Lori Deschene is the Founder of Tiny Buddha. She recently launched her Tiny Wisdom eBook Series which includes one free eBook. Follow Lori on Twitter @tinybuddha for inspiring posts and wisdom quotes.
“Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money, power, and influence.” -Henry Chester
Influence has become a huge buzz word, particularly now that social media has taken the world by storm. There are sites to measure it. Blog posts that dissect it. Books that analyze the psychology of it.… Read More
“If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.” -Daisaku Ikeda
Whenever I visit my family in Massachusetts, I notice changes all around me. Sometimes it’s something major, like a Rite Aid where a Mom and Pop shop used to be.… Read More
“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” –Adelle Davis
As I mentioned before in my blog post about needing less money, I recently decided to offer barter advertising through Tiny Buddha—meaning I plan to promote products and services I support in exchange for things I need.… Read More
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” -African Proverb
Sometimes we judge ourselves pretty harshly. We blame ourselves for things we have absolutely no control over. We criticize, berate, and even disparage ourselves, treating ourselves far worse than we’d ever treat other people.
It’s just all too easy to hold ourselves to high standards, and then get frustrated if we fail to meet them.… Read More
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -George Bernard Shaw
Playfulness becomes difficult when we get bogged in worries. Worrying sucks the joy out of everything. I know, because I’ve been there many times before.
You start a new project focused on your passions, and shortly after starting, you stress about where it’s going.… Read More
“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.” -William Arthur Ward
I read somewhere once that we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and other people by their actions. In other words, we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, whereas we’re more apt to assume other people mean to be cruel, inconsiderate, or hurtful when they make poor choices.… Read More
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” -Charles R. Swindoll
Joshua Denney, who designed this site and does a ton behind the scenes, found this video and posted it on Facebook yesterday with the heading, “No excuses.” (Email subscribers, click through to view the video).… Read More
“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” -Pema Chodron
Many people go through their days collecting moments that annoyed them. How another driver turns without signaling. How your coffee barista moves at a glacial pace—so slow she has to ask twice what you ordered.… Read More
“Don’t wait for people to be friendly. Show them how.” -Unknown
From what I can tell, my next door neighbor doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. For a while I thought she was just avoiding me, but I’ve observed that she’s like this with all of our neighbors. By keeping her eyes fixed on her feet, she never has to exchange pleasantries or smiles, let alone get into full-fledged conversations.… Read More
“What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly.” -Carl Rogers
When I was in high school, it was trendy to be “alternative.” It was a time of Green Day, grunge, and wallet chains, and everyone and their brother did their best to blend in by pledging nonconformity.… Read More
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
Someone wronged you. Maybe they treated you thoughtlessly without your feelings or best interests in mind. Or maybe they hurt you with full awareness in a moment of anger or frustration.
Your pride’s bruised, and your expectations destroyed.… Read More
“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.” -Unknown
Have you ever cut yourself off right in the middle of imagining a possibility? I did it to myself earlier today. As I wrote in my recent blog post about needing less money, I am happiest when I have enough, but don’t devote countless hours to the pursuit of abundance.… Read More
“The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.” -Harry Kemp
A while back, I found a research study that revealed a lot of trust fund babies end up struggling with depression. Since they don’t need to work to earn a living, many of them feel a sense of emptiness and purposelessness.… Read More
“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” ~Unknown
This year, I decided to need less money. This way I could work less, which likely meant I would earn less.
I know this may sound like a backwards goal. Conventionally, we resolve to earn more, not less.… Read More
“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.” -Jesse Jackson
I’ve always believed that there is a fundamental difference between compassion and pity: Compassion stands beside someone; pity stands above.
Sometimes it’s tempting to stand in that place, and not just because we’re being judgmental or cruel. Oftentimes, it feels safer up there.… Read More
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
Last weekend, I had a difficult day. My brother had just flown 3,000 miles across the country after visiting me, which reignited an internal conflict about living so far from my family.… Read More
“I am a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” -Antonio Gramsci
They say that ignorance is bliss, and there’s a really good reason for it. There are a lot of things we learn as we get older that can get us down if we dwell on them.… Read More
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
My boyfriend makes me feel unworthy. My mother makes me feel inadequate. My sister makes me inferior. My boss makes me feel incompetent.
Have you said something like this recently? We all do it sometimes–give our power away to other people as if they have complete control over what we feel.… Read More
“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” ~Chinese proverb
As Tiny Buddha grows larger, I find there are a lot more people emailing me with requests. The people pleaser in me wants to say yes to everyone, but the reality is that there is only so much time in the day—and we all have a right to allocate our time as best supports our intentions, needs, and goals.… Read More
“Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking our potential.” -Winston Churchill
If you’re anything like me, you probably noticed at some point in your life that you’re not the best at everything.
Maybe it was when you were pushing yourself to accomplish something, or maybe you noticed someone else’s achievements and started making comparisons.… Read More
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