self development – Life, the Universe, and Lani

The point is to keep going (self-help is a journey)

For about a year, I received Mark Manson’s newsletter. What I liked about him was he seemed to be an independent and well-read thinker. I may not have agreed with it all, but he was interesting enough for me to stick around. But when I read “The Point Is To Stop”, I felt compelled enough…

07/0729/11

What do you value?

Quicksand economies, medical crises, personal blows, you name it, there’s no shortage of external and internal factors that can cause us to reevaluate how we live our lives. A couple of years ago, I had a wake up call when I realized, like really realized, how much my mom and I are different, how our…

19/0427/04

Discover Prompt, Day 18 + 19: New & Three

Three new things that I have been doing: 1) Participating in WP’s Discover Prompts I’ve been blogging for ten years (but not all on WP), and I’ve never blogged every day nor have I ever participated in any WP challenges. I’ve tried to, but the timing was never right. Doing this has been more rewarding…

30/11

The Changing Seasons – November

This month I’ve decided I’m celebrating 10 years of consistent blogging which coincides with how many years I’ve lived abroad. Technically, I should have made a fuss in late August, but like so many milestones, I forgot. My first post was called Ground Control. I reflect on how often I have to look at the…

03/05

How do you relate to people different than you?

There’s a debate regarding what education is for: is it to prepare students for work or is it to stimulate the soul? But one of the key components I feel is missing is that we go to school to learn to get along with others. We, then, continue to play nice when we enter the…

20/0923/12

✍🏼 Excuses, excuses: why I haven’t finished my memoir yet

I might be procrastinating. Or maybe I’m taking my time! I’m definitely trying to avoid rushing the process because that’s what I did last time, and I regretted it. Also, I’ve run into a few problems. It’s nothing that can’t be solved. I’m not worried. Let me explain.

20/0823/12

💞 10 things I love about myself

I wish I could say that this list came easy for me, but alas it did not. I love this idea though! I got it from Gallantly Gal. You must do it, too. Then post it for the world to see! And no, you may not “balance” it out with a follow up post called…

13/0223/12

📚 How well do you know yourself? (and how to know yourself better)

Know thyself – the Oracle at Delphi When I was sharing what happened between my mom and I, someone remarked, ‘that was good of your mom to recognize that she was mad at herself for getting mad at you’. And I thought, that’s interesting; are people not aware of their feelings?

28/0105/02

When life throws you a do-over (and you return from where you left)

During one of the darkest moments in my adult life, I failed to reach out. I didn’t really tell friends and family what was happening. I think part of the reason was I couldn’t explain it, I couldn’t get my hands around it, but mostly I was ashamed. This time around, I didn’t make the…

16/0306/02

8 Things I’m Loving About Life Right Now

Between small things like reading and mediation, I’m trying to figure out what works for me!

Green plant patch growing out of concrete

15/0507/02

Starting the #365grateful challenge

You’ve seen these kinds of things before #365grateful, gratitude journals, how to be more grateful articles, etc. And while I think it’s a good idea, especially if the practice is new to you, I’ve refrained from participating publically. But for my 43rd birthday, I’ve decided that the time is right, the timing is now.

01/0511/12

Why I stopped looking at women’s magazines

There is a blogger I follow on Instagram (I don’t know why, really, I don’t read her blog, but I find her – a curiosity) and she’s posted recently that she LOVES women’s magazines and how she’s obsessed with them. It reminded me of a time when I felt the same way. I used to…