In Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, we learn how Holocaust prisoners were more likely to survive if they felt there was some meaning to their senseless circumstances. In this evil place and time where life had no meaning, to survive meant finding and creating meaning wherever they could. For many, becoming hopeless meant certain death. Meaning and hope are like oxygen for the soul. So how do we…
Our minds are thinking machines, constantly jumping from thought to thought, constantly looking for something to overthink and obsess about. That's what they do, it's their job. A hand will do hand stuff and the mind will do thinking stuff.But what happens when our minds get out of control? What happens when they no longer think the positive thoughts we wish they would? What happens when they only dwell on…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterUsually what happens when we have those unwanted, intrusive, misery-inducing thoughts, is that we are trying to suppress something that is clearly there and trying to express itself. Suppression and repression only feed negative thoughts more energy. Distraction and escape just keep them bubbling under the surface. Engaging with those thoughts feeds them too. So what the heck are we supposed to do?!The…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterIf you are breathing, you deserve happiness. Now, I don’t mean this as some political human right or some new-agey “soul” right. I also don’t mean that we deserve to always be laughing like fools. I don’t even mean that we deserve a perfect world or a world free from suffering, because that would not actually make us happy.If we remove the suffering…
Many of us try futilely to control every aspect of our lives. But control is an illusion. We can do our best to create a perfectly calm life, but life may have other plans for us. While we can't always control our circumstances, we can control how we experience and react to them. That is where mindfulness comes in. In this episode, Todd dives deep into the nature of our…
1. Loving others does need to start with loving ourselves.2. Our relationship with ourselves is the most important relationship we have.3. By going through pain and surviving, we become examples to the world that they're not alone, that they can overcome, they can do better, and get better.4. No matter the question, love is always the answer. Forgiveness is freeing.5. Wear your scars proud my friend, for you can do…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterWhen I was a kid, I didn’t always fit in. Growing up in Louisville, KY — a real college sports town — my artsy, peace-loving, and authority-questioning traits weren’t always welcomed. For example, in 7th grade I got suspended because on my school’s Community Service Day they made us rake the school playground. Well, I realized that this was a private school and the…
Q: Dear Todd, I’m dealing with a physical injury that's taken my mobility, I try and be positive about healing my legs every new day but my reality is that I sit isolated and alone consumed with SO much fear. I listen to/watch as many positive and uplifting things as I can to keep this at bay. Sometimes I find something which temporarily shifts my mindset and gives me hope…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterHow do our thoughts affect our emotions? Or, do our emotions affect our thoughts? What comes first, the thought or the emotion? Understanding the answer to these questions can help us feel better and think more positively. This can also help us heal from the grief of losing a loved one. (more on this in my YouTube video). So, let’s take a look…
When we grow up being punished and criticized, negative reinforcement becomes the only form of motivation we know. When we are brought up by tough teachers or parents who thought this was the best way, we can begin to actually fear and resist encouragement, praise and positive reinforcement. By growing up with negative reinforcement, we begin to subconsciously and mistakenly associate all of our accomplishments with stress, pressure and panic.…
If something here helped you feel less alone, would you help me keep it alive?
Even the smallest support matters.
Weekly Writings from the Desk of Todd Perelmuter
