Creative Curiosity by Nathalie Le Riche — choosing peace

As a child, I often heard the words: “Don’t,” “You shouldn’t,” “You should do this,” “You can’t.” Over time, these phrases created an unconscious belief that I wasn’t allowed to be myself. I learned that the feelings of others mattered more than mine, and that my role was to obey in order to keep them happy. If I didn’t, their unhappiness seemed to prove I was the cause — that I must have done something wrong, that I was a bad person. When these beliefs go unquestioned, they follow us into adulthood. I found myself repeating the same words to...

When someone offers a suggestion, how do you receive it? Do you hear it as something valuable — a chance to grow — or does it land as a personal attack? The way we feel in those moments often reveals the belief systems we’ve taken on over time. If we can see suggestions as opportunities to improve, we’ve begun to learn the art of growth. Yet if we feel attacked, it’s worth asking: what about the suggestion makes it feel like an attack? Did it trigger a sense that we’ve done something wrong? And if so, where in the past...

Following a dream can feel exhilarating—until the path becomes weighed down by challenges, especially the lack of money. What do you do when trying harder only brings more strain, more obstacles, and less joy? Pause. Ask yourself: • Am I forcing my dream to happen in one fixed way? • Do I believe I must achieve this dream to be happy, loved, or at peace? • Why do I want this dream—truly? Is it to fill an inner void, or to prove something to the world? Challenges are not punishments; they are alarm clocks. They remind us that perhaps the...

  “I don’t have time to play.”I used to say that too.Caught in the grind, chasing dreams with a clenched jaw and a weary heart.Trying to earn my worth through effort, through service, through sacrifice.Until my body said enough.Until the breakdowns came.Until I cracked open and asked… what if I did the opposite? What if I played?Not for productivity. Not for performance.Just for joy. Just for me. And that’s when the magic began.Peace returned. Joy bloomed.Uncanny doorways opened—ones I couldn’t see when I was running too fast.Solutions arrived with ease.My dreams didn’t disappear… they got closer. Art became my reminder.A...

For years, I believed that silence was safety. That if I swallowed my truth, others would feel better. That my quietness could mend their sadness, soften their anger, create peace. But instead, my silence became a breeding ground for pain—mine and theirs. I didn’t just lose my voice. I lost myself. When I finally spoke, it wasn’t gentle. It was fierce, raw, and misunderstood. My truth, long buried, came out like a storm. And in its wake, I met resistance. Arguments. Accusations. Almost physical confrontations. Not because I was wrong—but because none of us had learned how to speak without...