And rather than judgement, I received a flood of support, understanding, prayers, and encouragement from so many of you. I was very touched and felt carried.

My family is settling in to the new normal of life without a loved one. My lingering physical illness is mostly gone. I’ve checked some big things off my to do list in advance of my books being released. The author part of my identity has shrunk into a healthier balance.

This experience reinforced a lesson I’ve learned again and again—being appropriately vulnerable with others about my struggles brings healing. Not only do I personally benefit from the love and support, but the people around me feel less alone in their own pain. 

So when the hard times come, drop your guard. Be honest. Let people in. Share your struggles. Embrace vulnerability. If you do, you’ll feel the weight begin to ease, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

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