Deep Gratitude

Deep Gratitude

Throughout the years, we have all probably made several “gratitude” lists—you know, those ones inspirational speakers encourage you to make. You follow their instructions by finding a blank piece of paper and jotting down 8-10 different things that you’re grateful for. Maybe on your list are things like your job, your family, a next-door neighbor, or a favorite food. 

In my experience, I feel a sense of warmth and happiness as I make lists like these. However, I must admit that somehow, these lists have never really stuck with me—they get shuffled among all my other papers, journals, and books, and if you were to ask me to show you a gratitude list I’ve made, I can’t say I would be able to find one. 

As a society, we praise gratitude. As an individual, I also praise it. So, why do I find myself making list after list, never really remembering the things I put on them? 

Joy in the Journey-A Cliché Gimmick or Powerful Words to Live By?

Joy in the Journey-A Cliché Gimmick or Powerful Words to Live By?

I was on my way to the Dominican Republic—a journey that required time away from my family, friends, and the privileged American lifestyle I was accustomed to. Over the course of the next year plus, I was expected to learn a new language, adapt to an entirely foreign culture, and take on a new persona. To put it mildly, I was terrified. Totally and utterly petrified.


While I nervously sat in the JFK Airport in New York during a layover, a quote on the wall written in big bold letters captured my attention. It read, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” I read over it a few times, trying to digest its implication and apply it to my particular situation. 

As cliché as it is, “finding joy in the journey” really is essential to your overall well-being. (Lyubomirsky, 2010). Huge life events don’t usually deliver the blast of joy we expect them to—and even if they do, it’s likely short-lived. (Harris, 2015). Additionally, these spurts of joy are so few and far between that we’d spend most of our lives in anticipation rather than enjoying the process.

The Vulnerability and Grit to Try New Things

The Vulnerability and Grit to Try New Things

When I was a sophomore in high school, I ran for the student council to be in the activities committee as a junior. A year before in middle school, I had been the student body president, and I was running against three other people for a three-person committee, so I felt pretty confident that I could earn a spot. I ran a hard campaign. I talked to lots of strangers, handed out all sorts of flyers, and I even lit myself on fire on accident while making my campaign video (I was ok). For me, it would all be worth it to earn an opportunity to do something I loved for the second time. I wanted to spend my time doing something I was confident and familiar with. I gave my best effort and felt incredibly confident when I went to hear the results of the election. But, as you may have guessed, I found out that I had lost.

Although I was really sad as a result of this and learned a lot about self-acceptance and moving on from disappointment, this isn’t a story about failure. It’s about trying new things.

Engaged Living: The Potential Solution to Your Lack of Motivation

Engaged Living: The Potential Solution to Your Lack of Motivation

Motivation is a fundamental driving force that pushes people towards achieving their goals and fulfilling their aspirations. However, staying motivated can be challenging, especially when faced with life's everyday struggles and distractions.Today I wanted to talk about how to become motivated, flourish, and live with engagement by utilizing the resources found in MyBestSelf101, 10 Overlooked Truths About Taking Action, and Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Intuitive Eating—Giving You the Time, Money, and Happiness That Diet Culture Stole

Intuitive Eating—Giving You the Time, Money, and Happiness That Diet Culture Stole

“Wow, I can’t believe I just ate that much?!” “I hate the way I look.” “I’m too big.” “I’m too small.” “I wish I looked like that person.” “If only I could lose 15 more pounds, then I’d look great.” Have you ever had any thoughts like these? I know I have. The human body is an incredible miracle that most people aren’t satisfied with. Everyone has things that they don’t like about themselves; usually, physical qualities find themselves in this category. So, what do you do about it? Contemporary Western culture (and most cultures around the world) would say that dieting is the perfect solution. However, what does this “perfect solution” really look like? 

Many people go on all sorts of diets (or more popularly stated, wholesome, clean, simple, wellness, or healthy lifestyles) to try and get the “perfect body.” Whether you self-diagnose as gluten-free, do a juice fast, have no sugar, do the keto diet, or any other restrictive eating plan, the goal is most likely to lose weight and feel better. Now, before I go on, I want to make it clear that if you have a real, diagnosed medical condition, then by all means follow whatever diet is beneficial for your health. However, in most cases, people decide for themselves to go on a diet with no official medical need. If you are one of those people, then listen up. 

The Beauty of Meditation

The Beauty of Meditation

If you asked me a number of years ago what I knew about meditation, I would not have much to tell you. I may have responded by saying it was something other people, not me, did to find inner harmony or peace. I did not know then how drastically my perspective on meditation would change. When I started college, I became fascinated with the concept of mindfulness, or “present-moment awareness with acceptance” (Warren & Farley, n.d., para. 2). I felt that when I tried to be mindful, the world seemed a little more beautiful to me. A few years later, I learned that meditation was simply a formal practice of mindfulness (Warren & Farley, n.d.), and, since then, meditation has ceased to be a completely foreign concept to me.

Today, I will share some forms of meditation and the benefits behind them. 

Befriending Your Pain Like Wim Hof

Befriending Your Pain Like Wim Hof

What if I told you that your very resistance of pain and discomfort might increase the amount of suffering that you experience long term? It’s true. Research has found that our unwillingness to remain in contact with distressing emotions (such as sadness, anger, loneliness, grief, etc.) intensifies negative psychological symptoms (Dindo et al., 2017). Sometimes, even psychological treatment can backfire if we try to use it as a means of escape from our tough feelings or expect it to take all the pain away.

So, I know what you’re thinking. “You’re crazy! You want me to feel bad?!” Well, sort of, yes, but mostly, no. The goal isn’t necessarily to enjoy feeling bad but to befriend your pain rather than resisting it.

Financial Security and Wellbeing

Financial Security and Wellbeing

Many of us can agree that monetary stressors, while are often not in the forefront of our everyday lives, are one of the enduring difficulties that we face. From the time we started saving our allowance for a cool toy, financial worries seem to continually reappear. “Financial peace” - a term popularized by Dave Ramsey in his first book—is something that many people seek. This being said, we can use simple financial adjustments to enhance our well-being in areas of optimism, supportive relationships, community, values and purpose.

Learned Hopefulness: A New Approach to Hope

Learned Hopefulness: A New Approach to Hope

    We often use the word hope to express wishful thinking. We often use phrases like, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” “Hopefully, I don’t get sick," “I hope my test goes well,” or “Hopefully, I get the job.” When we say things like this, the unspoken belief is that nothing else we do will influence how things turn out. However, hope is a unique positive emotion that can help us recognize our ability to take control and move toward our goals despite setbacks and challenges.