Posts – Page 4 – Deepening Our Journey

Avoiding Decisions

October 2, 2023

Over the past fifty years I have counseled people of all ages, from young children to seniors in a variety of settings faced with major life decisions who all too often decide—consciously or unconsciously—not to make a decision! I have also found myself in the same situation and Rita and I have had to face our fair share as a couple. The first thing to realize about these major life decisions which we ignore, walk around, or put off until later is that not making a decision may very well

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Seeking Out Inspiration

September 3, 2023

Inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative (or different) I often run my ideas for possible post topics by friends, especially a few who tend to be honest and candid. Sometimes their responses simply move me to put the possible topic back on the shelf. Other times their feedback drives me deeper into the topic. This time a thoughtful response challenged me to do some serious self-reflection! I had floated my idea for a post on seeking out inspiration by

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Fear: Friend or Foe?

August 1, 2023

This is one of the most challenging posts for me to write because it directly relates to one of the biggest concerns we face today as families, communities, faith communities, and certainly as a country. The increasing division seeping into most aspects of our daily life has become cancerous! It feels as if I see evidence of this growing societal cancer on a near-daily basis. Here are just a handful of the many examples which continue to confirm my growing concern: Not long ago I had my first couple request

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Communal Wellness

July 4, 2023

This is the tenth and final area of focus in my Total Wellness program. Although I’m eager to get back to writing more spontaneously about the fascinating people and experiences I run across on a daily basis, I certainly appreciate the folks—both blog followers and wellness clients—who encouraged me to commit these last ten months to explaining my approach to total wellness and the fact that it can be an exciting and empowering life long journey! If you know me at all, on any level, you are probably aware that

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Environmental Wellness

May 29, 2023

Environmental Wellness was the last of the 10 areas of wellness that I added. The environment we operate within, from our personal space to the planet we live on, has a profound impact upon our wellness. Unfortunately, “the environment” has become highly politicized. Some people shut down at just hearing the word! My goal as a wellness coach is not to push any kind of political agenda but to stay focused on the overall wellbeing of the client. What about their environment—however they choose to define that—is getting in the

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Funal Wellness

May 8, 2023

This eighth area of wellness—“funal” wellness—has generated more questions and strange looks with coaching clients and participants in Total Wellness workshops and presentations than any other. Funal wasn’t an area of focus in my original Total Wellness structure. I discovered its critical importance while doing intake and symptom assessments for clients requesting counseling. I began asking the question, “What do you do for fun?” A common comeback was, “What do you mean?” That response alone was a strong indication of depression. Some folks couldn’t ever remember having fun, others describe

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Financial Wellness

April 6, 2023

This seventh area of Total Wellness, financial wellness, is one of the most misunderstood. This post won’t have tips for spending less, saving more, budgeting better, or investing smarter. Because financial wellness isn’t about how much money you have or even if you have “enough,” it’s about your relationship with and attitude toward money. I trust you have heard the saying, “money is the root of all evil.” But that’s actually taken out of context. The full Bible verse (1 Timothy 6:10) reads, “the love of money is the root

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Vocational Wellness

March 4, 2023

For our sixth area of Total Wellness we will take a look at vocational wellness. “Vocational” is a word choice I made deliberately over “career” or “occupational” wellness. Although a job can be a vocation, not all jobs are vocations and not all vocations are jobs. A vocation doesn’t have to be paid; parenting and caregiving, while also relational, can also be vocational. Art, music, activism, coaching, environmental conservation, and service work are other common vocations that may or not make money. So what makes a job into a vocation?

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Relational Wellness

February 5, 2023

This is the fifth stop on our total wellness journey: relational wellness. Relationships—in all their forms—have been a gift and a blessing since I first arrived on the planet over 75 years ago! My longest-lasting non-family relationship goes back to November of 1947 when our closest neighbors had their second child, a feisty little girl they named Elaine. I was two months old when we first met which I don’t remember all that well! Elaine and I have kept in touch across the years, using phone, texting, and email, but

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