I suffer anxiety, but as a writer and artist, I don’t often find unpleasant emotions the sources of inspiration. I prefer to look at and dwell on beauty and ideas. When I feel fear, I feel physically sick; it’s no so much racing thoughts but the physical sensations that make it so uncomfortable. A couple […]
The most important app you will ever use
In pursuit of personal and professional growth we seek out the tools work best, apps, hacks, procedures to use to get stuff done and avoid procrastination. We try many of them, but in that search for the perfect tool, we forget the most essential and complex app we have …. our mind. Indeed this search […]
When you need support more than advice
‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’ African Proverb When faced with a problem, we will do the obvious thing and find some advice, usually online. It’s easy it obvious, and it’s sometimes the wrong thing you need. Whilst advice can help with such stress, it’s […]
The Misunderstood wisdom of Know thyself
Waking up to who you require letting go of who you imagine yourself to be. Alan Watts ‘Know thyself’ (Latin: nosce te Ipsum or temet nosce) is the famous phrase at the Oracle of Delphi. It’s a call to anyone who wants to flourish that some effort is necessary. However, in the modern self-help genre, it’s taken to mean […]
Loneliness and the fear of ridicule
Looking back at my younger self, one of the most significant fears that keep me anxious and isolated was the fear of looking like a fool. My desperate need to avoid embarrassment meant that I didn’t engage with people. Loneliness and the fear of ridicule made me kept me inside my shell. Sometimes when I […]
Zen Buddhism: philosophy of Bewilderment
In my quest to understand Zen I thought like many people that there was a truth you had to understand or an answer to grasp. I learned just how wrong I was and in doing so learned what Zen and Buddhism offers us. Zen does it’s thing by undermining peoples expectations, destroying their sense of […]