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Kathleen Bren - EzineArticles.com Expert Author  

Kathleen Bren is a Soulful Living Coach with twenty years of business experience and a passion for personal and spiritual growth. Clients include professionals, solo-preneurs, and women seeking a blueprint for happiness. Since starting her practice in 2005, Kathleen has assisted many individuals in turning their lives around by unraveling the stories that keep them mired in sadness, anxiety and fear.

[View Kathleen Bren's Extended Author Bio]

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  • Change Your Life - Tell Yourself a Better Feeling Story
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] If you want to live a happier life, tell yourself a better-feeling story. It's not so much "what" you are currently experiencing that determines your level of happiness but rather what you "tell yourself" about what you are experiencing (i.e. your story) that matters most.


  • Unraveling Emotions - Three Ways to Handle Emotional Triggers
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Anytime you have an emotional reaction to something another person says or does it is an opportunity to go within and do a little soul searching. Emotions are like icebergs floating around in the ocean. While only ten percent of an iceberg is visible to the naked eye, massive amounts of ice, sometimes thousands of tons, lie just below the surface.


  • New Year's Resolutions From the Perspective of Your Soul
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Having recently ushered in the New Year, my mind has begun swirling with ideas about what I might want to accomplish over the next twelve months (commonly known as resolutions). In the past, my resolutions have typically been focused on changing, altering, fixing or attaining something in the outer world. This year, I am putting a new twist on a long-standing tradition, and I'm looking at the topic of New Year's resolutions from the perspective of the soul. The soul is not so much interested in what we are "doing" right now or what we might be doing in the future (setting goals, attaining milestones, etc) as much as it is interested in who we are "becoming" in the process of all of our doing. Let me explain.


  • Buying Your Way to Heaven - Why Enlightenment Can't Be Bought
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The ultimate culmination of the total and complete dedication of oneself to the spiritual path is enlightenment. Enlightenment has been referred to as the end of desire and the end of suffering. Enlightenment is not a goal, an achievement, or an acquisition. It does not require any doing.


  • Christmas Concerns - What to Do When Your Family Doesn't Get You
    [Home-and-Family] Some of my relatives think I am crazy to have left a high-paying job to start a new career in a field that few have heard of before, but I am happier than I have been in years. How can I make them understand that I'm passionate - not crazy?


  • It's Not Personal - The Powerful Life Lesson I Learned From My Husband's Ex-Wife
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Meandering through the trials and tribulations of life offers one an ever-changing opportunity to grow personally and spiritually. For me, yesterday was no exception. While we were all gushing over the fact that Eric was graduating from high school, his ex mentioned to me how happy she was that this moment had finally arrived after all she had done to get him here.


  • Live Without Exception - Love, Give and Forgive
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Living an exceptional life means living without exception. Having lived the first half of my life with oodles of reservations, I really had to ponder what it truly means to live life without exception. Here is what living without exception looks like from the perspective of your soul.


  • Cultivating Peace, Contentment and Joy
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Below are three powerful ways of cultivating a life filled with peace, accompanied by a deep-seated feeling of contentment and joy. Whenever you find yourself feeling uneasy, anxious or fearful, simply pinpoint the area of your life that is in need of tweaking, and apply one or more of the steps below.


  • Freedom From Limiting Beliefs
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The essence of who you are knows nothing but joy. It is free of all limitation, lack and scarcity. It is separated from nothing, one with all-that-is, and knows no fear. Where fear is absent - only joy remains. And where there is joy, love must also be. Love lifts you up, fear tears you down.


  • Remove Excuses From Your Life - The But Stops Here!
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Like a cruise ship headed toward a predetermined port, your intentions would manifest easily and effortlessly as long as icebergs in the form of doubts or fears did not interfere with your intentions. One of the biggest icebergs I encounter when working with clients arises in the form of a BUT.


  • Spiritual Growth - Staying Focused When Life Gets in the Way
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] When it comes to spiritual growth, most of us know it requires focus, dedication, devotion, and sustained effort. However, what do you do when you have a busy life. Between work and taking care of the children and your husband, what if you barely have ten minutes to yourself anymore. Although spiritual growth might be really important to you, what if you are having a hard time fitting it into your schedule. Here are some suggestions.


  • The Soul of Success - It's an Inside Job!
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Nothing in the material world has the power to make you feel successful. No amount of money, power or prestige will ever be enough satisfy an inner longing, if the basic premise from which you perceive your life involves failure and striving.


  • Wooing Happiness - Immerse Yourself in the Moment
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Life is full of paradoxes and the topic I'm writing about is no exception. The joy of life can be found within the journey itself. Extreme fulfillment and satisfaction comes from immersing oneself up to ones eyeballs in whatever task is at hand.


  • Fearless Living - Fear Less, Love More
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] A happy and fulfilling life experience can be boiled down to the choices we make in each moment. We either choose to look at our lives through the eyes of love or through the eyes of fear. We either look for evidence around us that supports our physical, mental and spiritual well-being or we look for evidence that supports a belief in disease and lack.


  • Change Your Thoughts - Creating Positive Thought Patterns
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] A belief is nothing more than a chronic pattern of thought, and you have the ability to change your patterns of thought at any time. It just takes a bit of conscious effort at first, until you get the hang of it.


  • End Suffering by Loving What Is
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Harboring negativity does not change the present moment in any way. The present moment is as it is. By denying the present moment and resisting whatever the universe has is store for you in this moment, you are actually turning your NOW into an enemy. In other words, life becomes your nemesis: something to be conquered, denied, or distanced from. When you push against life it has a tendency to push back. People appear uncooperative, obstacles present themselves, and life becomes a drag.


  • It's Not About the Money!
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] What do you hope money will buy you? Will it buy you time with your children, a place to get away from it all, a body that you like better? Will it let you know that you have arrived and that you are worthy? It's different for every one of us.


  • Good is Good Enough!
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Are you having a challenging time moving forward in your life because you subconsciously believe that everything you do has to be done perfectly? Do you have a tendency to be "gung-ho" when starting a new project but lose steam halfway through because you don't like to deal with the uncertainty that goes hand-in-hand with the learning curve?


  • Is Your Mind Driving You Crazy?
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] It has been noted that the average human being thinks approximately 70,000 thoughts per day, eighty-percent of which are repetitive musings over yesterday's events. Moreover many of the thoughts are negative in nature, fueled by regret and remorse, stirring up feelings of doubt, insecurity and lack.


  • Are You Trying to Be Someone You Are Not?
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Take a look at your daily interactions with others - at work, home, school, etc. When you are in the presence of others, ask yourself the following question: Am I pretending to be someone I'm not right now?


  • What Are You Waiting For Right Now?
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Stop whatever it is that you are doing right now and ponder this question for a couple of minutes. What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for your kids to turn eighteen? Are you waiting for the day when you will finally lose those extra twenty pounds? Are you waiting for the next promotion to come around at work? Are you waiting for retirement?


  • Wanting to Feel Special is a Trap of the Ego!
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Everyone wants to feel special. We want to feel desirable, important and needed. It feels good to be thought of as special in the eyes of someone else, and provides a temporary boost to the ego.


  • Miss Out on Something? Impossible!
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] The belief that it is possible to miss out on something is a "brain-teaser" of sorts. It is a concept that, once thoroughly explained, might make your forehead wrinkle a little bit, as you ponder the implications.


  • Get Your Inner Kid Out!
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] All work and no play make Jill an unhappy girl. Are you Jill? Has your life become a series of obstacles to overcome instead of a joyful journey, full of limitless opportunities to grow and have fun?


  • Choose the Amazing Over the Mundane!
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Are you willing to take one step each day that allow you to be the fulfillment of your own potential? As humans beings we tend to be creatures of habit. We do the same things day in and day out like taking out the garbage, doing the laundry, washing dishes, making dinner, folding clothes, vacuuming the carpet, etc.


  • Are You Willing to Embrace the Unknown Zone?
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Anytime you undertake something new you will enter into the "unknown zone". And although it is impossible to know what you don't already know, many of you act as if you aught to have it all figured out before you even begin. Byron Katie knows exactly what happens when you attempt to put the cart before the horse and notes, "If you want to live in terror, get a future."


  • Reduce Your Stress - 5 Amazing Ways to Simplify Your Life
    [Self-Improvement:Stress-Management] Quantity is not the same as quality. More is not necessarily better. Simplifying your life will give you more time to focus on the things that really matter to you, and, as an added bonus, you will release unwanted stress and gain peace of mind.


  • Do What You Love Or Love What You Do
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] When you chose a vocation or career that is a natural extension of your God-given talents, skills and abilities, you are automatically in the flow of life. Work is no longer viewed as a means to an end; your focus is now on the joyful unfolding of the day-to-day journey, instead of anxiously waiting for Friday to arrive or counting the days until retirement.


  • The Approval You Seek is Your Own
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Are you a people pleaser? Are you constantly searching for approval and appreciation from bosses and co-workers? Do you worry about what other think about you or what you are saying or doing so much so that you can't make a decision on your own? If you recognize any aspects of yourself in the character description above, you are not alone. Approval seeking is common and often a sign that something is missing within you that is creating the need to look for affirmation and approval from other people.


  • Are You Trying to Solve Problems You Don't Have?
    [Self-Improvement:Empowerment] If you want to live in terror, simply focus your attention on the future. Living in the future has to do with fear of the unknown, wanting to control outcomes, and anticipating possible disaster and misfortune.


  • Suffering is Optional
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Wouldn't it be great if everything that happened in your life was experienced from a place of deep calm and peaceful acceptance? Think it's not possible? Think again. It is never what happens in your life that creates anxiety, stress, worry or frustration. It is how you view the situation that determines how you experience it emotionally.


  • We Teach People How to Treat Us
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] Does your employer regularly take advantage of your generosity by asking you to stay late or come in on weekends? Do you mutter words of frustration under your breath and do it anyway? Does your spouse expect you to work full-time, clean the house, do the laundry, fetch the dry-cleaning, do the grocery shopping, pick the kids up from school, and have dinner ready at night? Do you feel more like a domestic slave than an equal partner in a loving relationship?


  • Are You a Drama Junkie?
    [Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Drama Junkies thrive on crisis. They are perpetually in "crisis mode". As soon as one situation is under control, a new problem requires their attention. They are constantly putting out fires and rarely have moments of peace and calm in their lives.


  • Is Your Past Holding Your Future Hostage?
    [Self-Improvement:Happiness] When you think about the past do you feel a sense of sadness and disappointment, or a longing for something that is no longer there? Do you harbor regret over something you didn't do - a milestone you didn't reach but still want to achieve? Maybe you always wanted to go to college but just never got around to it. When you are stuck in the past it is virtually impossible to create a future that is fresh with possibilities, ripe with opportunity, and radically different from the past.


  • Evolving Spiritually and Dealing With Komodo Dragons
    [Self-Improvement:Spirituality] As a consequence of becoming more loving towards all of life (ourselves included) you may erroneously assume that everyone will treat you in the same manner in which you treat them. This is a huge misconception that stems from naivete. Unfortunately, not everyone you come in contact with will see the world in the same way you do.


  • Overwhelmed by Life - Myth of the Super Mom
    [Self-Improvement:Stress-Management] I happened to watch a rerun of the Oprah show yesterday and what I witnessed was so startling, I was still thinking about it when I woke up the next morning. On August 23, 2007 Brenda Slaby, an assistant principal and mother of two, was so overwhelmed with the demands of her hectic life that she left her 3-year old daughter, Cecilia, in the car for nearly eight hours while frantically dealing with the pressures of back-to school day. Cecilia succumbed to heat stoke as the temperature outside rose to 100 degrees.




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