mnmlist : less
Stop buying the unnecessary.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.
List 4 essential things in your life, do these first,
stop doing the non-essential.
Clear distractions , focus on each moment.
Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less.
Stop buying the unnecessary.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.
List 4 essential things in your life, do these first,
stop doing the non-essential.
Clear distractions , focus on each moment.
Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less.
MEDITATION TIP OF THE DAY
When someone makes you angry,
know that it is your judgement
which makes you angry.
No one can harm you
if you do want to
because you will be harmed only
if you judge that someone has harmed you.
Buddha
When someone makes you angry,
know that it is your judgement
which makes you angry.
No one can harm you
if you do want to
because you will be harmed only
if you judge that someone has harmed you.
Buddha
60 Selected Best Famous Quotes
1. You can do anything, but not everything.—David Allen
2. Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.—Unknown Author
4. You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.—Wayne Gretzky
5. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.—Ambrose Redmoon
6. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.—Gandhi
7. When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean.—Lin-Chi
8. The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.—A. A. Milne
9. To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.—Abraham Maslow
10. We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.—Aristotle
11. A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.—Baltasar Gracian
12. Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.—Basho
13. Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.—Lao-Tze
14. Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
15. What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.—John Ruskin
16. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.—Marcel Proust
17. Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching—Unknown Author
18. Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.—Virgil Garnett Thomson
19. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.—Will Rogers
20. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.—Zig ZiglarFunny Quotes
21. Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.—John Wilmot
22. What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.—Oscar Levant
23. Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.—Oscar Wilde
24. I’ve gone into hundreds of [fortune-teller's parlors], and have been told thousands of things, but nobody ever told me I was a policewoman getting ready to arrest her.—New York City detective
25. When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.—Norm Crosby
26. Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.—Kurt Vonnegut
27. Just the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.—Carl Sagan
28. My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists.—Jean Rostand
29. Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.—Lily Tomlin
30. I quit therapy because my analyst was trying to help me behind my back.—Richard Lewis
31. We’ve heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true.—Robert Wilensky
32. If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?—Scott Adams
33. If the lessons of history teach us anything it is that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.—Anon
34. When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I’m beginning to believe it.—Clarence Darrow
35. Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it.—Cullen Hightower
36. There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbors will say.—Cyril Connolly
37. There’s so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?—Dick Cavett
38. All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.—H. L. Mencken
39. I don’t mind what Congress does, as long as they don’t do it in the streets and frighten the horses.—Victor Hugo
40. I took a speed reading course and read ‘War and Peace’ in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.—Woody AllenOtherwise Intelligent Quotes
41. The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking.—Albert Einstein
42. Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.—André Gide
43. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.—Aristotle
44. I’d rather live with a good question than a bad answer.—Aryeh Frimer
45. We learn something every day, and lots of times it’s that what we learned the day before was wrong.—Bill Vaughan
46. I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.—Blaise Pascal
47. Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.—Cale Yarborough
48. An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn’t take his education too seriously.—Charles F. Kettering
49. Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.—Christopher Hampton
50. Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.—Cyril Connolly
51. Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.—Dame Edna Everage
52. I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.—Edith Sitwell
53. Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.—Ellen Goodman
54. The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.—Ellen Parr
55. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.—Erica Jong
56. Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.—Gordon R. Dickson
57. The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.—Lily Tomlin
58. Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence.—Napoleon (Hanlon’s Razor)
59. Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.—Oscar Wilde
60. When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him.—Thomas Szasz
2. Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.—Unknown Author
4. You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.—Wayne Gretzky
5. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.—Ambrose Redmoon
6. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.—Gandhi
7. When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean.—Lin-Chi
8. The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.—A. A. Milne
9. To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.—Abraham Maslow
10. We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.—Aristotle
11. A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.—Baltasar Gracian
12. Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.—Basho
13. Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.—Lao-Tze
14. Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
15. What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.—John Ruskin
16. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.—Marcel Proust
17. Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching—Unknown Author
18. Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.—Virgil Garnett Thomson
19. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.—Will Rogers
20. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.—Zig ZiglarFunny Quotes
21. Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.—John Wilmot
22. What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.—Oscar Levant
23. Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.—Oscar Wilde
24. I’ve gone into hundreds of [fortune-teller's parlors], and have been told thousands of things, but nobody ever told me I was a policewoman getting ready to arrest her.—New York City detective
25. When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.—Norm Crosby
26. Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.—Kurt Vonnegut
27. Just the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.—Carl Sagan
28. My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists.—Jean Rostand
29. Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.—Lily Tomlin
30. I quit therapy because my analyst was trying to help me behind my back.—Richard Lewis
31. We’ve heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true.—Robert Wilensky
32. If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?—Scott Adams
33. If the lessons of history teach us anything it is that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.—Anon
34. When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I’m beginning to believe it.—Clarence Darrow
35. Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it.—Cullen Hightower
36. There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbors will say.—Cyril Connolly
37. There’s so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?—Dick Cavett
38. All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.—H. L. Mencken
39. I don’t mind what Congress does, as long as they don’t do it in the streets and frighten the horses.—Victor Hugo
40. I took a speed reading course and read ‘War and Peace’ in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.—Woody AllenOtherwise Intelligent Quotes
41. The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking.—Albert Einstein
42. Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.—André Gide
43. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.—Aristotle
44. I’d rather live with a good question than a bad answer.—Aryeh Frimer
45. We learn something every day, and lots of times it’s that what we learned the day before was wrong.—Bill Vaughan
46. I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.—Blaise Pascal
47. Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.—Cale Yarborough
48. An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn’t take his education too seriously.—Charles F. Kettering
49. Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.—Christopher Hampton
50. Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.—Cyril Connolly
51. Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.—Dame Edna Everage
52. I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.—Edith Sitwell
53. Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.—Ellen Goodman
54. The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.—Ellen Parr
55. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.—Erica Jong
56. Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.—Gordon R. Dickson
57. The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.—Lily Tomlin
58. Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence.—Napoleon (Hanlon’s Razor)
59. Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.—Oscar Wilde
60. When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him.—Thomas Szasz
Famous Buddhist Quotes & Sayings
- Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
- You only lose what you cling to.
- Fill your mind with compassion.
- We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.
- The Four Reliances
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions. - We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
- To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
- Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
- Pay no attention to the faults of others,
things done or left undone by others.
Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone. - What we think, we become.
- Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
- Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
- He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
- An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind
- Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
- Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
- Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
- Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
- On life's journey Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom. - One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
"I am awake", Buddha replied.
Six Questions That Will Make You Feel Peaceful and Complete
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” ~Swedish Proverb
When I was in my mid-twenties an unhealthy relationship with an unhealthy guy sent me packing off to the corner of New Mexico to find myself. In a new age, self-discovery kind of world—a hubbub of a town filled with people in transition—I was graced to meet many powerful healers, gurus, shamans, and teachers.
I became a workshop junkie. I went on Shamanic power journeys to spiritual centers around the world, chanted with Indian gurus, and became a certified yoga instructor and Reiki master.
I got rolfed, (and got more intense body-work by thick-boned Maoris) and rebirthed with conscious breath work. I studied parapsychology and quantum dynamics, did past-life regressions, memorized mantras, unraveled koans, and collected crystals and tarot cards.
I went on vision quests in the desert, called leading psychics, mapped my astrological chart, figured out my Enneagram number, dreamed lucidly for nights in an upright chair, and drew down the moon in Wiccan circles.
I had psychic surgeries, soft-tissue chiropractic work, drank herbal tinctures and elixirs, bought every kind of healing essential oil, collected a library of self-help books, and did inner-child work, gestalt dialogues, and did loads of homework with several life coaches.
I know. It’s crazy, huh?
I was a perpetual seeker. Because of an innate sense that there was something wrong with me and a belief I picked up as a child that I was “bad,” I constantly looked outside of myself to find respite, feel loved, and to know my worth.
Even though my unhealthy relationship was dysfunctional, that man gave me a gift that I wouldn’t discover for years. There was something he always said to me that would have saved me from grasping to know myself for so many years, if only I could have really heard it and made it my own.
Whether he meant it or not, he would say: What’s not to love about you?
If I could only for one minute stop and realize this truth, I could have found my peace, and not from a man or spiritual teacher or seminar. I would have been freed from a need to find something outside of me. I would have come to know my own heart.
Today, there are so many tools and practices—psychological, creative, and spiritual—that can guide us to come to know ourselves more. There is nothing wrong with these modalities.
What is wrong is how we hold onto them for dear life, along with the conditioned belief for why we need them.
Here are some key questions to ask yourself to discover your true inner-nature, all on your own, from deep within you and realize everything you need is already here:
1. What if there was nothing I needed to fix in me? What if there was nothing I needed to change? What if I was perfect just the way I am now? Yes, there is inner work to be done. Growth, change, self-awareness, and healing are all important. So many people avoid doing the inner work that is necessary to learn and grow.
But the mechanism that drives us to fix, perfect, and change is, in its own way, an expression of a wound.
We get trapped by the belief that there is something inherently wrong with us, that we are not enough, and that there is something we need to do to become a better person.
This mechanism drives us to look outside of ourselves to avoid having to accept ourselves, who we are right now, in this moment as enough, worthy, and good.
2. What if I didn’t have to punish myself to get the lesson? We have been taught that if we do something “wrong” or “bad” we have to punish ourselves. After all, that’s what our parents did when we were scolded for pulling our sister’s hair or our teacher gave us a “time-out.”
So ask yourself: What if I learned the lesson with love and kindness instead? If I became aware of a mistake I made with self-compassion and gentleness rather than pull out a stick and bash my head?
3. What if I didn’t have to apologize? Sure, saying we are sorry to a person for causing harm is respectful and necessary. We surrender the ego for a moment and admit to our faults. We take responsibility for our actions.
But when we incessantly apologize for who we are, we are buying into the belief that there is something unacceptable within us.
As humans we make mistakes. This is how we learn.
So what if we asked: Can I receive the lesson, embrace it, and not walk around ashamed, saying “I’m sorry” all of the time?
4. What if what I need is already here? What if it already exists inside of me? What if it lives within my heart and is present now without having to get it out there—without having to be told by an astrologist my life plans; without seeking love and approval from an enlightened one outside of me?
What if my enlightenment is already here? What if I dropped this need to seek it out, find it, discover it—could it possibly reveal itself to me?
The Buddha implied that the antidote to the unwholesome expressed inside us is our connection to heart. Whether you realize it or not, your heart is full, alive, and radiant.
So ask: What if whatever lives and breathes inside my heart is more than enough?
Return to your heart to discover what you need. Place the pain, the anxiety, the doubt, as well as the love, compassion, and appreciative joy for others right in the center of your chest.
What you need is already beating loudly inside of you.
5. What if I didn’t have to figure it all out? What if I didn’t have to know what it all means? Or make sense of it all?
What if I didn’t have to understand, analyze, process, therapize, talk about it all the time, search, seek, and find answers?
What if I stepped into the spaciousness of the unknown and allowed life to guide me?
What if I waited patiently for the fruits of my endeavors to ripen and fall off the tree?
When we listen to our innate sense of intuition and trust our unfolding path, we are led. We make choices based on what feels right and true in the moment.
We let go of the measured mind and step into personal freedom.
6. What if exactly what I need is happening already? What if it’s happening right now and I can’t see it? Could it be bigger than what my limited perception can understand at this moment?
Perhaps, in the future when you look back, the pieces of the puzzle that made up your life’s path will all come together and make sense.
You may ask: What if it never makes sense, and I am simply a puzzle that takes new forms, changes and morphs all of the time, de-layering and uncovering, coming closer and closer to the absolute me?
What if I didn’t need to push, force, rush, coerce, control, or produce to feel safe?
What if I am OK in this moment exactly how I am, going exactly where I need to, and remembering, without fail, that I always have the choice to create my dreams?
One final question: Isn’t it a relief to feel these questions, deep inside?
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” ~Swedish Proverb
When I was in my mid-twenties an unhealthy relationship with an unhealthy guy sent me packing off to the corner of New Mexico to find myself. In a new age, self-discovery kind of world—a hubbub of a town filled with people in transition—I was graced to meet many powerful healers, gurus, shamans, and teachers.
I became a workshop junkie. I went on Shamanic power journeys to spiritual centers around the world, chanted with Indian gurus, and became a certified yoga instructor and Reiki master.
I got rolfed, (and got more intense body-work by thick-boned Maoris) and rebirthed with conscious breath work. I studied parapsychology and quantum dynamics, did past-life regressions, memorized mantras, unraveled koans, and collected crystals and tarot cards.
I went on vision quests in the desert, called leading psychics, mapped my astrological chart, figured out my Enneagram number, dreamed lucidly for nights in an upright chair, and drew down the moon in Wiccan circles.
I had psychic surgeries, soft-tissue chiropractic work, drank herbal tinctures and elixirs, bought every kind of healing essential oil, collected a library of self-help books, and did inner-child work, gestalt dialogues, and did loads of homework with several life coaches.
I know. It’s crazy, huh?
I was a perpetual seeker. Because of an innate sense that there was something wrong with me and a belief I picked up as a child that I was “bad,” I constantly looked outside of myself to find respite, feel loved, and to know my worth.
Even though my unhealthy relationship was dysfunctional, that man gave me a gift that I wouldn’t discover for years. There was something he always said to me that would have saved me from grasping to know myself for so many years, if only I could have really heard it and made it my own.
Whether he meant it or not, he would say: What’s not to love about you?
If I could only for one minute stop and realize this truth, I could have found my peace, and not from a man or spiritual teacher or seminar. I would have been freed from a need to find something outside of me. I would have come to know my own heart.
Today, there are so many tools and practices—psychological, creative, and spiritual—that can guide us to come to know ourselves more. There is nothing wrong with these modalities.
What is wrong is how we hold onto them for dear life, along with the conditioned belief for why we need them.
Here are some key questions to ask yourself to discover your true inner-nature, all on your own, from deep within you and realize everything you need is already here:
1. What if there was nothing I needed to fix in me? What if there was nothing I needed to change? What if I was perfect just the way I am now? Yes, there is inner work to be done. Growth, change, self-awareness, and healing are all important. So many people avoid doing the inner work that is necessary to learn and grow.
But the mechanism that drives us to fix, perfect, and change is, in its own way, an expression of a wound.
We get trapped by the belief that there is something inherently wrong with us, that we are not enough, and that there is something we need to do to become a better person.
This mechanism drives us to look outside of ourselves to avoid having to accept ourselves, who we are right now, in this moment as enough, worthy, and good.
2. What if I didn’t have to punish myself to get the lesson? We have been taught that if we do something “wrong” or “bad” we have to punish ourselves. After all, that’s what our parents did when we were scolded for pulling our sister’s hair or our teacher gave us a “time-out.”
So ask yourself: What if I learned the lesson with love and kindness instead? If I became aware of a mistake I made with self-compassion and gentleness rather than pull out a stick and bash my head?
3. What if I didn’t have to apologize? Sure, saying we are sorry to a person for causing harm is respectful and necessary. We surrender the ego for a moment and admit to our faults. We take responsibility for our actions.
But when we incessantly apologize for who we are, we are buying into the belief that there is something unacceptable within us.
As humans we make mistakes. This is how we learn.
So what if we asked: Can I receive the lesson, embrace it, and not walk around ashamed, saying “I’m sorry” all of the time?
4. What if what I need is already here? What if it already exists inside of me? What if it lives within my heart and is present now without having to get it out there—without having to be told by an astrologist my life plans; without seeking love and approval from an enlightened one outside of me?
What if my enlightenment is already here? What if I dropped this need to seek it out, find it, discover it—could it possibly reveal itself to me?
The Buddha implied that the antidote to the unwholesome expressed inside us is our connection to heart. Whether you realize it or not, your heart is full, alive, and radiant.
So ask: What if whatever lives and breathes inside my heart is more than enough?
Return to your heart to discover what you need. Place the pain, the anxiety, the doubt, as well as the love, compassion, and appreciative joy for others right in the center of your chest.
What you need is already beating loudly inside of you.
5. What if I didn’t have to figure it all out? What if I didn’t have to know what it all means? Or make sense of it all?
What if I didn’t have to understand, analyze, process, therapize, talk about it all the time, search, seek, and find answers?
What if I stepped into the spaciousness of the unknown and allowed life to guide me?
What if I waited patiently for the fruits of my endeavors to ripen and fall off the tree?
When we listen to our innate sense of intuition and trust our unfolding path, we are led. We make choices based on what feels right and true in the moment.
We let go of the measured mind and step into personal freedom.
6. What if exactly what I need is happening already? What if it’s happening right now and I can’t see it? Could it be bigger than what my limited perception can understand at this moment?
Perhaps, in the future when you look back, the pieces of the puzzle that made up your life’s path will all come together and make sense.
You may ask: What if it never makes sense, and I am simply a puzzle that takes new forms, changes and morphs all of the time, de-layering and uncovering, coming closer and closer to the absolute me?
What if I didn’t need to push, force, rush, coerce, control, or produce to feel safe?
What if I am OK in this moment exactly how I am, going exactly where I need to, and remembering, without fail, that I always have the choice to create my dreams?
One final question: Isn’t it a relief to feel these questions, deep inside?
The Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living
At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living. Since word travels slowly in the digital age these have only just reached me. Here they are.
At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living. Since word travels slowly in the digital age these have only just reached me. Here they are.
- Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
- Follow the three Rs:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others
- Responsibility for all your actions.
- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
- Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
- When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
- Spend some time alone every day.
- Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
- A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
- In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
- Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
- Be gentle with the earth.
- Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
- Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
- Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
30 Books I'm Glad I Read Before I was 30
In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives. I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. A medley of both fiction and nonfiction, these great reads challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas and opportunities, and together they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning and working successfully.
If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. They will enrich your library and your life.
In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives. I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. A medley of both fiction and nonfiction, these great reads challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas and opportunities, and together they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning and working successfully.
If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. They will enrich your library and your life.
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert – Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for decades, and he shares scientific findings that just might change the way you look at the world. His primary goal is to persuade you into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where you imagined it would be. This is my favorite book on happiness by a long shot.
- The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck – Pretty much the granddaddy of all self-improvement books, it’s easily one of the best nonfiction works I’ve ever read. By melding love, science and spirituality into a primer for personal growth, Peck guides the reader through lessons on delaying gratification, accepting responsibility for decisions, dedicating oneself to truth and reality, and creating a balanced lifestyle.
- Getting Things Done by David Allen – The ultimate ‘organize your life’ book. Allen’s ideas and processes are for all those people who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed. The primary goal of this book is to teach you how to effectively get your ‘to-do inbox’ to empty.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – Covey presents a principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems by delivering a step-by-step guide for living with integrity and honesty and adapting to the inevitable change life brings us everyday. It’s a must-read.
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – This novel is an explanation of what has been and always will be at the core of America’s prosperity: freedom and capitalism. It should be required reading for every American. All 1,069 pages are worthwhile. Hands down, Atlas Shrugged is one of the best, most influential books I’ve ever read.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – More parable than novel, ‘The Alchemist’ uses the story of young shepherd Santiago’s search for his personal legend as an allegory for everyman’s struggle to break from the comfortable confines of conformity and pursue his life dreams. Along the way, of course, our young everyman is beset by numerous setbacks, testing his resolve and forcing him to become attuned to the Soul of the World in order to survive. By paying attention to the details in the world around him, which serve as omens guiding him towards his goal, young Santiago becomes an alchemist in his own right, spinning unfavorable circumstances into riches. I’ve read this tale a few times now and it always provides priceless inspiration.
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau – Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days writing this book in a secluded cabin near the banks of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. This is a story about being truly free from the pressures of society. The book can speak for itself: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz – Schwartz gives the reader useful, proactive steps for achieving success. He presents a clear-cut program for getting the most out of your job, marriage, family life and other relationships. In doing so, he proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction in life.
- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely – Looks at the reasons so many of us continuously make irrational decisions on a daily basis. It’s a scientific but easily readable and unquestionably insightful look at why we do what we do on a daily basis, and why we never change our ways even though we often ‘know better.’
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss – Ferris challenges us to evaluate our perspective on the cost and availability of our dreams, and he teaches us that hard work isn’t very hard when you love what you’re doing. Although there’s certainly some pages of self promotion within, Ferris provides invaluable tips to help us remain aligned with our goals, set expectations on our terms, and eliminate unnecessary time-sinks while increasing our overall effectiveness.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – Easily one of the best and most popular books on people-skills ever written. Carnegie uses his adept storytelling skills to illustrate how to be successful by making the most of human relations.
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse – A short, powerful novel about the importance of life experiences as they relate to approaching an understanding of self, happiness and attaining enlightenment.
- 1984 by George Orwell – 1984 still holds chief significance nearly 60 years after it was written in 1949. It’s widely acclaimed for its haunting vision of an all-knowing government which uses pervasive, 24/7 surveillance tactics to manipulate all citizens of the populace. In today’s world of continuous online connectivity, Orwell’s visions hit pretty close to home.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Set in the Jazz Age of the roaring 20’s, this book unravels a cautionary tale of the American dream. Specifically, the reader learns that a few good friends are far more important that a zillion acquaintances, and the drive created from the desire to have something is more valuable than actually having it.
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – Steinbeck’s deeply touching tale about the survival of displaced families desperately searching for work in a nation stuck by depression will never cease to be relevant.
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason – The best book on money management ever written. Although only 145 pages, this book is packed to the brim with powerful, life changing information. I’ve read it three times and I still pull new pearls of wisdom out of it. Babylon should be mandatory reading beginning at the grade school level, then again in college, and should be given as a gift right along with a college diploma.
- Quitter by Jon Acuff – If you’re looking for an honest account of what it’s like to make the transition from your day job to your dream job, this book is for you. The author doesn’t sugarcoat the journey or convince you that it’s worth making stupid decisions now that you’ll pay for later. He stays grounded in reality while inspiring you to truly connect with the things you’re passionate about, and he gives you hope and a plan for getting yourself there.
- The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer – The creator of the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series reveals secrets to success with sixty-four timeless principles packed into this one book. Sixty-four principles may seem like a lot, but each receives a concise, easy-to-digest chapter that challenges readers to risk creating their lives exactly as they want them. This is easily one of the most practical books I’ve ever read on achieving your dreams.
- The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz – Faced with too many options or decisions in your life? We feel worse when we have too many options. This book will make you feel better and change the way you look at them. Schwartz discusses people making difficult decisions about jobs, families, where to live, whether to have children, how to spend recreational time, choosing colleges, etc. He talks about why making these decisions today is much harder than it was thirty years ago, and he offers many practical suggestions for how to address decision-making so that it creates less stress and more happiness.
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman – Unfortunately, the title may limit the market to business people, but the truth is we are all in the business of managing and selling ourselves no matter what our occupation. What makes this book warrant such a strong statement is the fact that it’s a comprehensive synthesis of all of the concepts you need to know to understand business inside and out. There are no complex models to learn or outdated theories to memorize just to get marks or pass exams. What you get is a clear, comprehensive set of ‘rules of thumb’ for any possible scenario you might encounter in running a business (or just your life in general).
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu – One of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. It’s easily the most successful written work on the mechanics of general strategy and business tactics.
- The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowieckiv – Great examples of how groups of diverse people acting independently are smarter than any one person in the group. This is one of the most entertaining and intellectually engaging books I’ve come across in a long while. The author has a gift for making complex ideas accessible, and he has a wonderful eye for the telling anecdote. The material within has huge implications for management, markets, decision-making and more.
- The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz – The authors worked with the best athletes and executives for years and found that the best ones knew how to push themselves, then recuperate, push, recuperate, and so forth. Take this same approach to your emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual life, and it’s a powerful metaphor. Think of sprints, not marathons. Be fully in whatever you’re in, then give time to recuperate. But push further each time, past your comfort zone, like a good exercise plan.
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath – An easy to read psychology book about real ways to make change last – both personal and organizational. So many powerful insights, based on fact not theory. Inspiring counterintuitive stories of huge organizational change against all odds. Highly recommended for people in all walks of life.
- The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz – I have read so many books promising joy in my life, yet I have read none as simple and practical as that of ‘The Four Agreements.’ This book is a beautiful instruction guide to achieve a life of freedom and happiness. The author teaches four lifestyle commitments which can transform life into the realization of your own personal dream. Simply put, this small book has made profound positive changes in my life.
- Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt – The chapters are short, the prose is easy to follow and the logic is compelling. I’ve never seriously studied economics in my life, yet I had no trouble following the reasoning in this book. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand basic economics and the keys to widespread prosperity in the long run.
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – It is unfortunate that in America, arguably the greatest nation in the free world, few people including those with high incomes understand the value of investing and the proper use of money strategies. You can live off your income, but you can’t get wealthy off your income. True wealth is the result of using principles described in this book. This is a classic, must read for everyone.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – This novel is hilarious and depicts some pretty insightful observations about life, people, and the world in general. Under it all, it’s an enjoyable read that will leave you yearning for more. If you don’t like science fiction, it doesn’t matter; read this book just for the laughs. The most amazing thing about Adams’ humor is the fact that everyone seems to get it.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – The themes within primarily involve racial injustice and the destruction of human innocence. The author also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep South. It’s simply a classic piece of our American history that depicts racism and prejudice, childhood innocence, and the perseverance of a man who risked it all to stand up for what he believed in.
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey – The plot followers a sane man that, due to a brush with the law, opts for being committed in a mental asylum rather than be incarcerated with hard labor. Upon his entry into the secluded world of the asylum, he strips all the barriers formed and starts laying his own rules, in his own way. This leads to problems with the head honcho of the place. The rollercoaster that the protagonist takes the inmates through finally leads them to realize the ultimate goal. That man, no matter the situation, can always hold his destiny in his hands.