The Christmas season can be a truly joyful time of year, but it can also be stressful for those of us spending the holidays with families who push our buttons.   According to Charles Whitfield, author of “Healing the Child Within,” 80 to 95% of us grew up in dysfunctional families. Well, pour yourself some eggnog, snuggle up under a warm comforter, and read on to learn how to keep from going crazy this Christmas. Do you remember the island...

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How do you know when you’re following your true calling?  Time disappears. No drugs necessary!  My True Calling Tip Whenever I write a song, I close myself in my studio, pick up my guitar, and emerge several hours later feeling content and spaced-out.  Typically, I don’t know what I did during that time—it’s just a glorious waking dream—but I usually have a recorder handy to capture it for me.  A pleasing side effect of this...

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Thanksgiving can be a tricky holiday for those of us who are going through tough times. It’s hard to muster up feelings of appreciation when there doesn’t seem much to be grateful for. My dad died in May, and a few weeks later my beloved cat Izzy was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease.  We lost his brother Ollie to cancer the year before.  I was devastated.  How much back-to-back loss can one woman take?  And yet, it’s...

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One of the easiest ways to find your true calling is to do things that fill you with passion.  Not your parents, or your teachers, or your friends—but you.  It may take some time to discover what truly excites you… so don’t give up too soon. Perhaps you’ve never engaged in your true passion before, or only tried it once.  Be open to the possibilities, and for goodness’ sake, don’t settle for less. ...

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To answer your calling, honor what makes you different from others.  Yes, it can be scary to express your true self, but it’s the best way to create a successful meaningful life, and it’s easier to do than you think.  A few years ago a friend and I went to the Mojave Desert.  We were astonished to find all these wild-looking Joshua trees around us.  Their branches were bent in a million different directions.  After inspecting...

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