Happiness

You’ve Got Time

YOU’VE GOT TIME [I-IX]. Series. Watercolor on 7.125×10.25″ paper.  $300 each includes US shipping; $10 off on each additional if they are going to the same place at the same time. Painted at Lake Winnipesaukee in summer 2023.

Buckle up–we’re going on a journey through time and sunset and the human psyche!

This series was born one evening at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire last summer. I was sitting on the steps down by the lake doing what I had looked forward to all day–painting by the water. So much sooner than I was ready, the sun began to set, and I was seized with the familiar symphonic juxtaposition of emotions, thoughts, and sensations that tend to come up in me in these sunset moments: joyful overwhelm at the beauty; awe at the fact of getting to witness it; a desperation to have more time with the light; protestation at how little time of lightness was left; an ache at how quickly the day had flown by; gratitude and delight at the luxury of having a little bit of time at the end of my day to paint in such an inspiring place; awareness of the insane privilege inherent in same; urgency to soak up every second of beauty and opportunity. 

And an existential mandate to make the most of every bit of light before it’s gone. In these moments, I’m flooded with the awareness that I still have a tiny bit more time before darkness falls and all activities of the light are unavailable until tomorrow. 

The sun is still up–it hasn’t set on the day yet. There’s still a little bit of time left!! 

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The Chill Factory

Jordan Friedman, a 25-year pioneer of stress and anxiety management education, invited me to join him on The Chill Factory Podcast. 

It was a joy to talk to Jordan about compelling ways to quiet Thirtysomething Panic–and, for that matter, anysomething freakouts. After the conversation, Jordan teaches a powerful stress reducer you can use right away.
Listen wherever you normally get your podcasts, or here.

 

 

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And Then We Grew Up: Thirtysomething Panic and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood (Interview with Rachel Friedman)

Once in a while, I find a book that I wish I could put directly into the hands of everyone who is struggling with a certain topic. When a friend recommended Rachel Friedman’s book And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood, I was excited to read it, but I had no idea how much it would speak to some of the core issues that thirtysomethings struggle with. I highlighted the book within an inch of its life, and I knew I had to talk to Rachel and share her insights with you all. 

And Then We Grew Up: Thirtysomething Panic and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood (Interview with Rachel Friedman) Read More »

Panicked About Dating in Your 30s? How to Deal with Awful, Awkward, Truly Bad Dates and Stay Positive as a Single Thirtysomething (Interview with Rebekah Manley)

Dating in your thirties can be discouraging, demoralizing, and exhausting.

If you’re a single 30something and want badly to find a partner, what used to be fun and exciting can take on a different weight and urgency.
 
Some of us always assumed we’d be partnered and settled down with “the one” by now, and are surprised and frustrated to find ourselves still single, exhausted from the search, and scared that “it” will never happen.

Panicked About Dating in Your 30s? How to Deal with Awful, Awkward, Truly Bad Dates and Stay Positive as a Single Thirtysomething (Interview with Rebekah Manley) Read More »

Check Out This Resource: FREE Expert Career Advice from Dr. Dawn Graham (featuring yours truly and other career experts)

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of returning as a guest on Dr. Dawn on Careers (previously titled Career Talk), a call-in career advice program on SiriusXM, Business Radio Powered by The Wharton School. The host of the show, Dr. Dawn Graham, is the Director of Career Management for the Executive MBA Program at Wharton AND an all-around awesome human. Here we are in the studio!

Career Talk with Dawn and Carrie

I highly recommend that every single one of my readers and clients check out this FREE resource. …

Check Out This Resource: FREE Expert Career Advice from Dr. Dawn Graham (featuring yours truly and other career experts) Read More »

Stuck in an Unhappy Loop? Here’s how to Break out of the Circumstance Thinking Trap and Change Your Life: A Lesson from Groundhog Day

“Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?

Ralph: That about sums it up for me.” –Groundhog Day

Are you feeling stuck in an unsatisfying loop?

Do you wake up each day to the same depressing job, relationship, home, and financial problems?

Do you feel like you can’t change things until external circumstances change—circumstances that are totally beyond your control?

In other words, does your life feel like the movie Groundhog Day? …

Stuck in an Unhappy Loop? Here’s how to Break out of the Circumstance Thinking Trap and Change Your Life: A Lesson from Groundhog Day Read More »

Don’t Wait for New Year’s—What to Do in December So You’ll Hit the Ground Running in January

We’re almost halfway through December—incredible, right? I’m finding it hard to believe the end of the year is in sight. The crazy all-over-the-place weather certainly didn’t help with the confusion; in Philadelphia, as in many places, this fall was a full-of-surprises game called “What Season Is It, Anyway?”

But there’s no doubt about it—here we are, closing out another year. And that means you have a powerful opportunity.

What you do in the next three weeks has the power to positively shape:

  • the value you gain from the past year (and yes, there is huuuuge value buried in there, even if it was a really tough year for you)
  • the momentum and energy with which you greet the new year
  • …and the focus, structure, and support you’ll have to get you where you want to go over the next year of your life.

Here are three concrete ways to set yourself up for a great new year: …

Don’t Wait for New Year’s—What to Do in December So You’ll Hit the Ground Running in January Read More »

Working on Labor Day (and What a 90something Badass Named Mother Jones Can Teach You about Thirtysomething Panic)

It’s Labor Day, a national holiday in the US, and I’m working. And feeling so grateful for that.

I considered taking the day off. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge believer in taking time off, in vacation, in rest and replenishment, in designing and maintaining boundaries between work and the rest of life that serve both of those arenas…and I took some gah-lorious time off this summer. …

Working on Labor Day (and What a 90something Badass Named Mother Jones Can Teach You about Thirtysomething Panic) Read More »