TRIGGER WARNING: This post references suicidal thoughts and may be triggering to some people. Since my first post on Tiny Buddha entitled “Why I Didn’t Kill Myself and Why You Shouldn’t Either,” I’ve been doing amazingly well. I thought I...

Loneliness is a big topic, and it is a big issue for many people. Loneliness drives many people to the spiritual path as they attempt to find a refuge from this feeling. It’s a powerful body sensation, and because of it’s power, we need to take time to...

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~Gandhi Pain is and isn’t just like energy. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed but is merely converted from one form to another. For example, the...

“Perfectionism doesn’t make you feel perfect. It makes you feel inadequate.” ~Maria Shriver Like many of us, I spent a big part of growing up feeling like I wasn’t enough. I was quite a studious kid, and this coupled with being terrible at...

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” ~Bruce Lee About five years ago, I had a falling out with a close friend. I was irritated because she didn’t do the things I thought...

Most people are raised in a family situation, and as such, that makes family both the home to our many virtues and vices. It’s important to appreciate that family holds both aspects because the spiritual path is about learning to see things as they are, not how...

“We’ll light the candle together when she’s ready. For now I’ll trust the darkness for us both.” ~Terri St. Cloud Over breakfast one morning recently, Jeff and I started reminiscing about past years, and something was said that brought...

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” ~Bryant H. McGill The day I chose to forgive was the day I became free It happened on an ordinary weekday. It was just another ride on a crowded train. It’s been years...

Religions and other spiritual traditions have a variety of explicit and implicit goals. Some of the explicit goals of many religions and spiritual traditions include trying to offer safety for the spiritual follower, social identity by connecting with others with...

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.” ~Zig Ziglar Take a second and imagine little you: running around like the little ragamuffin you were. Imagine as far back as you can—back when you were first able to comprehend feedback from parents,...