Buddha Doodles: Get Comfortable Not Knowing
Say Goodbye to Your “I” and Hello to Freedom
“More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.” ~Francois Gautier
It’s the last place in a million years I ever thought I would find myself.
Stuck in a day job I had originally taken to fund my art and still feed my family when times were lean. It all sounded so logical back then.
Except that after several years, this “I” that was showing up to work had zero passion, was totally unmotivated, and not exactly someone I was too proud of.
Which was very strange since I was always so committed with my dedication to …
Improv(e) Your Life: Lessons on Risks, Gifts, and More
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Improv comedy is something I’ve always enjoyed. I thought it would be fun to try, so I eventually took a class. Countless classes and many laughs later, I’ve learned that improv is a lot like life. In fact, applying what you learn in improv can actually improve your life.
Risky Business
Showing up at an improv class for the first time might prove intimidating or anxiety provoking for some. I felt some nerves when taking my first class, …
You Don’t Have to Be Lonely: Proactively Choose to Connect with People
“Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens.” ~ Epictetus
Do you know that feeling when you are completely alone?
I don’t mean in a calm, solitary, I-choose-to-be-on-my-own kinda way.
It’s the alone that inflates with silence that makes your ears ring. It’s the ache in the pit of your gut that boils the insecurities and needless feelings of rejection. It’s the push of desperate pain that wells in your eyes and stains your cheeks.
You know, that kind of alone?
I never intended to feel this way. When I …
Mr. Happy Man: Reminding Us That Life Is Beautiful
Eighty-eight-year-old Johnny Barnes spends six hours every day telling people on the side of the road “I love you!” and “Have a great day!” Rain or shine, he makes it his mission to share joy and kindness with everyone who passes.
Following Johnny’s lead: Happy Monday, I love you, and have a great day! Now go and pass it on. 🙂
Who to Fall in Love with First: 6 Ways to Love Yourself
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~Rumi
Most of us are so busy waiting for someone to love us that we’ve forgotten about the one person we need to love first—ourselves.
Ironically, it was when my ten-year marriage fizzled that I began the innermost process of self-discovery about love.
While discouraged and saddened at the crumbling of our relationship, I began to explore love more. How had it fizzled? Why had we stopped loving each other, and what had happened to …
Slow Down and Fully Enjoy This Moment
“Don’t miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold.” ~Unknown
Have you noticed that time seems to go by faster as you get older? Holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries all come and go—and before we know it, here they come again.
One theory neuroscientists have is that when we are young we have more novel experiences. These novel experiences create more vivid memories. As we age, we have less “new” or “first time” experiences. There are no unique memories to stand out.
We can also look at it another way. When we’re doing something new, …
Being Mindful and Releasing Worries: 5 Tips for Living in the Present
“The next message you need is always right where you are.” ~Ram Das
I try to exercise mindfulness in all things. Nowhere has this been as important for me as in my relationships.
I try to remember that I am not the same person I was as a child. People in any family play different roles at different times.
It’s been heartening to see myself, formerly a frequent recipient of unwanted advice, in a position of sharing the wisdom of my experience and being a conscious example of what I recommend.
I am a younger sister. I am fifty-six years …
How to Rewire Your Brain (and Renew Your Life)
I began practicing yoga and meditation in 1970 when I was seventeen years old.
I practiced in my small bedroom at one end our family’s long New York City apartment. My room was next to the kitchen. My parents, brother, and sister had bedrooms on the other side of the apartment.
I’d get up early and move through a sequence of yoga asanas before sitting down to meditate.
I’d sit in meditation until I heard the kitchen noises as my mother and siblings began their breakfast routine.
That was the signal that it was time for me to move from …
Life Is Practiced Rather Than Perfected: Balance Is Good Enough
“Good enough is the new perfect.” ~Becky Beaupre Gillispie
Taking another look through the treasure trove that is Tiny Buddha’s quote archive, I realized that there’s actually no category for quotes on “balance.” Because I’m interested in (read: slightly obsessed about) balance, I delved into the groupings more closely and realized that the list itself is, in fact, finely balanced. And it’s a metaphor for life.
In the archive you can find wisdom in words on loss, pain, and sorrow, or seek solace in quotes on happiness, hope, and healing. Sage advice on weakness may speak …
Transform Your Confidence by Learning to Approach New People
“As long as you make an identity for yourself out of pain, you cannot be free of it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
I remember it like it was yesterday—sitting in the corner of a bar in Holland at a social gathering, feeling alienated because I didn’t know the people I had to mingle with. After all, they were friends of my girlfriend at the time.
My worries had consumed me and I didn’t know where to begin. I wondered: Should I pluck up the courage to strike up a conversation, or should I withdraw?
I realized from this experience that I lacked …
Let Go of Attachment: You Can Be Happy Even if Things Change
“Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
A wise old soul once told me that I needed to practice not being attached.
I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. I remember he gave me a very intelligent and understandable definition of attachment, but because it made such little sense to me, there was very little I could do with it. It was incomprehensible.
I have found that, like the definition of attachment, it isn’t the teachings themselves that give us the answer; it is our own discovery, in …
From Restlessness to Action: Enjoy Working Toward Your Dream
“The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.” ~Tom Bradley
Every day seemed like hours passing. It didn’t matter how much I got accomplished at work or how many nice things I did to help others. I never felt satisfied.
This restlessness seemed to grow as much as the time I spent on my creative writing shrank.
My someday dream of finishing just one book started to seem more like a never-to-be-crossed-off item on a bucket list. And the most frustrating thing was that the more effort I put into trying to write more, the …
Street Compliments: Sharing Love on the Side of the Road
Soul Pancake (the site started by Rainn Wilson, from The Office) set up a compliment station on the side of the road, and the exchanges they captured on film are both beautiful and touching.
When was the last time you told someone how you feel?
You Have the Power to Change Someone’s Day for the Better
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s a feeling of dread. Maybe you’ve experienced it before.
You’re driving down the highway and suddenly something goes wrong. You’re stepping on the gas pedal but nothing is happening.
All the little lights on the dashboard come on and you notice one particular gauge you’ve been meaning to address sooner.
The needle is just past the E. You’re out of gas.
It’s a helpless feeling. Desperation flashes through your mind as the wheels begin …
8 Simple Tips to Bring More Love into the World
“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” ~Brené Brown
Have you heard the story of the ugly duckling?
Well, there never was an ugly duckling; he was actually a swan whose real beauty had not been recognized by him or by others.
All of us may or may not be ugly ducklings, but we are totally worthy of being loved, accepted, and cherished just as we are.
Ultimately we are all trying to do the best we can with our current knowledge, awareness, and understanding. But we lose our way, and the …
