We unpack the hidden cost of “I should” and show how to shift into “I choose” so discipline becomes freedom. Through stories, a three-part motivation model, and a four-step reframe, we trade guilt and pressure for self-trust and clear choices.

• naming common shoulds and how they drain energy
• where internalized rules come from and why they stick
• dog’s life, push energy, pull energy explained
• the role of self-trust and fear of disappointment
• real client stories around holidays, work, and family
• the four-step reframe from should to choose
• simple daily language shifts that protect joy
• boundaries that choose the least harmful hard
• practicing loving self-discipline over time

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We map how self-trust erodes through small broken promises and how loving discipline restores inner safety, clarity, and freedom. Five practical steps offer scripts, systems, and simple agreements you can keep even on hard days.

• defining self-trust as inner safety and reliability
• how overcommitment, burnout, and people-pleasing break trust
• why shame and fear create a painful motivator loop
• discipline sourced from love rather than pressure
• keeping agreements and right-sizing promises
• five-step framework to rebuild trust
• micro-commitments and aligned intentions
• tracking systems, lists, and weekly reviews
• deliver or renegotiate to keep integrity
• benefits: clearer intuition, calmer choices, steady consistency

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We share five simple practices that help gratitude shift from a to-do item into a felt way of seeing your life. We also talk about discomfort with joy, how to avoid bypassing pain, and why small rituals change the tone of a day.

• pairing a daily touchstone with a brief, felt pause of appreciation
• ending the day with the last good moment to balance negativity bias
• finding real silver linings without minimizing pain
• building a gratitude chain from one small joy back through every hand and force that made it possible
• planning joy on purpose and feeling it as it happens
• moving from forced lists to embodied gratitude as a trait
• working with foreboding joy and old programming with compassion
• simple, repeatable tools that fit into busy mornings and late nights

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate. I’ll be back on December 1st.

Related Episodes:

Episode 114 - Why Your ‘Three Things You’re Grateful For’ Practice Isn’t Working (and How to Fix It)

Episode 112 - Story-Based Gratitude: How Recalling Real-Life Acts of Help Can Transform Your Emotional Wellbeing

Episode 110 - Stop Brushing It Off: The Power of Receiving Gratitude

Episode 78 - Understanding Gratitude: Why It's a Skill Worth Developing

Episode 77 - Feeling Anxious When Life Is Good? Understanding Foreboding Joy, Its Link to Gratitude, and Why We Brace for Pain

Episode 4 - Gratitude vs. Scarcity

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We share practical tools to protect your energy during tense holiday gatherings, from pre‑event planning and visualization to on‑site breathwork and post‑event decompression. Boundaries become a skill you can practice, not a personality trait you either have or don’t.

• energetic boundaries using the hula hoop metaphor
• pre‑event prep with triggers and non‑negotiables
• time limits and clear exit strategies
• rehearsal and calm visualization to reduce reactivity
• cyclic breathing and body relaxation cues
• reset phrases and mental detachment
• post‑event decompression with journaling and Tetris
• self‑compassion when boundaries feel hard
• building a repeatable practice beyond the holidays

If you know someone who could benefit from this episode, please share it with them

Related Episodes:

Episode 5 - Beginner’s Guide to Journaling Methods That Work

Episode 102 - Boundaries Part 1  Unconditional Love ≠ Unconditional Permission: Boundaries as an Act of Alignment

Episode 103 - Boundaries Part 2 Boundaries in Action: Loving Without Self-Abandonment

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We unpack why the “three gratitudes” practice helps, where it fails, and how to make it land in your body. We share science-backed perks, real pitfalls like buts and comparisons, and simple steps to feel and share genuine thanks without forcing it.

• habit stacking for a simple daily cue
• research on attention and mood benefits
• pitfalls of buts, comparisons and perfection hunting
• valuing small, specific moments over big events
• three steps: vary items, connect the why, feel it
• bonus: express thanks directly to people
• weekly reflection to spot joy patterns
• rituals and prompts to reduce friction
• nervous system support when stuck
• start small with one true gratitude


Related Episodes

Episode 94 - Moments of More: How to Amplify Positivity in Your Daily Life for Greater Fulfillment

Episode 100 - Finding Joy in Everyday Moments: Letting Go of Perfection and Chasing Big Milestones

Episode 113 -  Why We Get Stuck — And How to Use Affirmations to Set Yourself Free

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We explore why we feel stuck and why affirmations often feel flat and how pairing words with felt emotion and consistent practice can rewire old holiday stories. We share practical steps, bridge phrases, and easy environmental tweaks to help you shift your state and sustain it.

• feelings and thoughts as a two-way loop
• habits, environment, and identity shaping reactions
• the chemistry of emotions becoming personality
• affirmations as repetition plus emotion, not quick fixes
• bridge phrases to reduce resistance
• visualization to embody new states
• simple holiday affirmations and when to use them
• phone folder renaming for daily cues
• small, consistent practice beats willpower

Book Suggestion: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza

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We move gratitude from a heady checklist into a felt experience by using stories of real struggle and meaningful help. We share research, vivid examples, and a four-step method to practice story-based gratitude in two minutes, three times a week.

• gratitude as an emotional skill that reshapes outlook
• story-based gratitude vs list-based habits
• neuroscience of narrative, safety and connection
• film and real-world examples that trigger gratitude
• a four-step practice with writing and bullet points
• two-minute, three-times-weekly routine for one month
• teaser on identity-shaping stories and next episode
• Huberman gratitude resource noted for deeper science

Related episodes:

Episode 110 - Stop Brushing It Off: The Power of Receiving Gratitude

Episode 94 - Moments of More: How to Amplify Positivity in Your Daily Life for Greater Fulfillment

Episode 78 - Understanding Gratitude: Why It's a Skill Worth Developing

Episode 77 - Feeling Anxious When Life Is Good? Understanding Foreboding Joy, Its Link to Gratitude, and Why We Brace for Pain

Episode 4 - Gratitude vs. Scarcity

Great Podcast: Huberman Lab: The Science of Gratitude & How to Build a Gratitude Practice

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We challenge the phrase you’re not broken and explore a more honest path that holds both human pain and divine wholeness. We show how spiritual bypassing delays growth and offer a practice to integrate hurt with presence.

• the limits of reassuring slogans and why they can dismiss pain
• the two lenses of human experience and divine awareness
• how spiritual bypassing hides discomfort and stalls healing
• pain as feedback and direction rather than failure
• adaptive trauma patterns that once protected us
• self love coexisting with change and accountability
• a body based practice to feel and witness at once
• reframing brokenness as invitation and signal

Awesome podcast : Mel Robbins Podcast: The Truth about Obesity, Ozempic, and Dieting

Related episodes:

Episode 59 - Discovering the Facets of the Heart and Their Healing Wisdom

Episode 67 - Integrating the Essential Truth We Are Both Human and Divine

Episode 108 - You’re Not Doing It Wrong: The Uncomfortable Signs of Real Growth

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We explore why receiving gratitude feels awkward, how deflection blocks connection, and how to train your body to let appreciation land. Short, practical tools help you regulate your nervous system, deepen belonging, and align with the flow of life.
 
• recap of gratitude as a skill not bypass
• benefits of receiving thanks for safety and bonding  
• common blocks like deflection and self-criticism
• spiritual framing of worthiness and alignment
• three practices: pause to receive a moment of more, reflective journaling, gratitude mirror

Related episodes:

Episode 94 - Moments of More: How to Amplify Positivity in Your Daily Life for Greater Fulfillment

Episode 78 - Understanding Gratitude: Why It's a Skill Worth Developing

Episode 77 - Feeling Anxious When Life Is Good? Understanding Foreboding Joy, Its Link to Gratitude, and Why We Brace for Pain

Episode 4 - Gratitude vs. Scarcity

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Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

We reflect on the pain of loving people who refuse to grow and how to choose peace without enabling harm. We reference the "let them" practice, radical acceptance, and clear boundaries as practical tools to stay aligned and connected to your own becoming.

• why pushing others to change breeds resentment
• radical acceptance as presence, not resignation
• the trap of fixing, teaching and rescuing
• “let them” as a daily practice for peace
• compassion versus enabling in close relationships
• using boundaries to protect dignity and safety
• relationships, health and the cost of bitterness
• growth as invitation and silent leadership

If you have any questions or want to suggest a topic, please email me at [email protected]

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Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com