Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She’s also the author of Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal, Tiny Buddha's Worry Journal, and Tiny Buddha's Inner Strength Journal and co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. For daily wisdom, join the Tiny Buddha list here. You can also follow Tiny Buddha on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
“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, …
“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 …
“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 …
“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 …
“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 …
“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 …
“It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it.” -Lena Horne
We often think that admitting struggle is a sign of weakness, but we all struggle sometimes. We all get overwhelmed sometimes. We all need …
“It pays to be honest, but it’s slow pay.” ~Proverb
There are two types of rewards we can enjoy in this life: the kind that appear to come immediately, and the kind that we generally don’t realize are accumulating over …
“Prosperity depends more on wanting what you have than having what you want.” -Geoffrey F. Abert
No matter what you have, you can always identify something that is lacking. If you have a great relationship, you might ascertain that you’ve …
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” -Spencer Johnson
Only you know if you’ve been lying to yourself. Other people may think they know what’s going on in your head and what’s …
“We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.” ~Pema Chodron
Recently I got into a hypothetical conversation with someone who very quickly turned hostile and accusatory. Let’s call …
“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” -Buddha
We all have goals–things we’d like to accomplish and ideas of who we’d like to become through the process. But sometimes we get …
“Strangers are friends you have yet to meet.” -Unknown
Since I live in LA and my family lives in Boston, I take long flights several times a year. During many of these flights, I read a book or watch a …
“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” -Benjamin Franklin
A few years back, I reconnected with an old friend from high school. Years after we met, we both struggled with depression and dealt with messy, public recoveries.
He said that seeing …
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” -Einstein
Sometimes it’s more effective to track your progress in mistakes than it is to track it with successes.
There are days when I have tons of mini-victories, …
Update: The winners have been chosen! If you didn’t win, you can purchase a copy of The Book of (Even More) Awesome on Amazon.
Last year, I posted a review of The Book of Awesome, by Neil Pasricha—a compilation …
“What we see is mainly what we look for.” -Unknown
Whatever you believe about people and the world, you will likely find proof to support it.
If you look for selfishness, you’ll find it. If you look for animosity you’ll …
“Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.” -Richard Kline
People often think confidence means knowing you can create the outcome you desire. To some extent it does, but this idea isn’t universally true for anyone. No matter how …
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” -Dalai Lama
I’d be happy if I had a boyfriend. I’d be happy if my boss promoted me. I’d be happy if I had a larger house. It’s …
“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it.” -Unknown
There are some days when I want everything to stop.
I want the calls to stop, the emails to stop, the …
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. Click here to read more.
