The Cost of Relating to Our Ideas What Do We Miss When We Relate to Our Idea About Something Instead of What is Truly There? I’m discovering the limits of theories and maps and mental distinctions. Very simply, when we hold a preconceived notion about something, we relate with our idea of it, rather than […]
Do Our Thoughts Create Our Reality? Debunking and Reowning the Magical Thinking of New-Age, Self-Help Wish Fulfillment The simple statement that “our thoughts create our reality” has gained a lot of popularity over the past few decades, particularly in spiritual-but-not-religious circles. It acts as a mantra for people who genuinely want to live better lives […]
NPR’s Take on Happiness A broad look at happiness from a pop-star, some scientists, a businessman, and a monk I drove for over an hour on Christmas Eve eve, some of it in the middle of traffic. Holiday present-buying traffic—almost as bad as Black Friday traffic. I know I drove for over an hour because […]
Checking Our Assumptions Prolonging the “honeymoon” through openness and wonder Our Assumptions Often Lead to Unnecessary Suffering I was hosting a group at my house and a guy showed up who seemed callous and insensitive. He wasn’t reading social cues and he kept treating my cat unfairly. I was angry with him and felt threatened. […]
Seeing Everyone’s Innocence What Happens When We Drop The Assumption that Someone Could be Different From How They Are? I’m talking with a friend, a mohawked guy sitting in front of the brick fireplace, fire gently cracking, a young couple cuddled on the front porch under a starless sky—and my vision appears full of light. […]
Is Your Well-Meaning Advice Accidentally Causing Shame? How Coaching, Helping, and Fixing Can Hurt The Ones We Love (And What to Do Instead) Trying to coach or fix someone without permission is a subtle way to shame what they are feeling. We are essentially saying, “Your current feeling is not okay. Get rid of it.” […]
Slowing Down The Obvious, Timeless, and Every Day Useful Practice Originally Posted on DailyHap.com
Exchange “Shy” for “Shine” A Quick Trick to Deepening Happiness When it is Already There In the past two days I’ve gotten to connect with two people who exhibited shyness over feeling positive emotions. I am fairly certain everyone has had this experience before. Rationally this does not make too much sense, especially when the […]
Meditation Resource Guide Four Simple Suggestions to Deepen Your Awakening You’ve checked out the introduction to meditation, the guided meditation, the written guided meditation, and now you want to keep going. You know that what is most important is simply to practice, but you want more guidance. There are a ton of good resources, styles, […]
Introduction to Meditation Video Then You Can Improve Your Health and Happiness in 6 Minutes a Day What exactly is meditation, and why isn’t it more popular, when it has been scientifically shown to have such amazing benefits with no negatives? (Though it doesn’t cure everything, of course) I suggest that one is a simple […]
Check Your Privilege: The White Male Discussion How Universal Human Experiences of Victimhood and Guilt Lie Behind Seemingly Opposing Points of View I was disappointed by that Time article by a Jewish college Freshman named Tal Fortgang who didn’t like being told to “check his privilege,” but I was just as disappointed by the way the black […]
Body Scan: A Guided Meditation Awareness and Equanimity in the Flesh Here’s a great way to find more energy, release tension, and slip in a quick meditation. You can practice as you read this article—although for many, it is easier with eyes closed. You can go quickly or slowly, depending on your own preferences and […]