“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” ~Unknown
Sometimes for me it’s not a matter of if I’ll work on the weekend; it’s a matter of how.
On the one hand, I’m committed to being mindful and creating balance in my life.
But on the other hand, I have a lot of dreams and goals, and I enjoy giving my all to pursuing them.… Read More
This weekend I was honored and grateful to speak at Wisdom 2.0, a conference that addressed the question:
How can we use the technologies of our age, from cell phones to social media, with mindfulness, meaning, and wisdom?
Organizer Soren Gordhamer, author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected, created nothing short of magic by attracting participants from all sides of the conversation, from Twitter and Facebook to Yoga Journal and Samovar Tea.… Read More
“The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~ Unknown
We all have something stored in our memory banks of the past that we wish we could have done differently, or something we wish we didn’t do.
As we get older we learn and grow.… Read More
Hey, I know you’re busy. Aren’t we all? But it’s time you did yourself a favor. Investing in yourself is a surefire way to give your mind a growth spurt without any stretch marks.
Take a week to reinvent your mindset. Each of these steps requires minimal effort but yield maximum reward.… Read More
“The world doesn’t happen to you, it happens from you.” –Unknown
It’s easy for me to drown in the sea of day-to-day things. How can I not when technology, social networks, phone calls, and the pressure to be successful in spite of the economic downturn constantly bombard me?
It’s almost as if catching a breath of air—and not a forced one—has become increasingly difficult.… Read More
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” ~Proverb
A friend of mine once said, “If there’s a word in the English language I detest, it’s ’should.’ What a pointless, useless, waste-of-space (euphemism for other choice adjective) word.”
I think he’s right on the money. At the risk of sounding hypocritical, you should consider the definition of should, as defined by dictionary.com:
Should: must; ought (used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency): You should not do that.… Read More
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~Annie Dillard
Time. It is arguably our most valuable commodity.
Unlike treasured gems, precious metals and any other prized possessions, time can’t be hoarded, collected, earned, or bought with hard work, money, dignity or our soul. It slips away whether or not we choose to pack meaning into it.… Read More
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ~Gandhi
Both the industrial and digital revolutions promised increased productivity, meaning people could work less and live a more balanced life. We all know that’s not how history has played out.
Even as technology advances, we work longer hours than ever—and ironically, struggle financially and accrue more debt with each passing year.… Read More
“Living with the immediacy of death helps you sort out your priorities in life. It helps you to live a less trivial life.” ~Sogyal Rinpoche
Sitting in the ICU waiting rooms during recent months waiting to visit Mama, my life slowed down more than I can remember in recent memory.… Read More
“I am not what happens to me. I choose who I become.” ~Carl Jung
Recently I experienced a big shock—the kind that most of us don’t encounter very often.
I was with a friend when I discovered evidence of a physical disaster near my home. I did not, at that time, know any of the details, nor did I know what kind of impact it might have on my own life.… Read More
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” ~Buddha
I have this thing about road trips. I love them, can’t get enough of them. I could never step on another airplane for as long as I live and be perfectly fine with that—but I love having all the experiences that can only happen on the road.… Read More
Technology pervades our world. From cell phones and laptops to iPods and digital cameras, the average person owns an arsenal of gadgets that, in many ways, simplify life. You can increase your productivity, connect with people quickly, and access information instantaneously—while documenting your every move via tweets and photos to upload to Twitpic or Facebook.… Read More
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” -Buddha
You experience and create all kinds of different energies that affect how you feel and what you accomplish throughout your day. Some energies are powerful and easily recognizable, while others are more subtle and often only intuitively felt.… Read More
Last week I had the honor of lunching with my friend new friend Meng, whose Google business card reads, “Jolly Good Fellow.” We met at a Project Happiness event, and I was taken by his warmth and kindness.
A practicing Buddhist, Meng was one of the first engineers at Google.… Read More
“The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.” ~Robert M. Persig
We live in a fast-paced, achievement-oriented society. At the end of a busy, to-do-list-focused day, we often find ourselves mentally and physically exhausted and uncertain whether we’re actually moving in the right direction in “the pursuit of happiness.”
Perhaps this explains our fascination with all things Zen.… Read More
When I first sat down to write this piece for 5 Rules for Life, I wrote Live without rules five times, each followed by a reason to keep your approach to life flexible. The way you live is largely a reflection of where you’ve been, who you’ve been, and the beliefs you’ve formed.… Read More
“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” -Unknown
Even though I couldn’t possibly care less about oil-based raincoats, I listened to him talk for about 15 minutes one rainy morning last week.
This little guy, with his colorful button-down shirt and funny-looking hat makes my day most mornings.… Read More
Research indicates lottery winners are no happier than people who didn’t win, and in many cases, become depressed in the years following their win.
Scientists have surmised that we all have a baseline level of happiness—a range of joy we’ll stay within regardless of our external circumstances. The greatest factor in determining this joy is our mental attitude.… Read More
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