Victoria Gigante

It’s World Mental Health Day!

I don’t know about you, but just hearing the words mental health make me cringe. My mind is instantly filled with the negative stereotypes attached to similar words like mental illness, and mental disorder.

But according to the World Health Organization, mental health has a clear definition, and it’s actually positive!

Mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

So how can you both achieve and maintain optimal mental health?

Read More »Take Control Of Your Mental Health Today In Just Three Minutes

The culture in the United States is one of competition. In everything from academics to business, to sports, we thrive on gaining a competitive edge, on being “the best”, & achieving perfection.

Competition can stimulate great innovation, giant leaps in knowledge, & even significant social change, but there is a serious drawback to this culture of competition too.

The specific drawback we’re discussing today is a spinoff of competition, if you will; it’s an activity that almost always results in crippling behavior that just plain keeps us stuck! Do you know what that activity is?

Read More »One Self-Destructive Activity You Probably Do Daily But Don’t Know About

If you feel stuck, chances are you can find a slew of negative words to describe how terrible life seems sometimes.

I spent over a decade feeling stuck, lost, & completely out of control. My breaking point came after almost a year of physical illness, poor job performance, academic struggle, & bitter fights with my husband. Something snapped one day, & I decided enough was enough. I couldn’t recognize myself any more.

So, as a 28th birthday gift to myself, I filed for divorce, quit my job, put my education on hold, sold all my stuff, & bought a plane ticket to Brazil.

Chances are your situation isn’t exactly the same as mine, but it has probably been just as painful & difficult to deal with, am I right? The reason that this pain is something we all share is that we all suffer from limiting beliefs that keep us stuck. Not even the best of us are immune!

Read More »Instantly Become Unstuck With Two Simple But Powerful Words

Have you ever noticed that the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have?

We live in a world marked by over consumption, which is why it’s easy to feel like we never have enough stuff. We earn money to purchase stuff, want more money to purchase more stuff, buy houses to store stuff, and want bigger houses to store more stuff. But the more stuff you have, the more “Stuff” you have – meaning, I believe the amount of physical stuff in your life is directly proportional to your level of emotional “Stuff,” more commonly known as “emotional baggage.”

By minimizing attachment to stuff, you can minimize your level of “Stuff.”

Read More »Having A Lot Of Stuff Can Lead To Excess Emotional Baggage

In 2008, Oprah Winfrey addressed the graduating class at Stanford University. While her speech was geared towards college students, she made several useful points to consider on your journey towards career fulfillment.

If you’ve identified that you’re feeling unfulfilled, you’re moving in the right direction. Oprah states that feelings are our compass, and says that, “When you don’t know what to do, get still.” When it comes to career fulfillment, “getting still” means taking time to slow down and acknowledge the feelings that surround your current situation. Have you heard people say, “trust your gut” or “I received a gut check?” That’s because feelings arise from the “gut.” When we don’t “trust our gut” – when we don’t listen to our feelings – we literally get a “gut check.” Sometimes we may even get a stomachache! Feeling unfulfilled in your career is one of these important “gut checks.”

Read More »Oprah’s Take On Career Fulfillment