(an Escape, an Excuse, a Reason, an Alibi) ...continued from Frustrated Ambitions Sometimes we simply do not want to face ourselves. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from self-examination once in a while, but often this break becomes a way of life and we never return to the mirror because our mind tells [...]
I’ve been reading this wonderful book by Robert Henri – an artist and teacher of art almost a century ago. It not only has great advice and suggestions for artists, but it strikes me that everything in this book can be applied to all aspects of life. To me it’s all about paying attention, being [...]
I was working on a blog post today about work addiction – excerpts from my book Work from the Inside Out: 7 Steps to Loving What You Do – and read this: “One of the ways we avoid looking at our life is by burying ourselves completely in our work. We live, sleep and eat [...]
Letting Go 3:1 …continued from Relax Your Toes to Relax Your Mind Do you always need to be right? Do you need to have the last word in any verbal exchange, especially if it’s an argument? Do you ever think: "If only people would behave the way I want them to, everything would be fine. [...]
So Easy, Yet So Hard You need no special skills to face a quiet corner—no special talents, no special brainpower. Each one of us has the raw material necessary. Desire is a requirement, but if you’re reading this, you already have that. Simply set some time aside, choose a spot, get comfortable, breathe, and voilà—a [...]
Georgia O'Keeffe When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they [...]
Just getting through a typical day without ending up exhausted or embittered can sometimes be so daunting that when faced with some of the larger challenges of life we seem to have no energy resources left for the fight. So we let the major events take control and toss us to and fro, all the [...]
…continued from Three Bogeymen of Serenity Perhaps the most crucial impediment that we need to cast away as we progress toward the realization of our true work and enjoyment of it is our dualistic thinking. This operates everywhere and becomes especially vivid when we consider our status in the workplace. When we are young we [...]
Seeing the Big Picture 2:7 …continued from God is in the Details As we progress through our lives and construct layer upon layer of protection, our true self may get buried and lost to us, if only partially. No wonder we have trouble getting to it—we’ve crushed it beneath the defenses we learn that help [...]
Being in a summer state of mind, with all the fresh farm produce being harvested around me, I went to one of my favorite Zen poetry books for this month’s quotes, appropriately titled A Zen Harvest. Enjoy the rich bounty! On my way to you A thousand miles become one: Across the wide rice [...]
