Posts by Carl Greer
After the Honeymoon: Idealization and Disillusionment
A while back, I read that the honeymoon phase of most relationships is about 16 months. In that first 16 months, the “other” is glorified, idealized, and thought to perfectly complement us. The “other” does not have to be a person. We can also glorify and idealize a new cause or new passion, such as…
Read MoreThe Longest Journey Starts with One Step: Getting Started with Making Changes
It’s said that the longest journey starts with one step, but sometimes, that step seems so big that we talk ourselves out of taking it. I check off the easy items my to-do list and take a long time to get to the hard ones. I tell myself, “I don’t have enough time or enough…
Read MoreBearing the Tension of Being Betwixt and Between
Often, when we are anxiously betwixt and between an old and a new way of being, we feel an inner urge to act quickly so as to dissipate the anxiety of waiting. Rather than taking action prematurely, we’re usually better off bearing the tension of waiting until we gain clarity about what to do. Clarity…
Read MoreYour Ideals and Choices: Questioning Your Beliefs
Your ideas about right and wrong have immense influence over the decisions you make. But how deeply have you examined the foundational values by which you’re living your life? How can you discover what those values truly are? Questioning your beliefs could involve an exploration of how you would feel in hypothetical situations that pose…
Read MoreExpand the Boundaries of Your Life
Each of us has a story, but it’s not always a satisfying one. To change your story, you have to change the way you view the world. Then you can visualize and energize new possibilities. If you perceive only a narrow range of potential opportunities open to you, you might feel hopelessly boxed into your…
Read MoreService and Cookies: Balance Your Needs with Your Desire to Serve Others
If you’re not able to attend to your livelihood and take care of your basic needs, you won’t have enough energy and resources to serve others. If you feel that you are not taken care of emotionally, then even if your basic practical and physical needs are met, you may not have enough energy to reach out to…
Read MoreUsing Your Energy Wisely: Reexamine Your To-Do List!
It’s easier than we think to go through life on autopilot without being truly aware of what we’re doing. I’ve discovered how easy it can be to pour energy into customary activities and not take the time to consider whether that’s the best use of my energy. As part of the requirements for becoming a…
Read MoreSeize Your Opportunities for Greater Fulfillment
Often, tragic events remind us of the fragility of life. If you knew for sure when you would die, what would you do differently? For example, what would you do if you were going to die in one day, one week, or one month? How about if you had just three months, six months, one…
Read MoreThe Collective Unconscious: The Birthplace of All Ideas, Stories, and Myths
The collective unconscious contains the prototypes of all ideas, stories, and myths, including that of the sage who offers wisdom or the fool who reveals human folly. It also contains the prototypes of universal experiences, such as water as being a cleansing force and fire being a transformative one. These archetypes affect our dreams while…
Read MoreRunning Goodwill Deficits
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.” ― Charles Dickens, David Copperfield When you consider your life story, how you spend intangible resources such as time and goodwill constitutes a crucial theme. Do you take time away from your family…
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