Tag Archives: personal growth

In the Gap Between Stimulus and Response is Where Real Love Occurs

Posted on March 12, 2016 by John

I’ll meet you there (to riff on Rumi). Or better yet: Start meeting your partner there. Choice is sexy. When partners choose when and where and how they want to have sex, that is sexy. When they make a choice to engage … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Conscious Love, Intimacy, Intimate Relationships, Love, Love is a Choice, Love is a Decision, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Perspective, Real Love, Self-Awareness, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is it Possible to Lie & Deceive Someone We Love?

Posted on January 27, 2015 by John

Is it possible to lie and deceive someone we love? One of the blogs I read on occasion (http://relationshipremedy.com/2015/01/28/sex-lies-and-the-truth/) asked a question similar to that asked above. And the short answer is: No, of course not. And the longer answer … Continue reading →

Posted in Antilove, Commitment, Immature Love, Intimacy, Kindness, Love, Love Is a Verb, Mature Love, Mental Health, Perspective, Real Love, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How to Know If You Are REALLY Ready For a Real Relationship

Posted on April 10, 2014 by John

How do you know if you are (or your partner is) really ready for a REAL relationship. Condition 1: You have strong feelings or a strong sense of attraction for another. You are infatuated with him or her. You are … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Commitment, Conscious Love, Critical Thinking, Martin Luther King Jr., Mature Love, Personal Growth, Perspective, Reactive, Real Love, Responsibility, Self-Awareness, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

May God Bless Us All . . . with Discomfort, Anger, Tears, and Foolishness

Posted on December 5, 2013 by John

. . . This is not by any means what we normally think of when asking God to bless us.  Maybe when asking God to “bless” our enemies or oppressors, but not when asking him to bless our family and … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Conscience, Courage, Critical Thinking, Mother Teresa, Personal Growth, Ruth Fox, Saint Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Marriage Box. (Relationships Are About What We Put Into Them, Not What We Get Out of Them)

Posted on December 4, 2013 by John

“Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthony Robbins, Love is a Decision, Love Is a Verb, Love is an Act of Will, Love is Not a Feeling, Marriage Box, Mature Love, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Real Love, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Why Peace Is Difficult (If Not Impossible)

Posted on July 25, 2013 by John

Begin by drawing a circle. Outside of the circle, begin a list of everything you don’t like, that irks you, that spins you out or floods you emotionally; everything that is contrary to your tastes, preferences, temperament, beliefs, principles; everything … Continue reading →

Posted in B4Peace, Bloggers for Peace, Comfort Zone, Critical Thinking, Criticism, Discomfort Zone, Personal Growth, Perspective, R. D. Laing, The Examined Life, Thomas Merton, Truth, Waking Up | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Serenity Prayer, Self-Acceptance & Self-Care, and Discernment

Posted on July 2, 2013 by John

. DISCERNMENT.  (Noun.)  A core component of wisdom.  The ability to make fine yet profound/crucial distinctions; the ability to see (comprehend) more clearly what is unclear and obscure. The Serenity Prayer (as it applies to ourselves) God, grant me the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Courage, Critical Thinking, Czeslaw Milosz, Denial, Differentiation, Difficulty, Goethe, John Kenneth Galbraith, Love, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Perspective, Self-Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When It Comes to Love & Your Relationships Are You Committed or Just Interested?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by John

. . There’s a difference between being interested in something and being committed to something.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you make the time to do it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Kenneth Blanchard, Love is a Commitment, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Fulton J. Sheen on Doing Good v Refraining from Doing Bad

Posted on February 23, 2013 by John

Wise stuff! Reminds me of Burke’s (attributed) words, paraphrasing–“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” And as Martin Luther King Jr wrote (and it’s quoted in the post below this one on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lying, Self-Deception, Resistance to Truth & Reality, and the Pain of Real Growth

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John

I posted this today on one of my other blogs–“Lying, Self-Deception, Resistance to Truth & Reality, and the Pain of Real Growth“–it meshes well with the real inner growth required if we are to learn how to become more genuinely … Continue reading →

Posted in Lao Tzu, M. Scott Peck, Mental Health, The Road Less Traveled, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments