When The Darkness Descends….Live Your Values – Part 1 - Dick Rauscher
I will never forget the feeling of despair and grief the night Trump won the presidential election. It felt like the world had come to an end. I couldn’t believe that half of our nation voted for such a narcissistic, self-serving, bombastic person to lead our nation. But now, after time to think deeper, I’m beginning to see the hope embedded in the event.
New Years Resolutions: The Most Important Questions You Can Ask Yourself - Dick Rauscher
They say the average time before we begin to ignore our New Year’s resolutions and slip back into our old habits is less than two weeks! As a Life Coach teaching about Primitive Ego Psychology and taming our childhood primitive ego, I know our childhood primitive ego does not like change. Period! I’m not sure I’ve ever successfully made it two full weeks.
Sometimes crisis has to precede fundamental change - Dick Rauscher
I too was disappointed that Hillary didn’t win the election. On the positive side, like every new President coming into office, Trump will not be able to follow through on many of the promises he made during the run-up to the election.
The “Silent Majority” Is Entering A Time Of Rebellion And Demanding Change - Dick Rauscher
I wrote this article well before the election. Hillary and Trump were running neck and neck in the polls. So I had no special insight as to who would become our next President. Regardless of who won the election, I’m convinced the rebellion for change will continue. The anger of the “people” is not going to suddenly disappear.
The “people” are demanding change. They will no longer accept empty promises of change.
Is a Hopeful Vision of the Future Possible for America? - Dick Rauscher
Our nation is headed for the voting booth in two weeks. Those who still have hope and faith in the voting process will turn out and vote. Those who don’t….may not. It’s a question each of us has to answer in the next few days.
But the deeper and more important question might be, is a hopeful vision of the future possible in this upcoming election?
Intentional Self-Awareness Is Critical For A Successful and Happy Life - Dick Rauscher
I remember the day I met him. He was an old “Hills” farmer and a genius at fixing old abandoned tractors. He never knew it, but he was an important influence that helped me change the course of my life.
Weaving Kindness into Our Relationship with Others - Dick Rauscher
The important relationships in our lives are born out of love and compassion; qualities of our higher self. Unfortunately, our relationships with others are too often controlled by the narcissistic primitive ego of our inner-child; a part of us that is primarily focused on our own needs. To nurture a loving relationship with others means that we have to learn to own our own feelings, be willing to intentionally grow in self-awareness, and learn to manifest loving behaviors that focus on the needs of the other person. Only then will we be capable of manifesting an authentic presence that nurtures those we love.
Fear, Anger, and Spiritual Bankruptcy In The 2016 Elections - Dick Rauscher
There is deep anger in our country. Anger over political gridlock created by rigid ideological thinking. Anger that our middle-class is disappearing. Anger that the wealthy 1% are using their wealth to purchase our democracy and our political process. Anger at the greed we see on Wall Street and in our nation’s corporations. Anger over the growing poverty in our country. Anger that the “system” labels the poor as lazy and unmotivated despite a lifetime of working at low-paying jobs. Anger watching much of the money American’s saved for retirement disappear in 2000 recession and then again in 2008.
Are You Going To Vote For A Ruler Or A Leader In November? - Dick Rauscher
Here are a couple of my more important takeaways from the book on anger, the difference between a ruler and a leader, and the importance of being a keeper of the light. It gave me a different way to think about the political struggles taking place in our country as we move into the 2016 November elections.
The Amazing Power of Choice - Dick Rauscher
I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend about the many challenges facing humanity. Global warming. Overpopulation. Droughts. Poverty. Hunger. Wealth inequality. In each example, I was struck by his over-all sense of powerlessness. We moved from challenge to challenge and each time I suggested a possible solution, he would remind me of just how powerless we were to fix the problem.
One of the more important things I do as a life coach is encouraging people to exercise their power to make choices.
Temptation Exhaustion: A Sure Path To Failure - Dick Rauscher
My relationship with temptation exhaustion over the years has been up close and personal. To state that differently, temptation exhaustion has won every battle I’ve had with it. It’s powerful beyond words. It’s sneaky. It’s subtle. It attacks when you’re the most vulnerable. It has no mercy. No empathy. No concern for my well-being. It’s an enemy I’ve come to respect and avoid. It is scarier than any alien from outer space. And it comes back every winter.
Are You A Protected Person, Or An Unprotected Person? - Dick Rauscher
Are you one of the “protected” or are you one of the “unprotected”? A very interesting question if you live in America. A question you might want to better understand as we head into the 2016 elections.
The unprotected have limited resources, they feel vulnerable, and they “see” immigration as a metaphor for all the distance between governments and their citizens. They understand that immigrants often work at lower wages and impact the availability of jobs.
Most Common Marriage Problems - Dick Rauscher
“I can’t believe it! After going through all the pain and expense of my divorce three years ago, I ended up marrying another wicked witch of the west that behaves just like my first wife!”
I can’t tell you how many times I heard those words as a therapist. When working with clients struggling with marital conflict, or going through a divorce, I developed a list of suggestions and insights designed to help them avoid joining the “I can’t believe it club” down the road.
Intuition: The Life Changing Importance of Embracing Your Deeper Wisdom - Dick Rauscher
I was in the backyard working on the automatic watering system for my raised bed gardens. The old system was leaking and far too hard to re-hookup every spring. I was just about to give up struggling with it and call a landscaper when those words “I wonder if…” popped into my brain. I don’t have a clue where the idea came from, but I knew the idea in my mind just might work to solve the problem. I’ve learned over the years to trust my intuition.
Challenge of Choosing A Career: The Story Of My Search For Meaning - Dick Rauscher
As a parent, teacher, or grandparent, it is common to struggle with the question of how to share the wisdom we’ve acquired over the years, without telling the children in our lives who they should be or the career path they should choose. It’s been my experience that telling a child what they should be doing in life, is a good way to ensure that they go in the opposite direction.
Big Changes Are Coming: Are You Ready For Them? - Dick Rauscher
As a fundamental part of creation, change is never negotiable. If you live in this Universe, it just happens. Think about it. Without change, our Universe would not exist. There would be no evolution; no novelty; no life. When it comes to change, there are always two important questions. Are you paying attention to the changes that are coming, and have you prepared for the day they arrive.
November 2016 Election: Rational, Emotionally Irrational, Or Radically Irrational. Your Call, Your Choice - Dick Rauscher
It looks like we are going to have a choice in November between rational, emotionally irrational or radically irrational. But I’m not talking about the candidates. I’m talking about you and me; the ones who will be going to the polls to vote for the nation we want our children to inherit. But trust me, this will not be another same old, same old article urging us to vote for one candidate or another. This article is going to offer a choice few are talking about.
The Illusion of Separateness Creates Greed, Loneliness, and Unhappiness – Dick Rauscher
In the early years as a psychotherapist helping people create happiness and successful relationships, I often wondered why so many people struggled with unhappiness, loneliness, depression, and even serious health issues caused by stress and anxiety. No matter how hard they worked in therapy, most clients couldn’t shake the feeling of stress or unhappiness. Even those who were successful in achieving a measure of happiness couldn’t hang onto the feeling for more than a few weeks.
Unhappiness and Five Childhood Beliefs That Happy People No Longer Accept As Truth - Dick Rauscher
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to hold onto happiness? Just about the time you think you’ve finally got your arms around happiness, something happens to make you unhappy. Is happiness a myth like some people believe?