"I can't cut out the pieces of my heart that still love him and set them on fire," Cassandra reflects in Sergei 2.0, the second book in The Stain series.

Love lives eternally in moments that cannot be undone. Do we really need to harden our hearts to one love before finding another?

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #romance #relationships #acceptance

The first step to breaking old patterns is to recognize a precious gift when it arrives. Like a second chance.

People who appreciate gifts tend to receive more.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #focus #positivity #gifts #recognition #blessing #gratitude

Once the initial shock wears off, we can turn it around and use the experience to empower ourselves. We build strength by overcoming adversity.

Then we can help others in similar circumstances - and that is the most healing practice of all.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #focus #positivity #empowerment #strength #empathy

Say we have a crush on someone who drives a red car. It's likely we will start to see red cars everywhere - is that our crush? Omg!

Now imagine we have an expired registration and something illegal in the back seat. Aren't we going to start noticing police cars?

I could extol the virtues of avoiding legal entanglements, but I will not. Be as bad as you want to be.

Simply consider this: What we look for sees us too. This is not just an energetic thing - slight changes in our behavior can have huge impacts "out there."

Perhaps we get a friendly wave from a red car driver who notices our smile. Isn't that better than seeing police lights come on in the rear view mirror?

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #focus #positivity #empowerment

"Broken" is a feeling that will pass, not an identity.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #strength #resilience #identity

It's a shame life doesn't come with eject buttons to blast us out of bad situations. Fortunately, we always have the power to remove ourselves.

Today's mindfulness challenge is to use the 'eject button' at least once. Say someone is engaging us in a boring conversation, why not say, "Hey, that's cool but I have a thing in five," and just walk away?

Don't forget to give yourself a nod of satisfaction for a job well done.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #humor #ejectbutton #empowerment #exit

There is no need to run from memories or be consumed with worry about the future when we can be here now.

Pause. Look around. Breathe.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #relaxed #presence #pause #refuge #calm

Take a fresh look at the situation: Do we need that door to open or can we simply go around?

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #relaxed #presence #perspective #shift #solution #flexible #adaptive #clarity #purpose

In French class we learn the concept of the "faux ami" - an English word with a different meaning in French. A good example is 'blesser,' which means 'to wound.'

There are false friends in real life too - those who are secretly jealous when things go well for us and take deviant pleasure in our suffering when they don't. They tend to draw our attention back to our failures and all the things that could go wrong.

We may not be able to put our finger on how they've done it, but we always feel worse after spending time with them.

Today's mindfulness challenge is to simply notice who brings you up, and who brings you down.

Sometimes the "blesser" is a curse.

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #awareness #relationships #friendship #fauxami

I once visited a mansion with a perfectly manicured lawn. The sprinkler system was running and there was a new Mercedes parked in the driveway. When the door opened, I was shocked to see the rooms were empty inside. The family was eating from paper plates on a wooden picnic table in the dining room.

Relationships can be like this too - impressive from the outside but empty without a deep, genuine, heart-to-heart connection.

We know something is wrong because we feel empty when we "should" feel happy.

Today I invite you to look around your life (e.g., job, titles, possessions, relationships) and ask, "Is it stuff or substance?"

www.catherineiversnorton.com

#ReadTheStain #writer #coach #psychology #spirituality #mindfulness #presence #intention #substance #joy #connection