What I Believe

[Some of My Make-Believes about How Stuff Works]

• We're all always trying to take care of ourselves the best we can. Some of us have curious and less effective ways of doing that.

• ​If I get upset simply because another judges me, ​it’s often because at some level I share in the judgment or fear that it might be true.

• My core wounds may wear many disguises and show up in seemingly unrelated areas of my experience.  If I can deal with my key triggers in one area, it will likely have a cascading impact across my life. 

• Approaching myself with compassion is more effective than approaching myself with shame and judgment. I can't judge myself out of judgment and unhappiness.

• A culture’s sense of what is “natural” and “unnatural” is not so much given as constructed, often to support a specific worldview and value system. 

• Anger, malice, opposition, and righteous indignation are typically masks for fear.  

• There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.  Stay open and curious.

• If I believe it's possible to change my life, I am correct. If I don't believe it's possible, or that it can only be done with great difficulty, I am also correct.

• I have a better chance of changing another’s mind and heart if I first open mine.