Recently I had the opportunity to work with high school students during a youth conference.  During my workshops, I gave the students a handout and on the backside, I had an outline of a handheld mirror.  I asked the students to write how they think the world views them on the outside of the image.  Then for the inside, the part of the mirror that stares right back, I asked them to write how they view themselves.  As we began discussing the exercises, I came to realize that most of them had more critical and negative statements in the center…

Do you ever find yourself wanting something so bad and you tell yourself having it would make you happier, it will make your life better but when you manage to reach it, you realize it’s not what you expected? We tend to seek things we tell ourselves we want and need.  We want things to go a certain way, from having the best looks and the perfect smile, to the latest and greatest gadgets and toys, to the perfect house and job, and even conforming to social media pressures.  We tell ourselves once we reach those goals, then we will…

Our reality never changes, it remains ours whether we choose to ignore it or embrace it.  Everyone understands life comes with challenges.  Accepting and embracing those challenges will lead to personal and even spiritual growth but ignoring or wishing them away will only lead to a deeper hole to dig out of.  It takes time, effort, dedication, and commitment to thrive through the challenges and reach our goals.  Have you noticed people who have the hardest time in life are the ones who refuse to face reality and do something about it?  Understand this, facing your reality does not make…