Letting Go

Let’s just be glad we had some time to spend together Kris Kristofferson

Letting go is hard. The loss of a loved one. Preparing to leave the safety of school. A child leaving home. A relationship drawing to a close. Retirement….. The list is endless.

Most or all of us have faced or will face one or more of these events in the course of our lives. The first of the four Noble Truths of Buddhism states that life means suffering. Even in the midst of our happiest times lies the reality that our happiness is transient. And when it passes we experience sorrow, perhaps fear. (more…)

The Introvert Personality

A Definition of Introvert

Introversion is the tendency to focus one's attention towards the inner, mental world rather than external, physical "reality".

Introversion is a natural characteristic occurring in about 25% of the population according to psychotherapist Dr Marti Olsen Laney in her excellent book The Introvert Advantage. Dr Laney offers a further definition of the introvert personality, ie that introverts are those who draw energy from the inner world of ideas and emotions as opposed to extroverts who thrive on external experience and interaction.

Introversion is not something we have or not, rather we all occupy a specific point on an introvert extrovert continuum.

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Dealing with Guilt and Regret

Too often we are dogged by the dark clouds of guilt and regret. Regret is the feeling of wishing we had (or not) done something in the past different than we actually did. Guilt is feeling bad, or even disliking ourselves, over some past act or omission that caused unjustified hurt.

Dealing with Regret

Time, as we perceive it, is linear. What is done is done and can never be undone. The most powerful man on the planet cannot change by one iota what happened a fraction of a second ago. Given that, stop worrying about the past. You’re only wasting precious energy that ought to be channeled into now.

We all experience feelings of regret at some time in our lives. Since we don’t always (ie never) perform perfectly, after any event there will be feelings that we could have done better. (more…)