story — Blog — Athena Wellness

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you are.” That quote is attributed to Joseph Campbell. It came to mind as I was preparing a recent post for a podcast on the link between authentic living and well-being (Episode #93).

What I learned during that discussion is that it’s not about arriving at the final destination of authentic living. Rather, it’s about the journey that brings us to deeper levels of understanding of ourselves. As Victor says in the episode, “Authentic living results in true well-being when we understand how we continuously create our health profile based on our mindset, life choices and lifestyle.”

But what does it really mean to be our authentic self?

Sailing Into Deep Waters - Part II

In the last blog post, I recounted a conversation I had with podcast guest Paul Trammell, who turned his dream of becoming a writer and sailor into a living reality (Episode #83). And he does so by intentionally designing his life to align with what matters most to him.

It’s an uncomplicated, stress-free life, but one that necessitates ongoing learning and growth. And it’s a life that is carefully curated to maximize the things that make Paul happy.

Paul recommends that we all spend some time thinking about what makes us happy and what our ideal life would look like by walking through a simple process…

Sailing Into Deep Waters - Part I

Have you ever dreamed of leaving your current life behind to sail the tropics? When I was in my 30’s, I can remember reading every book I could find about people who did just that – they bought a boat, learned to sail and set off to live out their days in the islands.

Eventually I realized that, for me, it was less about the sailboat and more about the freedom to live life on my own terms. But I recently had an engaging conversation with Paul Trammell, who turned his dream life of becoming a writer and sailor into a reality.

There were two exchanges during our conversation that had great impact. One has to do with how to reinvent yourself through change and the other is how intentional living can lead to happiness.

Welcoming Seasonal Change

We experience four seasonal shifts each calendar year: two solstices, marking the shortest and longest days of the year, and two equinoxes, when the hours of daylight and darkness are equal. The solstices mark the beginning of winter and summer, but the palpable seasonal turns happen in the spring and autumn when we can sense the energetic transition to a new phase in life. There’s a move toward outward activity and growth in the spring and then a shift inward toward less activity and release in the fall.

You can feel those shifts, can’t you? This time of year, we naturally turn inward toward rest and reflection. It can be a time for acknowledging growth and accomplishments by reviewing all that was experienced during the year. And it can be a time for grieving and releasing what was lost or what wasn’t done.

Right Timing

We’ve all heard the sentiments: timing is everything; right place, right time; if it’s meant to be...

There are times when you want something to happen so badly – and it doesn’t. Times when you’re poised to make a move, but in your gut, you know it’s not time. And then there are times when the very thing you’ve been dreaming of happens without effort, as if it fell out of the sky.

Why do certain things happen at certain times? It’s been my experience that whenever I try something new, there’s a shift that needs to occur in my inner world to be able to prepare for right timing.

Story as Remembrance

I have always been fascinated by story. As I get older and my elders pass on, I seem to have become a family repository of sorts: sepia tone photographs, 8mm movie reels, letters home written by a 21-year-old uncle I never met who was killed in World War II, my grandmother’s handwritten recipes, my fathers state champion gymnastics medals from the 1930s.

Each of these artifacts tell a story. And our family history is enriched by the ability to hold an object and help us remember who we are and where we came from.

The power of storytelling took on added significance this past week as I watched a documentary entitled Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11.

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