Personal Growth

  • Water Is Wet

    Water Is Wet

    So, a few days ago, my mother approached me with an article she found interesting: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/07/19/teen-suicide-plummeted-during-covid-19-school-closures-new-study-finds/?sh=1050137fdd9b. Published on July 19th, 2023, the Forbes article reports the findings of a 2016-2021 study on the rate of suicidality. Now, because I am terrible at writing coherent summaries when I actually want to, I will be using bullet…

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  • The Ones Who Help Get You Toward Mastery

    The Ones Who Help Get You Toward Mastery

    What are you really good at?  How did you learn and achieve mastery?  There were probably teachers and coaches who helped you along the way.   Teaching is more than lecturing.  It is not just showcasing your knowledge or performing. What makes a teacher good? I like Gage’s (1963) definition of teaching– “..a form interpersonal influence…

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  • Addicted to Achievements

    Addicted to Achievements

    Growing up as a high-achieving Asian, much of my confidence came from the accolades, and the praise my parents, teachers, and peers gave me for coming in first in the class, competition, etc. Before I realized it, my identity and self-esteem were tied to my accomplishments. My very well-intentioned mom pushed me to not only…

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  • The Heart of Every Quest Is A Goal

    The Heart of Every Quest Is A Goal

    If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. Jim Rohn At the core of every quest is an ultimate goal.  Goals are our ambitions and dreams. When we set a goal, (Latham & Locke, 2002), whether it’s…

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  • Lava Pits and Siren’s Calls

    Lava Pits and Siren’s Calls

    With your quests, you’ve been guided by the best-proven success and productivity principles and set out to achieve something important to you.  What you’ve already done deserves respect for the courage it took.  But if you go off-track once in a while. That’s completely normal–You’re human.  At these times, remember that all happy and successful…

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  • What Do You Seek?

    What Do You Seek?

    Quest [ kwest ] noun 1. a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something: a quest for uranium mines; a quest for knowledge. 2.Medieval Romance, an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something: the quest of the Holy Grail. verb to search; seek; pursue. (often…

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  • The Ultimate Quest Of Your Life

    The Ultimate Quest Of Your Life

    Do you like being forced to do things you hate? Being left out of the fun you enjoy? What about not having enough money to ever take your dream vacations? Have you ever envied other people who seem to have perfect lives? You probably won’t end up anywhere nice if you don’t know where you’re…

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  • Who doesn’t procrastinate?

    Who doesn’t procrastinate?

    These are the most common excuses people use when they procrastinate—delay doing what they need to do. How many of these have you personally used? According to the American Psychological Association, almost 80% of the people surveyed admit to lying to themselves about the reasons they put off doing things. So, who doesn’t procrastinate?    The…

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  • Fail First To Win

    Fail First To Win

    In school, when teachers ask questions, many kids might know the answer, but are too shy or nervous or unsure of themselves to raise their hands, get the correct answer and begin the positive feedback loop for confidence by receiving affirmation from themselves and their community. On curaJOY’s website, we discuss how children develop confidence.…

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  • Wield The Power of Discipline Toward Your Dreams

    Wield The Power of Discipline Toward Your Dreams

    Have you ever envied anyone who has better grades, bigger house, more recognition, popularity.. and grumbled “Why did she get xxx and not me?!?*#”  It’s easy to look at people who seem to have it all–beauty, fitness, great career, wealth, freedom and tell ourselves that it’s all luck.  Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his bestseller book,…

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  • Why can’t everybody just be more like me?

    Why can’t everybody just be more like me?

    I recently just finally got to watching the Galaxy of the Guardian series with my daughters. And one of them asks why the character Ego wants to destroy everything and make plans after himself.  As parents, we often have to answer difficult questions on the spot.  I said, “Haven’t we all gone through moments where…

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  • Why you should be writing

    Why you should be writing

    Writing heals. Writing calms. It connects and brings self-awareness. To write, we have to slow down our busy minds and focus on our purpose. It requires us to reflect on our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and see them clearly–which is why journaling has been found to benefit one’s long-term mental health even more than assistance from…

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