THE BRAVELY BALANCED BLOG

For the overachiever and the overworked!

How exhausted are you? I know the feeling!

Does being exhausted serve you? What if I told you that you could have it all without subjecting yourself to hustle culture?

Sounds divine, doesn’t it? Follow along and feel the ease!

Mad at the World: Owning Our Anger Without Letting It Own Us
Empowerment, Anger and Depression Maryanne Nicholls Empowerment, Anger and Depression Maryanne Nicholls

Mad at the World: Owning Our Anger Without Letting It Own Us

One thing I hear from many people is their anger. It gets expressed in a lot of ways – blaming others, demanding perfection from others, demanding perfection from themselves.  It’s rarely expressed directly, so when it is so expressed, I take notice. Last week, a friend, after complaining about the supposed imperfection of someone he just met, suddenly said: In truth, I am just mad at the world!

Well, I am too. …

Read More
Choosing Grace Over Grudge: From Hurt to Healing through Change

Choosing Grace Over Grudge: From Hurt to Healing through Change

I was hurt by a colleague in a way that cut deeply. I dealt with it by letting her know I was hurt and surprised that she did what she did, then let it go, or so I thought. Recently she was nominated for something prestigious, and I have the power to veto it.I want to veto it. I want to veto it a lot. I want someone else to get that nomination, who is actually very worthy of it and deserves it more than she does. But I know that many who will vote feel against that. Am I open to changing my position on this? Is this a hill I want to die on? Do I want to give this person and the situation that much power?Well, when I put it to myself that way, the answer is no. I will put forward the other names, and I will argue strongly for them. And then I’ll let it all go. Whew! I passed the test. Being open to changing our position on anything that we are emotionally invested in is really difficult. It can come in many guises: saying no to your dearly beloved son or daughter … or parent, when you know that ‘no’ is the right answer; pointing a finger at someone else in order to protect your ego when you know that other person isn’t to blame. There are many ways we are challenged to change something we know isn’t working, but resist doing it.It's called inertia, and it’s a universal law – any object that is at rest with reman so, and any object in motion will continue in motion at that speed and direction unless something forces it to do otherwise. Change is naturally a challenge, so don’t be too hard on yourself when you encounter a need to make a change.

Read More