being nice is powerful

The Power of Please

There was a singularly interesting moment this weekend, when I was teaching a small community theater group in Salt Lake City. In and amongst the stage-combat and movement classes I had been asked to give a short lecture on the…

seeing the joy in your life

Joy. Pain. Sunshine…and Rain

“All we need for joy
is to re-focus our gaze.”

This tweet from a brother-in-arts of mine has been simmering in my head since I first read it. I’m pretty clear on the joy part — joy…

cut down on the lies in your life

The Fork in Your Pocket

My stepmom was uncannily good at telling when I was lying in my youth. She would often explain to me that I was completely obvious when I’d try to get away with something, and would use the example of…

becoming better at compassion

The Whine of the Road Warrior

Sounds like you’ve been travelling a lot lately. I feel like I should give you some Zen-based advice, like, we are all one, therefore you are always home.

Or, identify the…

creating realistic dreams

Letting Go of Superman

I’m about to commit a cardinal sin of personal development blogs: I’m going to tell you that sometimes you have to let go of your dreams.

personal love symbols

The Gift That Keeps On Living

I received an interesting gift during my trip to Utah. Aside from the full-on classes on stage combat, persona motivation and the art of the cigar, I also had some limited availability for one-on-one consults…

communicating love is an art worth cultivating

The Unsaid is Inaudible to the Heart

finding value in the negative

The Mood Alchemist

Never mind him. Let’s focus on the positive. At least those kind of people have shown me clearer what it is I am looking for in people who I surround myself with.

create your own life

Suddenly, the plot thickened…

Ever feel like you’ve been thrown a plot twist in the story of your life by a particularly sadistic screenwriter?

how do you communicate love?

the Words of Binding

…speaking of “love”, my partner has never uttered the word “love” to me. If we even start on the subject in an objective way, he goes quiet. This brings me comfort and lets me enjoy his companionship even more. Free…

defining your life realistically

Is that all there is?

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”
― James Branch Cabell, The Silver Stallion

making the time to love

Time Enough for Love

Yes, I know, yet another Heinlein reference. but this one is not actually in regards to that book. Rather, it’s a simple enough question: are you giving yourself time enough to love the things that you love?