Posts tagged with “wisdom”
Embracing Impermanence: Lessons from Living with a Chronic Illness
“Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles.” ~Charlie Chaplin
At thirteen, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. At first, I patiently waited for my doctor to give me medicine. When he didn’t, I patiently waited (for several years) for someone to find the cure.
As the years went on I wasn’t getting any better. Though I went to more doctors than I could count, none had any new advice for me, and the medical community wasn’t any closer to figuring out how to heal this illness.
Life was unpredictable. I didn’t know what I’d be able …
Why Creativity Is the Path to Mindfulness, Happiness, and Peace
“Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks and plays in freedom.” ~Arnaud Desjardins
No human being lives without experiencing the duality of life.
Good and bad. Love and hate. Life and death. Acceptance and rejection. Success and failure. Joy and jealousy. Compassion and judgment.
So why do we spend so much time trying to pretend that it’s bad to experience all of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly?
Even our weather men and women tell us it’s a going to be a bad day because …
Maybe This Is What Happiness Is
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done and he did it.
—Edgar Guest
I’ve always believed in the adage “actions speak louder than words.” I’ve never been one to seek guidance from commercial catch phrases, trending tweets, or song lyrics. But Guest’s poem did make me smile. Whether it was the playfulness of the verse or just the simplicity of the message, it spoke volumes to me.
Easy, right? Well, maybe for Edgar, but not so much …
Life Is Better When We Focus on What We Appreciate, Not What’s Lacking
“Wisdom is merely the movement from fighting life to embracing it.” ~Rasheed Ogunlaru
Recently a friend told me a story about taking her seven-year-old to the circus. It was a wonderful mother-daughter outing. Just the two of them, no pesky brothers or dad tagging along and getting in the way.
They had the best time. They watched acrobats and clowns and all manner of brand new delights, gasping at one another gleefully at every new feat. They bathed in each other’s company without interruption, laughing and having fun. Literally all the things.
After this magical afternoon, as the two of …
It’s Okay to ‘Fail’ on Your Way to Finding What You Want to Do
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~George Bernard Shaw
I would say it’s a safe assumption that most people aren’t quite sure what they’re doing.
What do I mean? I mean that most individuals—whether they look polished and presentable or haphazardly have their life thrown together—are generally playing a game called “life.” And they’re trying the best they can.
In other words, we’re all capable and have all experienced the highs and lows of what life has to offer. Unfortunately, that’s just part of the human experience. To try to ride the highs while avoiding the …
We Can’t Do Everything, But We Can Do More Than We Think
“There are plenty of obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to become one of them.” ~Ralph Marston
I was sitting in a self-improvement course listening to the facilitator’s instructions. “I want you to come up with a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal,” she announced. “This needs to be a stretch, something where you really put skin in the game. You have seven weeks to reach this goal.”
The rest of her instructions trailed off as I thought about which area of my life I wanted to improve. I overheard a few of my classmates talking to each other about …
Freeing Yourself from Problems and Habits by Seeing That You’re Already Free
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Imagine there is a river running through you.
Your entire experience of life flows through you, down that river. Everything you think, feel, and do passes through, powered by the current of the river.
Your emotions, your opinions, your sense of identity … your habits, diagnoses, and choices … they aren’t still or solid, sitting somewhere. They are brought to life, felt, and then they drift away. They …
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