Here in the northern hemisphere, we’ve passed the autumnal equinox; the days are shorter than the nights, and getting ever more so, till the solstice in December. Although I enjoy this time of year — I like the cooler weather, the changes in my garden, and anticipating the holidays — I still miss the long days of spring and summer. And as the light dwindles, I seem to be getting increasingly phototropic: like a plant, I find myself turning towards ...

Just when I have something figured out, along comes another how-to-article telling me how to be or do something better or even change my entire life. No matter where I turn, I am constantly reminded that I am not good enough in more ways than one. I am not smart enough, not rich enough, not slim enough, not efficient enough, not pretty enough, not powerful enough, not “with it” enough and probably “out of it” altogether. That’s me and it ...

“Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due.” – W. R. Inge We women generally worry more than men. Yes? Yet, how can we know when a fear for personal safety is justified and when a worry is sapping our spirit and making us see the world simply as a dangerous place? “Our fears are fashioned out of the ways in which we perceive the world,” wrote Gavin Becker, author of the invaluable book, The Gift ...

I spent years in deep denial about office politics. I flatly refused to believe it was necessary to “play” politics in order to succeed. And – with a symbolic if not actual stamp of my foot – if it was necessary, then I’d sacrifice my career on the altar of my disdain! Many people confound themselves with the same denial and the same definition of office politics: bad, deceitful, backstabbing, brown-nosing – all of the slimy things we often think of, ...