Three Principles Living

Judith A. Sedgeman, EdD

nature of thought Tag

Gratitude: a route to inner peace

Without any plan to do this, I have slipped into the habit, as I lay down to sleep, of thinking of something or someone from the past day for which I am grateful. And then, when I awaken, thinking of something I am grateful to look forward to in the new day. Often, I am surprised by what comes to mind. Almost always, they are small things, or momentary unexpected encounters with people, that elicit a smile and a peaceful feeling. Sometimes, they are big things -- pivotal moments in my life...

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Unmasking the memory terrorist

Many of the new clients I work with who have been in long-term psychological treatment are weary and discouraged. No matter how often and how long they have brought memories to mind, fought them, re-considered them, analyzed them, belittled them, re-enacted them, deconstructed them, reframed them, journaled them -- the memories are still there. So they feel as though they are doomed to a life struggle against traumatic events from their past. They can't change them, and they can't defeat them, so they are stuck in an exhausting standoff,  locked in perpetual battle against an enemy...

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What ever happened to peace and love?

What ever happened to peace and love? The answer is nothing has ever happened to peace and love. Peace and love are constants of the nature of all mankind.  Peace and love are the spiritual essence of humanity. Then how do we explain the murderous rage, the boiling resentment, the hatred of "others" spreading across the world? Those things have nothing to do with our spiritual nature. They are the products of insecure thinking unrestrained, misleading multitudes into vortices of fear. It looks hopeless to many that mankind will ever live at peace, that...

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Who do you trust?

The wonderful thing about knowledge is it is not absolute. Throughout a life of learning, we think one thing is true, and then we learn more, see more, understand more -- and we change our thinking. Again and again. When I was little, I thought there was a man in the moon. By the time I was in 4th grade, I knew that the moon was a hunk of space dust and rock and that the "man" was an accident of its geography. By the time I was in college,...

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The Depression Fairy is Imaginary

Despite the protests of several of my clients recently, I must insist  there is no Depression Fairy who randomly visits us and sprinkles dreadful thoughts in our minds. Oh, I know she seems very real, and powerful, and quick to alight out of nowhere. But she is imaginary, as are her close friends, like the Anxiety Fairy and the Anger Fairy. As much as that might be good news, for many people who have struggled with Depression for decades, it is initially distressing news.  What's wrong, then, if there's no invisible outside force...

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Smarter? or Wiser?

I've been involved in many situations where leaders were smarter than most of the people they were trying to influence, but were oblivious to the fact they were no wiser. That doesn't  work out very well. Being "the smartest person in the room" creates an opportunity for the leader to find the humility that enters hand-in-hand with wisdom. First of all, wisdom is the great equalizer.  All human beings have access to wisdom; no one person is innately wiser than another. It's always possible to sort people out by "smartness", but...

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