Here’s a sharable podcast from Terri Cole!

Do you ever wonder if you drink too much?

Are you concerned about the impact your drinking may be having on your relationships, health, career and overall potential?

There is a hot debate in the recovery world about the plausibility of controlled drinking sometimes referred to as harm reduction, as opposed to total abstinence.

You can listen to it here: Caitlin Padgett – Clarifying Your Relationship with Alcohol

The best way to build a brand that matters, a story that spreads, an impact that we remember, is to understand a simple but painful trade-off:

If you want to stand for something,

You can’t stand for everything.

“Anyone can be our customer and we will get you what you want…” is almost impossible to pull off. So is, “we are the cheapest and the most convenient and the best.”

It didn’t work for Sears, or for Chevrolet or for Radio Shack. It definitely doesn’t work for the local freelancer, eager to do whatever is asked.

Relentlessly trimming what’s on offer, combined with a resolute willingness to say, “no,” are two characteristics of great brands. And linchpins, too.

Go to the source for more: Seth’s Blog: The best way to stand for something

Letting go can be one of the hardest things to do in life. But at the same time it can be one of the most powerful and liberating things too. So this week I’d like to share 36 of the most thought-provoking and inspiring quotes from the past few thousands of years on letting go, moving on and living your life fully and happily. I hope you’ll find something helpful here…

get more here: 36 Inspiring Quotes on Letting Go and Moving On

Another lovely post from Tara LeMieux:

“I’m having a bad day,” he said, looking forward through a half-frosted window. The morning was bitterly cold with the coming of winter, and his thoughts were as dark as the sky.

He explained to me his troubles at home; a dishwasher that ‘barely got the job done’ and kids with ‘far too much’ energy. He paused just long enough to sip his coffee – a venti caramel macchiato with just a hint of cinnamon against the edge

I watched his face as he prattled on – lamenting home, work and the traffic both ways. With every word he fell more deeply into ‘self’, creating a ‘reality’ of world absent that much bigger picture.

I watched his face as he stared blankly into the parking lot — missing completely the elderly homeless man now picking through last night’s trash bins.

Nietzsche once asked, “Why does man not see things?” — offering perhaps that it was man, himself, standing in his own way.

We see what we wish to see, arranging this world to suit our ‘vision’. Logically, we understand these aspects of cause and effect – though often fail to see our role within it.

The eyes see clearly, yet also deceive – influenced by the voices which haunt our past history.

“Do you see that man standing out there,” I asked, pointing to the parking area. “He’s here every single day. I’d once asked him the source of his smile – and do you know what he said?”

The young man lowered his eyes and he shook his head slowly.

“He said, ‘I’m alive, I have food and now – the blessing of your company.’”

We see this world as we wish to see it. To some, a paradise; to others, a prison.

And, to those – the truly awakened souls, every moment becomes a cherished blessing.

Go to the source for more: Mindfully Musing – This World as We See It.

A positive perspective on families and button pushing…

You love them most of the time. You can’t stand them some of the time. But in the end, family is family.

I’ve never liked to admit it, but I am just like my dad. Close in birthday, same number 5 life path in numerology, both risk takers, very passionate and adventurous, fun-loving, and witty, and we lead by example. That’s positively speaking.

However, it becomes a negative pattern to focus on the other side of the coin. We both have the ability to become angry, withdrawn, and addicted to drama, and we both try to please everyone then resent others for their own imbalance.

Do you think it’s any surprise the family you were born into?

I used to blame my snappy behavior on my dad, whether at work, with girlfriends, or in social environments. “It’s my conditioning,” was my excuse I told myself. That’s exactly what it is from my perspective—an excuse.

On closer self-reflection, I found myself getting angrier and angrier that I was like my dad and becoming more like him.

Go to the source for more: Why It’s a Good Thing When Family Members Push Our Buttons

Here’s the one that resonates with me:

You’re constantly trying to prove your worth.

It’s bad enough that we have to constantly seek our worth in the world. But if we’re also doing this in our relationship, there’s something wrong. That’s the one place where you shouldn’t have to prove your worth.

But how do you know if you’re constantly trying to prove your worth? First, start by acknowledging that there’s a difference between seeking approval and validation, which we all do to a certain extent, and seeking your worth or value.

Here are some signs that you’re constantly seeking your worth in a relationship.

Your ideas are shot down.
Your partner doesn’t support your dreams.
You rarely get to talk about you.
Your partner may listen to you but they don’t hear you.
You feel invisible.

It’s not your partner’s job to make you feel valuable, but it is their job to create a safe space where your worth is encouraged and grown instead of ignored or even bashed. Your relationship shouldn’t make you feel invisible. It should make you feel invincible.

Go to the source for more: 5 Signs You’re In The Wrong Relationship | Psychology Today

One of my favorite bloggers – Tara LeMieux – writes:

Grief has its way, does it not? Of exposing the roots of memory’s tallest shadow – and, the seemingly irreconcilable aspects of heart.

We long for that which has passed; we plead for better days. We stand alone in the mists of our guilt-laden thoughts, fearful to allow soul’s forgiveness.

“Be thine own palace,” writes poet, John Donne. “Or the world’s thy jail.”

Yet, yielding ourselves to this expansiveness of light can often prove overwhelming. Though never, my loves – unbearable.

The truth is – we, ourselves, divine these fates. And, we alone, determine our journey.

Whether to suffer a pain tethered to past, or to encourage the wonderment of tomorrow.

Let this be our choosing.

To some, grief is an unwelcome guest. While to others, a guide to forgiveness.

Go to the source for more: Mindfully Musing – The Forgiveness of Our Choosing.

This is the last thing you want to happen on a safari. Watch this lion open a car door with its mouth, giving the passengers the scare of a lifetime.

Source: Lion opens car door with its mouth – Holy Kaw!