I'm starting a new writing experiment. It could be a success, or it could fail (that's the beauty and essence of experiments!). My last one - where I wrote one reflection every single day for a whole year--366 days (it was a leap year and in the middle of the last great pandemic)- was a … Continue reading Letters from Casa Santillan
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How Psychology and Spirituality are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Our psychology forms our spirituality, and our spirituality forms our psychology. Many years ago, in my past life as a Jesuit, our formation was called psycho-spiritual. The concept here is that we begin with who we are, where we are, what we've gone through. And it is this person -- this whole person -- that … Continue reading How Psychology and Spirituality are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Three Practices to Celebrate Your Day
We tend to go through our days with our noses to the grindstone, doing tasks, getting distracted, jumping from one thing to the next. Go to sleep tired, repeat the next day. Our days become an endless cycle of getting stuff done and getting through to the next day (especially during this pandemic!). What would … Continue reading Three Practices to Celebrate Your Day
Volo Ergo Sum
Every day we make decisions that shape our destiny. Think about it, when we look back at the last 10 years of our lives, we would probably see real TURNING POINTS. We have made life-changing, destiny-altering decisions; decisions that are so important that if we had made a completely different one, our lives would have been completely different. I have about a couple of that.
First Two Steps to Creating Resilience
When life is shaking us up and we’re feeling stressed … it can be tough to feel resilient. Resilience helps us to deal with the chaos and overwhelm … but how to we create it when we feel like we’re underwater? The first step is to remove things that are adding unnecessary stress. The second … Continue reading First Two Steps to Creating Resilience
Turning the Other Cheek
One of the hardest things to swallow in the Gospels is the teaching about turning the other cheek. In Matthew 5:39 Jesus says, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” A mind-blowing concept indeed. Is he serious? … Continue reading Turning the Other Cheek
How to Not Believe Your Ultra-Persuasive Rationalizations
I’ve come to realize that smart people are very good at creating super persuasive arguments for why the shouldn’t do the thing they’re fearing doing. This past week, I’ve worked with half a dozen intelligent people who have convinced themselves to give in to their resistance, over and over. They’re persuasive, convincing people, and when … Continue reading How to Not Believe Your Ultra-Persuasive Rationalizations
Our Feelings Are Not Who We Are
Our feelings are not our identity—they do not define us, and they’re definitely not our destiny. To be obsessed about our own feelings is not to be able to look outside ourselves and take on the shoes of another person. A psychologist (for the life of me, I forgot who it was!) once said that … Continue reading Our Feelings Are Not Who We Are
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