Linda Holman

  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels "Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." – Lao Tzu A few weeks ago I saw "It's never perfect, make it work" written on a blackboard outside a barber shop and I thought it sums up how I think about life these days. I used to be very hard on myself and everyone around me, with very high expectations and a low bar for disappointment. I'm very glad those days are behind me, but sadly I don't think I was alone in that.  Society can be hard on people, especially young women, and the pervasive sense of never being good enough seems to be common for many people. I certainly used to feel like there was something just a bit wrong with me, and so it felt good to achieve things and receive praise from people. But so quickly the buzz of praise would fade and I'd be back to feeling bad about myself again.  This lack of self-wor...

  “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”  –  Arthur Ashe Sometimes people get pretty excited about the benefits of something they've recently tried and get quite evangelical about it. I've definitely been guilty of this over the years, even though I find it annoying when people do it to me. It can have the opposite effect and put me off trying new things just because someone tells me I "should" try it!  Another barrier to trying something like meditation is wanting to have all the conditions right to begin - that's basically impossible, so it's best to just start as soon as you can, even if things won't be perfect. You don't need any special clothes or particular types of cushions - you can meditate in a chair, sitting on a train, or even walking !  There are many, many different types of meditation, and most groups want you to meditate in a particular way as their experience tells them that's the "best" way to do it....

  “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” - James Clear Consistent underachievement can help us reduce perfectionism, which holds us back from starting things and makes us very hard on ourselves. If there’s something you want to do, then starting small is great, and starting small today is amazing. Consistent underachievement can help us get out of our own way and begin doing the things we’ve always wanted to do, without all the huge self-imposed expectations. Years ago, when I first read the phrase “consistently underachieve,” I hated it. The thought of specifically setting out to do a crappy job felt like it went against every fibre of my being — I was utterly in the grasp of perfectionism back then. But it was a seed, planted in my overwhelmed and under-rested brain, and it grew and grew until I had to take notice of it. The idea is that rather than making a massive life change, which you’ll struggle to maintain (for example, doing an hour of...