Pleasure … bliss … six of one, half a dozen of the other? You may be surprised to discover that they are not at all the same.   Pleasure relies on something or someone else … a chocolate chip cookie, promotion at work, winning the lottery, new girlfriend, new husband, new car!     Dr. Michael Gottlieb, founder of Royal Way Spiritual Center, elaborates: “Name any pleasure in the world. It is dependent on something or somebody. And because of that dependency, it brings a bondag

I wish I had their money. I wish I had her skin. If only we had a house like that. I should be as thin as she is. I should be as buff as he is. Every day, everywhere we turn, we’re invited to compare ourselves— compelled  to compare ourselves. The engine of comparison used to be magazine ads, billboards, and TV commercials. Today, social media literally puts comparison right in our faces. We scroll to see perfect pictures of perfect people in perfect settings, wearing perfect

Chances are you are familiar with feelings of guilt. They aren’t pleasant, are they? They nag at us, drag us down. Guilt leads to anger, resentment, blame, and judgment—sometimes directed toward others when we feel defensive or condemning, and more often directed toward ourselves—because, of course, we feel guilty. Sometimes we even feel guilty for feeling guilty. Or we feel guilty for no apparent reason. When we are stuck in that space, our energies aren’t available to deal