Tag: Know Thyself

Examining Life, Gaining Clarity, Know Thyself, Life consulting , ,

What Do You Want More of in Life?

by

“Whatever you want more of, put that front and center.”

–Michelle Martello

This piece of advice came to me in a Marie Forleo email about website design, but it also struck me as great life advice. 

If I want more time with my family, it has to be front and center. If I want more personal growth, it has to be front and centre. If I want more of a spiritual life, it has to be front and centre.

But sometimes what I feel I want more of doesn’t line up with what is actually, currently, front and centre in my life.

Maybe I want more time with family, but my career is front and centre. Maybe I want more personal growth, but social events are front and centre. Maybe I want more of a spiritual life, but my hobbies are front and centre. 

Sometimes what we think or say is important to us isn’t actually what we live out. 

Not sure what you’re putting front and centre?

Continue Reading
Christian Living, Gaining Clarity, Know Thyself , , ,

What if I Don’t Know What I Want?

by
(Learn to Discern, Principle #15)

Have you ever been in the midst of an agonizing decision, and had someone offer this annoying piece of advice: “It’s really simple! What do you actually want?”

And you can’t answer the question, because the whole point of why the decision is agonizing is that you don’t know what you want? And even if you did know, you aren’t sure it would be the right thing? And you kind of want option A, but another part of you wants option B?

The struggle is real.

Knowing your own desire is key in the discernment process.

Why?

Continue Reading
Know Thyself, Personality, Tendencies, Working Methods , ,

Are You an Abstainer or a Moderator?

by

Giving up milk is tough when you love coffee, but it’s even tougher when brie is one of your favourite foods. Several years ago, a friend suggested that I try giving up dairy as a solution to the cystic acne I had experienced my entire life. Despite my love of soft, French cheese, I decided to give it a go. Within 4 weeks I was starting to see a real change, and 10 weeks later my skin was totally different. I wasn’t in pain from cysts and the red spots on my face and neck had virtually disappeared. Needless to say, I was a convert. 

But a different friend was incredulous. “No dairy? Not even a little milk in your coffee?” She asked. “I could never give it up completely. I just need a bit.” The truth is, I didn’t have a choice- having a little milk in my coffee produced almost the same reaction as eating an entire wheel of brie. And obviously, if I was going to indulge, I’d rather have more than less! 

Continue Reading
Christian Living, Gaining Clarity, Integrating Faith and Life, Know Thyself , , , ,

How Do I Know if I Can Trust My Desires in Discernment?

by
(Learn to Discern, Principle #14)

One of the most frequent issues that arises almost every time I talk about discernment is the role of personal desire in spiritual and practical discernment.

It might take the form of, “how do I know that this is what God wants and not just what I want?” or “I really want x, and so it’s probably not what I should do,” or, “I have always wanted to do y, but that’s irrelevant, right?”

Is personal desire something that belongs in discernment? Or is it the kind of thing that we should just disregard because it’s a massive distraction from what is really meant to be happening? How do I know if I can trust my desire?

Continue Reading
Know Thyself, Personality, Practical Tips, Tendencies , , ,

Get Over Your Perfectionism by Doing This

by

If you struggle to do everything perfectly, if you labour over the last tiny detail of every little thing, if you are afraid to ever show your work to anyone before it has reached complete perfection, you might be a perfectionist.

There’s good news for you, though: help is available. Once you realize that you can still pursue excellence without being a perfectionist, and you give yourself permission to embrace the imperfection that comes with making progress, you can take your next step on the path to recovery: increase production, on a deadline.

Perfectionism is a burden, but it’s also a privilege. If you have an entire essay to write in the next 8 hours, labouring over comma placement in one sentence becomes a privilege you no longer have. If your manager expects 10 reports on his desk by Monday morning, you don’t have the luxury of hours spent formatting margins within 1/8 inch.

Continue Reading