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Twitter / WordVibes

  • Another weekend pic: the Farmington Flats at dusk. 11 days ago February 11, 2012
  • Pity and worry are power-less; compassion is #power-full 12 days ago February 11, 2012
  • Believing in fate is power-less; deliberate creation is #power-full. 12 days ago February 11, 2012

Twitter / LifeAligned

  • Agreed. Nor does going through the motions of character without connection to inner life. 5 hours ago February 23, 2012
  • If you don't appreciate who you are right now, you haven't used your challenges to their fullest value. 7 hours ago February 23, 2012
  • I used to tell my kids, "If you're working too hard to make it fit, something's wrong. You're missing a key. What's the key?" 7 hours ago February 23, 2012

What does Authenticity Mean to You?

By M. Kenneth Petruzzi, on July 14th, 2011%

Authenticity

What does authenticity mean to you? Your beliefs and attitudes about the concept of authenticity may have a significant impact on the creation and co-creation of your relationships with others. Recently, a Psychology Today blog by Vivian Diller got me to thinking about this subject to even greater depths than I had before. The result? My current thinking goes something like this:

There are three aspects to authenticity.

The first requirement is that my desires have some connection with WHO I am. I wouldn’t get cosmetic surgery for fear of not meeting some consensus standard, or to impress according to some cosmetic standard (though for SOME cosmetic surgery IS an authentic action).  I won’t buy a certain brand because others revere it. For me, the aforementioned choices would mean compliance, and compliance is hardly ever my first choice. I am not judging a different approach, but I am saying that for me, that kind of choice wouldn’t fit my idea of a real me. My approach to authenticity requires that the majority of my desires about how I represent myself . . . → Read More: What does Authenticity Mean to You?

14 comments   Expanding Definitions, Inner World Words, Mental Models, Uncategorized, Words that Matter   , , , ,  

What’s the Problem with Positive Thinking?

By M. Kenneth Petruzzi, on March 30th, 2011%

A Woman Looking Off Into the Distance With Positive Expectation

Well, there is nothing wrong with positive thinking, itself. The real issue lies with the absurd misconceptions some folks have (and lately quite a few bloggers) about what practicing a positive outlook means. These in turn lead to failed implementations, and blow-back, and more downer blogs on positive thinking.

True positivity has nothing to do with covering over negativity. It has nothing to do with ignoring relationship difficulties or employee issues to achieve a false harmony. It has nothing to do with pasting affirmations over disturbing thoughts or memories (which can do more harm than good). It has nothing to do with suppressing anger or other “non-evolved” (what a joke) emotions that are a natural part of the most evolved person and which can prove quite helpful when recognized for what they are and used appropriately.

Positive thinking is about acknowledging and understanding what we experience as negative, and then choosing a focus that brings our perception to the value in any situation. Whether what troubles us is a perceived flaw in ourselves, or behavior of another, or . . . → Read More: What’s the Problem with Positive Thinking?

6 comments   Change, Expanding Definitions, Mental Models, Mood Mods   , , , , , ,  

Reaching for a Better Definition of Success

By M. Kenneth Petruzzi, on March 20th, 2011%

How shall we define success? Most of us use the word “success” for a variety of meanings. There’s the kind of success when we win something we want to win at. There’s the kind of success that we apply to those who have achieved some kind of significant milestone or admirable outcome. For example, many would agree that those who have earned or attracted financial abundance, widely recognized expertise, or stature are successful in some way.

But let’s aim broader in our definition of success. Let’s consider overall life success—Success with a  big “S,” as opposed to “this moment’s win” kind of success.

I’ll begin with a straightforward proposal: that achieving overall life Success need not depend on winning, but can depend instead on how we feel about what we have, what we are going for, and how we are going for what we’re going for. Don’t worry, if you are not successful by this suggested definition of success, you are but a few thoughts away from getting closer to it.

So, let’s play with . . . → Read More: Reaching for a Better Definition of Success

Leave a comment   Expanding Definitions, Success & Abundance   , ,