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Albert Camus described the absurd as a tension between our desire for meaning and the world’s silence. In this article, I consider how living “without appeal” can help us stop asking others for permission to be ourselves. There is a question beneath almost every form of people-pleasing. Who has the authority to tell me that … Read more

How often do you know what you think before you say it out loud, and then begin editing it? You look at the other person’s face. You anticipate the objection. You imagine the disappointment. You test the winds of public opinion. And by the time you finally speak, what began as a clear perception has … Read more

You may be confident at work. You make decisions, solve difficult problems, lead meetings, and appear perfectly capable. Other people may even rely on you for reassurance and direction. Then you go home. Your partner is disappointed in you. Your mother disapproves of something you have done. A close friend becomes distant. Your adult child … Read more

People-pleasing and hyper-independence look like opposites. The people-pleaser says, “I’ll do anything to keep you close.” The fiercely self-sufficient person says, “I don’t need you at all.” One moves toward connection by surrendering the self. The other protects the self by keeping connection at a safe distance. Yet beneath these opposite-looking strategies lies the same … Read more

You may have been told that you must forgive in order to heal. Perhaps a pastor, spiritual teacher, therapist, or well-meaning friend told you that holding on to anger would poison you. That forgiveness is something you do for yourself, not for the other person. That unless you forgive, you will never be free. Some … Read more