‘Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom’ Jim Rohn When I was studying nutrition, I learned it’s far more than just what food we eat but more about our relationship to food. The scope of […]
How fear shrinks our lives, shrivels our potential
When I’m anxious or afraid, it has a noticeable effect on how I show up in the world – I do less of it. Fear is a paralysing force; I tend to contract or retreat from the world and others when anxious. I wilt a little, and the worst thing is it becomes a habit. […]
A darker side to Minimalism?
I take particular pride in not owning a lot of stuff; for a lifestyle I try to be a minimalist. Yet, I’ve learned there’s a dark side to this attitude and practice. I don’t like to own unnecessary baggage or spend frivolously; it helps with the housework, bank balance and the planet. Minimalism, like any […]
Use compassion, not anger, for productivity
The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. Thomas A. Edison I can have a hard time getting motivated; finding focus, apathy, and lassitude is the enemy to getting sh*t done. I get desperately frustrated and myself sometimes, but occasionally I […]
Buddhism and the quest for meaning and purpose
In my experience and understanding, such questions as ‘Why are we here?’ ‘What my ultimate purpose in life?” can’t be answered definitively. I don’t need the consoling beliefs offered up by other religions like theism. Such views are always metaphysical (Place your faith in God). I looked into metaphysics and concluded it’s a waste of […]
Buddhism: Jiriki-Tariki – Do you find enlightenment or does it find you?
Big questions occupy our religious musings: ‘what extent does hard work help us find salvation or enlightenment? Is that impossible, out of our hands, or do our efforts make a difference?’ In Japanese Zen, this debate is between Jiriki and Tariki, or Self-power and Other-power. Jiriki Vs Tariki Jiriki (自力, one’s own strength) is the […]