I'm so proud of my younger sister Mia who is an emergency room doctor specializing in emergency healthcare for children in San Francisco, California. Mia is the middle child in my family, with me as the oldest and my sister Lara, a civil engineer in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the youngest. Since Mia was in elementary school, she said she was going to grow up to be a doctor. From back then, I had a strong feeling she was going to achieve her dream. My sister is also an amazing mother of three little girls, a great soccer player who played college ball at Loyola Marymount University, and a fantastic example of determination as shown by her ability to undergo so...
Cognitive Distortions - Part 8Don't scold yourself or others for falling short of your standards. Do you find yourself telling yourself, "I should've done this" or "I should've done that"? These type of words and the tone of them can create unnecessary frustration in your life. When you have goals, it's human to fall short at times. No one achieves everything they want. Take a closer look at your journey and all the knowledge, skills, and relationships you've gained. Don't you think all of them are wins? They are! Now, the same goes for how you judge others. Don't scold them for falling short of your standards. I repeat "your standards," which could be blown out of proportion (another cognitive...
I recently watched The Florida Project on Netflix, a movie by Sean Baker about the innocence of kids making the most of their lives despite being poor. I cried. No matter what problems you have, there's so many other people facing tougher challenges. What an amazing movie, with both playful humor and heart-wrenching drama! The link to the preview of the The Florida Project is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-NH1rRT4 My heart melts for the children going through so many difficulties. Resiliently, many of these kids are still able to find ways to have fun. In my second novel, I wrote about the adversities the children in Iraq faced after the invasion by the U.S. I'm still pitching this story to the literary industry. I...
Cognitive Distortions - Part 7Don't believe your distorted emotions are the truth. Don't believe your distorted emotions are the truth. For example, you make a mistake and tell yourself, "I feel like an idiot; therefore, I am an idiot." No you're not an idiot. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. In that case, everyone is an idiot. Please. That's simply not true. Let's say you broke up with your lover, and this is the third time you've had a serious relationship. You tell yourself, "Since this is my third break-up, no one will ever love me." Again, your emotions are grossly exaggerated. You have many potential partners out there, and if they had an opportunity to know you, many...
Try tweaking your personal life and business to make a pivot. A couple of days ago, I walked around my neighborhood with my friend Claire Ann Niibu @bizcoachclaire who I've known since our time as students at Pearl City High School. She's a business coach who consults in person and offers online courses such as accounting at www.bizcoachclaire.com. We shared our latest happenings in our lives. "I feel like I reached my limits," I explained. Throughout 2020, I've been feeling so overwhelmed and worn down with my business projects and personal challenges. To top it off, like many of you, the Coronavirus has made things worse. How can I feel like this when I apply so many psychology, philosophy, and mindset...
