By taking responsibility, you fight less. You get angry less. You feel offended less. And you suffer less. In 1864, a young man was thinking of killing himself. He was depressed and so far his life had been full of failures. He then made a deal with himself. He is going to take responsibility for …
Category: Self
Don’t Run From Vulnerability – Embrace It
Stop trying to seal your heart. Remaining in emotional solitary confinement costs us. There is a cost to making your heart neatly sealed, safe from the joys and sorrows of life. I never heard my dad talk about his feelings. He never told me he loved me in words. He sucked it all in, where …
Guardians Who See Us Through Our Grief In a Global Pandemic
On people, places, and things that see us in our lowest points Sometimes the most unexpected gesture saves you from drowning in sorrow. Sometimes simple things like the sun rays playing with the golden leaves lessen your grief. You close your eyes and remember loved ones whom you have lost with fondness. These simple things …
Lessons My 8-Year-Old Friend Can Teach Us About Vulnerability
Become vulnerable to participate fully in the emotional grandeur and poignancy of life. My 8-year-old friend’s smile is more powerful than the blazing of the sun. Even though he has lost his parents when he was 2, he loves fiercely. I met Abel at an orphanage a couple of months ago. It would be easy …
6 Ways To Give Self-Compassion a Special, VIP Pass Right Into Your Soul
The least you can do for yourself is everything. If one is cruel to himself, how can we expect him to be compassionate with others? — Hasdai Ibn Shaprut, 10th C. Jewish Scholar Did you know newborn monkeys crawled to a mother who touched and cradled them instead of running to enticing milk? The well-known …
7 Better Questions To Ask People That Go Deeper Than “How Are You?”
On how to have deep conversations — not just exchange pleasantries. Put yourself in a moment where you were not fine. Maybe you were terrible, and maybe you were too good to be true. And you said, “I’m fine. Thank you.” Put yourself back in that moment when you lied. Why did you do it? …
When the Future Feels Terrifyingly Unknown, Reflecting on Your Younger and Older Self Gives You Comfort
Reflection can offer healing, insight, and hope in these troubled times. In the past year, it’s felt like we’ve been pinned to the present; the past felt obsolete, and the future felt terrifyingly unknown. But there’s power in reflecting on our old selves and projecting what we want for our future selves. When your panic …
Counting Your Blessings Might Make You Feel Better in These Troubled Times
Even in the middle of a great struggle, there are things to be thankful for. “Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” -Rumi Counting your blessings with clear intention might make you feel better in these troubled times. While I would love to grow old with my best …
What To Do To Love Yourself
The least you can do for yourself is everything. “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 Give your thoughts weight. Ask yourself, Who am I? What do I want? What do I like? How do I …
The ‘Perfect Happiness Recipe’, According to a Buddhist
Focus on your feelings, not what you’re experiencing. The German-born Buddhist nun, Ayya Khema, has a solution to the happiness problem. Imagine an experience that made you happy. Maybe it’s the first time you had fallen in love. Happiness curled your toes when the object of your desire walked into a room and you caught …