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Articles from Noelle Nelson | Selfgrowth.com
- Let Purpose Get You Off the Hamster Wheel! - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2023 from Noelle NelsonSome days it feels like life is one endless hamster wheel, where you go round and round and round in the same way day after day. You know the drill: chores-work-kids-chores-bed, rinse and repeat. Oh, sure, there’s the occasional crisis to change things up, maybe the occasional vacation or happy ...
Views: 5 - Self-Care: Lattes and Ice Cream. Really? - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2023 from Noelle NelsonWe are a quick-fix species, we humans. We want ‘it’ – whatever ‘it’ is – NOW! The money, the lover, the job, the car, the child to behave, the partner to behave (oops!), the boss to quit micro-managing: the list goes on and on. So too with self-care. Few of us think of what self-care really ...
Views: 27 - Going For Misery or Looking For Ease? - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2023 from Noelle NelsonThe Holidays are long over, New Year’s came and went, Super Bowl happened, Valentine’s Day is but a dim recollection, so what’s next? Ah yes, tax season . . . Let’s not all rejoice at the same time. Well, not me, anyway. As a self-employed, I now need to plow through all my receipts, sort ...
Views: 51 - Drop it!! - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2023 from Noelle NelsonI learned an amazing new technique from my massage therapist Tammy recently. No, not yet another way of ironing out my body ‘kinks,’ although she is pure genius when it comes to that. On the contrary, this had nothing to do with massage, and everything to do with life. Ready? Here goes. ...
Views: 84 - Who Will You Choose to Be In 2023? - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2022 from Noelle NelsonThe great thing about a New Year is we get to make a fresh start. The not-so-great thing about a New Year is we get to make a fresh start. Which we often abandon within a month or so. We then feel guilty or bad about ourselves for not being able to stick with whatever it was. But what if you ...
Views: 99 - Flip Holiday Stress Into Fun for You! - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2022 from Noelle NelsonIt seems the topic uppermost in so many of our minds at this time of year is stress. AKA Holiday stress. Too many gifts to buy, too little money. Too many cards to send out/email, gifts to wrap, people to visit – too little time. Too many relatives and others to be considerate of – too little ...
Views: 90 - You’re Wrong! - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2022 from Noelle NelsonNobody likes to be told they are wrong. We all believe, in our hearts of hearts, that we are right, no matter how logically misguided we may be. So why do we so often voice an objection to something our partner, friend or co-worker says with an immediate: “You’re wrong!” Often followed up by, ...
Views: 137 - A Simple Way to Increase Your Happiness - by Submitted on Sep 01, 2022 from Noelle NelsonAs I stood in line waiting for a table last week, a couple of people were leaving the restaurant. One of them was complaining about the food, the few waiters, and how long it took to get their order. Meanwhile, the other person was saying: “Gosh, I don’t know. I liked the variety of the menu and ...
Views: 168 - It’s All About ‘Tude - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2022 from Noelle NelsonI was having a pity party the day before a Ballroom Dance Competition. It was hot, I was tired, my legs were sore, we hadn’t rehearsed enough, I’d never remember all my steps, and on and on. I was being such a grump even my dogs were avoiding me. Fine. I can take a hint. I settled on the ...
Views: 163 - Give Yourself a Nature Prescription - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2022 from Noelle NelsonAmid the pandemic, when we were for the most part quarantined, urged to remain indoors as much as possible, I had an overwhelming urge to get out into nature. Living as I do in Southern California, I figured I could go find a beach and stare at the ocean for a bit without breaking any quarantine ...
Views: 162 - “Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.” - Richard Wilkins - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2022 from Noelle NelsonA dear friend was lamenting the state of the world these days, and indeed, the wars, shootings, political and legal wrangles are disturbing to those who want peace and prosperity for all. In addition to the natural disasters which seem constant: fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. And ...
Views: 251 - Finding Happiness, Living Your Joy - by Submitted on May 02, 2022 from Noelle NelsonSo often, it seems like the world presses against us, day in and day out. Work duties, family obligations, endless chores, finances, on and on. Who has time for anything as frivolous as deliberately “finding happiness”? Much less “living your joy.” Like, when? How? And why would it even matter ...
Views: 233 - Everyone Has A Superpower – What’s Yours? - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2022 from Noelle NelsonThe ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound is hardly useful these days, given the wonders of CGI. And yes, invisibility might still be useful, but what if you forgot how to be visible again? Far better is to look inward for your superpower, not outward. To your truth, to what serves ...
Views: 228 - You Got This! - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2022 from Noelle NelsonMy morning was supposed to be devoted to writing a report for one of the trial attorneys I consult for. The work takes concentration and focus, as my conclusions influence how the case is developed. It’s important, it matters, I need to do it well. But “life” was having none of it . . . The ...
Views: 209 - Walk Past The Rabbit Hole Into A Stellar New Year - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2021 from Noelle NelsonTo say it’s been a strange year is an understatement. Even stranger than last year, because most of us expected that 2021 would see an end to the global pandemic and political unrest. Not! So here we are, still in the world-wide chaos of COVID and politics, wondering what new disaster will ...
Views: 215 - Reframe Problems as Projects: Brilliant! - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2021 from Noelle NelsonI came across a quote recently by Alan Cohen I think is pure genius: “When you reframe problems as projects, they will cease to bother you and begin to stimulate you.” Pure genius for me, anyway, as it put my recent experience with a badly strained hamstring in perfect perspective. There I ...
Views: 214 - Waste Not, Want Not - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2021 from Noelle NelsonWe may not be out of the pandemic quite yet, but many of us are carving out a “new normal” for ourselves. Because let’s face it, life is not going back to what it was a mere two years ago. This actually is a good thing, because we have the opportunity to make new decisions, new choices for how ...
Views: 220 - What’s Right With This Picture? - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2021 from Noelle NelsonLunch at a restaurant! With a friend, live and in person! A restaurant with indoor seating, no masks required for the vaccinated. OMG, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. After the long year of home-cooking (not much variety there), take-out (fun from time to time, not all the time), and ...
Views: 289 - The Hope Of The World - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2021 from Noelle NelsonIt’s easy to wonder about the future of our nation, or even the world, when we observe younger people engaged with their devices 24/7, seemingly uninterested in anything but the latest “trending” or selfie. How will future generations thrive given what seems to many as their selfish attitude of ...
Views: 264 - How Candice Bergen Changed My Life - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2020 from Noelle NelsonIn a recent interview, actress Candice Bergen spoke about how her beauty, and the way others react to it, challenged her self-development, as no one seemed to care much about what she thought or her opinions. They were too bedazzled by her face. I can relate. Candice was one year ahead of me ...
Views: 453 - A Unique Holiday Gift – Cute Critter Viewing - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2020 from Noelle NelsonJust when you thought things were going to get better, the pandemic surged, causing yet again a slew of restrictions right in time for the Holidays. No, really?! It feels like 2020 can’t find its joy, not even a tiny sparkle of happiness, nothing to light up the Holidays. No family ...
Views: 424 - Decide or Slide - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2020 from Noelle NelsonA friend of mine broke her upper arm recently. Considering she’s a massage therapist who’s been out of work on and off all year due to COVID, plus having a hastily re-organized virtual wedding as opposed to the long planned-for wedding of her dreams, along with the death of her beloved ...
Views: 528 - More Hope and Less Angst - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2020 from Noelle NelsonMy best friend and I had a vigorous discussion recently about the relative merits of process versus results. She was extolling the virtues of process and processing, and I was nattering on about “results, results, results.” Yet the obvious conclusion at the end of our conversation, was that both ...
Views: 442 - The Four-Letter Word That Kills - by Submitted on Sep 01, 2020 from Noelle NelsonWe all know that just as there are words which uplift and enthrall us, there are words which can hurt and demean us. But did you know that there is one four-letter word that actually kills?! No, it’s not that four-letter word, it’s the word “can’t.” The word “can’t” kills dreams, hopes, ...
Views: 534 - Cool Your Jets - by Submitted on Aug 03, 2020 from Noelle Nelson“To open or not to open, that is the question.” Shakespeare is probably rolling in his grave at my lamentable misuse of his famous “To be or not to be” but these days “To open or not to open” IS the question. And it is driving most of us absolutely crazy. It was one thing to engage our ...
Views: 446 - Cool Your Jets - by Submitted on Aug 03, 2020 from Noelle Nelson“To open or not to open, that is the question.” Shakespeare is probably rolling in his grave at my lamentable misuse of his famous “To be or not to be” but these days “To open or not to open” IS the question. And it is driving most of us absolutely crazy. It was one thing to engage our ...
Views: 470 - I'm Not Arguing. I'm Just Explaining That I'm Right - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2020 from Noelle NelsonGiven my work as a trial consultant, I typically spend a lot of time on airplanes and consequently, in airports (at least until the COVID-19 outbreak). I was in an airport somewhere in the Midwest when I saw a fellow traveler wearing a t-shirt with words that I found positively brilliant: “I’m ...
Views: 604 - What I Learned From The Inventor Of Zoom - by Submitted on May 31, 2020 from Noelle NelsonIf there’s one thing I noticed about our sheltering-in-place time, it’s that complaining did absolutely nothing about it. Zip. Nada. Complaining about the lack of work didn’t magically produce more work, ditto lack of income. Complaining about the ordeal – pardon me, challenge – of ...
Views: 537 - B.R.E.A.T.H.E. - Dealing With Stress In The Age Of COVID-19 - by Submitted on Apr 29, 2020 from Noelle NelsonOur world is riddled with fear and anxiety. Finances. Aargh! How will we pay the rent/mortgage or have money to pay for food when we're out of work? We're lonely and miss the times when we could be with our friends and family. If we have kids, we agonize over what kind of impact the lockdown is ...
Views: 529 - Your Attitude's Impact On Mind & Body During COVID-19 Crisis - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2020 from Noelle NelsonMy front window gives onto the street, and every day I see people walking their dogs. Maybe a half dozen folk in all, giving their pups some exercise. But over the last week, since California went on “lock-down,” I’m utterly amazed by the number of people walking. With dogs, without dogs, with ...
Views: 811 - What's Your Next Right Move? - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2020 from Noelle NelsonSomething Oprah Winfrey said in an interview I stumbled across recently really hit home with me: “What is the next right move?” She was talking about how to handle disappointments, even failures, and the point she was making is how useless it is for us to dwell on whatever-it-was, but rather to ...
Views: 678 - Up Your Game This Valentine’s Day - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2020 from Noelle NelsonHow about if this Valentine’s Day you upped your game? What if, instead of--or in addition to-- focusing the intensity of your love on that one special person in your life, you turned the spotlight of your love onto your life! Your whole life, all of it, every aspect of it. If rather than ...
Views: 562 - The 20-Minute Rule - by Submitted on Dec 31, 2019 from Noelle NelsonMy resolution for the New Year is actually very simple: The 20 Minute Rule. It means I no longer allow myself to worry over anything for more than 20 minutes. Anything. Not the state of my health, finances, relationships, the world – anything. Why should this rank as a valid resolution? Well, ...
Views: 532 - How to Make Holiday Magic - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2019 from Noelle NelsonThe holidays can sometimes feel like one long list of obligations. You have to figure out which gifts to get for whom and how much you can afford to spend. You have to write holiday cards/notes/emails at least to some people, once again figuring out what to whom. You have to figure out which ...
Views: 565 - What Would Betty Crocker Do? - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2019 from Noelle NelsonSome of you may remember who Betty Crocker was. For those of you who don’t, Betty Crocker was a fictional character, created in the 1920s to give a friendly face to cooking and baking products. She was a cultural icon right through the mid-90s. To many over the decades, she represented kindness ...
Views: 543 - Halloween’s Gift to Us: F.E.A.R. - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2019 from Noelle NelsonHalloween is almost upon us, and grown-ups are planning Halloween parties, while kids of all ages figure out what costume to wear and whether to trick or treat. For all the fun we have at Halloween, it is still a day in remembrance of all things scary; ghosts, zombies, witches, spells and ...
Views: 880 - Resolve Upsets with Genuine Explanations - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2019 from Noelle NelsonAs a peace-loving Libra, I’m always looking for ways to minimize conflict, ways for us to get along better, regardless of our differences. So I was quite taken with a post a friend forwarded to me: “Explain your anger, don’t express it, and you will immediately open the door to solutions ...
Views: 1039 - Just My Luck! - by Submitted on May 31, 2019 from Noelle NelsonSomeone cuts you off in traffic, you get stuck behind the person with 30 items in the 10 items or less line, your hair dryer fails in the middle of your blow-dry, the cat throws up on your favorite shirt, and every time you say to yourself, gritting your teeth through it all, “Yup, just my ...
Views: 702 - Shift your Perspective! - by Submitted on May 02, 2019 from Noelle NelsonHow do you see yourself? As a hero or a victim? In any given life circumstance, you can see yourself either way. I recently moved into my new home. As is often the case with a “new” home, that is to say new to me, although built in the mid 1960s, it has what is euphemistically referred to as ...
Views: 637 - Rude Behavior? Walk On By - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2019 from Noelle NelsonIt’s inevitable: if you interact with other human beings, you’re going to be subject to an assortment of slights, glares and smirks (if not downright rude gestures). Whether their behavior is intentional or not, the driver that cuts you off, the person in front of you in the “15 items only” line ...
Views: 838 - A Gut-Wrench-Saving Question: Is It Worth It? - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2019 from Noelle NelsonYou can hardly go anywhere these days without someone wanting to talk politics: local, national, global. The internet keeps us apprised of seemingly everything that’s happening everywhere on the planet at every instant--every tweet, photo-op (legit or not) and glitch. All this is fine if it ...
Views: 674 - Celebrate Love On Valentine's Day—Not Just Romance - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2019 from Noelle NelsonValentine’s Day is fast approaching--along with all the romance, roses and chocolate traditionally part of the day's celebration. But here’s the thing. Why should Valentine’s Day be reserved for romance alone? Why don't we celebrate love itself? A Canadian resident, Karri Carberry, 19, was ...
Views: 631 - Who Has More Fun, Us or Dogs? - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2018 from Noelle NelsonWe have a new neighbor on our hill. I met him the other day when I was taking my beloved old puppy--whose arthritis prevents him from getting a walk--out for his drive. My neighbor was walking his three pups down the hill, so of course as mutual dog lovers, we had to stop and have a ...
Views: 719 - Don't Play The Comparison Game This Thanksgiving—Be Thankful For Who You Are - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2018 from Noelle NelsonWith Thanksgiving, our attention turns to all those people and things for which we are grateful. A wonderful tradition, indeed. However, there’s a sneaky little devil that sometimes gets in the way of our ability to truly appreciate...and that is, comparison. Uh-huh. Comparing your ...
Views: 896 - A Lesson From A True Super Hero—Who's Only Four Years Old! - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2018 from Noelle NelsonAs you think about Halloween, and whatever plans you have for yourself and/or for your family, inevitably, part of your thinking revolves around “So, who will I go as this year?” It’s fun to adopt a persona for a night or two, and express an aspect of ourselves that rarely gets trotted out into ...
Views: 862 - Life Lessons from the Wild Boars - by Submitted on Sep 02, 2018 from Noelle NelsonNot long ago, the world waited with bated breath while watching the rescue of 12 boys, members of the Wild Boars soccer team, and their coach, who were caught in a flooded subterranean cave deep under the mountains of Chang Rai, Thailand. We witnessed the extraordinary worldwide commitment to ...
Views: 800 - Lessons from Coffee: What Do I Want? - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2018 from Noelle NelsonWhen you walk into your favorite coffee place in the morning, I doubt that the first thing on your mind is, “How are the coffee bean plantations doing today?” If you are a true coffee aficionado, you may know that your preferred beans come from Columbia or Nicaragua, but you probably don’t worry ...
Views: 789 - Solution! Solution! Solution! - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2018 from Noelle NelsonLife on planet Earth is riddled with problems. Little problems, big problems, we all have them, pretty much every day. But what matters isn’t the problem, it’s the solution! And oh, how easy it is to lose sight of that. My phones went down a couple of months ago. Since we don't get cell ...
Views: 1189 - If Only… - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2018 from Noelle NelsonEver had a case of the “if onlys”? You know, as in; “If only I’d gotten that job,” “If only that guy/gal hadn’t broken up with me,” “If only I hadn’t been passed over for that promotion,” “If only I’d won the lottery!” “If only I had more talent,” and so on. Unfortunately, once you get ...
Views: 1160 - Success: What Do You Have To Sacrifice In Order To Get It?” - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2018 from Noelle NelsonRecently I came across the Dalai Lama’s “18 Rules of Living,” which he shared with the world at the beginning of the new millennium. Here, 18 years later, it seemed relevant to revisit them. In particular, I was struck by his rule: “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to ...
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