Giving to others can be one of the most fulfilling experiences in life, or it can be one of the most draining. What makes the difference? The difference has to do with WHY you are giving to others. GIVING FROM A FULL HEART When we give from a full heart, we are giving because we […]

\”Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.\” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What would happen if we each learned to take 100% responsibility for our own feelings and needs – learning to attend to our feelings with compassion for ourselves, and extending that compassion to others? […]

I recently attended a conference and one of the speakers was David Stanley, who lived with Elvis Presley as his stepbrother since David was four years old. His book, about his experiences with Elvis, called “Conversations With the King,” just got published. The book is co-authored by my good friend, Dr. David Gruder. In the […]

In my work with individuals and couples for the last 43 years, I’ve had two very different experiences regarding people who have divorced: * One group of people are happy that they finally left a marriage where they were very unhappy. They feel that they have their life back, and sometimes even their health back. […]

\”If I could define enlightenment briefly I would say it is the quiet acceptance of what is.\” – Dr. Wayne Dyer As simple as this definition seems to be, how often do you quietly accept what is? Instead, what do you say or do? * I say things like “It’s not supposed to be this […]

I often hear from my clients that they feel overwhelmed. Generally, feeling overwhelmed means one of three things: * Overwhelmed by their feelings * Overwhelmed by time pressures * Overwhelmed by how to do things ‘right’ The feeling of overwhelm is generally caused by how we are treating ourselves and what we are telling ourselves. […]

Frequently, when I start to work with a new client, they believe that loving their self is selfish. Nothing could be further from the truth. A more accurate definition of selfish is expecting others to give themselves up and do for you what you can and need to be doing for yourself. LETTING OTHERS OFF […]

Did you grow up believing that if only someone REALLY loved you in the way you needed to be loved, then you would feel happy, safe, lovable and worthy? Certainly being truly loved by parents goes a long way toward supporting children in feeling safe and lovable, but it is not the whole story. Even […]

I’ve been counseling individuals and couples for many years. More than half the time, when couples are having problems or the relationship is dissolving, sex is one of the major issues. There are a number of common scenarios: * After a long marriage with regular sex, he comes home to discover that his wife has […]

\”Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.\” – Jack London Research indicates that holding good cards is actually of great benefit in life. People born into wealthy families, who are emotionally and financially supported to become all they can be, have a great advantage over people […]