The first question most people ask is, why? Why would you want to spend ten days meditating in complete silence: no phone, no books, no distractions? I still don’t have a good answer, I only know that I did, and that’s a good enough reason for me these days. I had a few last-minute nerves … Continue reading Ten days of silence: My Vipassana Meditation Experience
Personal Growth
Personal growth and self-development articles
Screw-ups: the school of life’s most successful teacher
I’ve been working hard over the years to cultivate a state of being that sweats the small stuff less. I’ve been more successful than I dared hope, but just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, a curve ball reminds me there’s always more work to do. I’ve just returned from a week’s … Continue reading Screw-ups: the school of life’s most successful teacher
Write it out
I used to be a great sleeper. If you asked me what my superpower was, it would be sleep. I was a sleep ninja, adept at drifting to the land of nod and staying cocooned there until morning (discounting those years when my children were young and a solid night's sleep was a distant memory: … Continue reading Write it out
Change: incremental or monumental?
I’ve been writing a poem on the theme of change for my poetry group next month and it started me thinking about change in relation to personal growth (to be fair, it’s not very often I’m not thinking about this in some capacity, being a bit of a self-improvement junkie). But is got me wondering: … Continue reading Change: incremental or monumental?
Yogi Yoda
Our children are our teachers, mirrors deep as the sea Each trigger a new learning point, pushed relentlessly Lessons learned the hard way on the messy path to growth No route free of worry or strife, I’ve made my peace with both But the love they bring is infinite, burning brighter than the stars Unlocking … Continue reading Yogi Yoda
New Year, Same Worries: overcoming the merry-go-round of rumination
At the end of 2021 I found myself in the peculiar position of feeling like I was back to square one in terms of my overthinking and worrying ways. I've written before about the non-linear aspects of change, but there are some things you think you've just cracked, and for me overthinking and ruminating fell … Continue reading New Year, Same Worries: overcoming the merry-go-round of rumination
A little bit of what lights you up
There’s been a collective vibe of ‘mehness’ floating around lately. I think many of us have been feeling it in some form or another, so imagine my delight when an exercise in a book I’m reading gave me pause to realise just how much I have to be grateful for. The book is The Artist’s … Continue reading A little bit of what lights you up
The slippery quality of change: can we ever make it stick?
I was talking to a friend over the weekend and we were lamenting how hard it is to stay in the mindset of a shift we’d like to make. We’d read all the books, listened to all the podcasts, made some good progress, but when we stopped paying attention and let go of the external … Continue reading The slippery quality of change: can we ever make it stick?
Everyday magic: finding wonder in the ordinary
Walking my dog I came across something I have never noticed in my 37 years on this Earth. I’ve doubtless walked past it many times, but this was the first time I actually saw it. Thin bridges of iridescence, flaring horizontally, suspended impossibly in mid-air and revealed only by the morning light. Their pattern was … Continue reading Everyday magic: finding wonder in the ordinary
Work Hard, Laze Hard
How would you feel if I called you lazy? I don't know about you, but I can feel my hackles rising, the word has so many negative connotations doesn’t it? It's a criticism which my inner critic, Brian, likes to wheel out every now and again, especially when I'm feeling stuck in a rut. He … Continue reading Work Hard, Laze Hard
Rae Cod’s Writing 