Mar 14
Happiness is a Candle Happiness is the essence of what we seek. Everything we do is to try and maximize it. Often we fail not because our desire is lacking, but we don’t really know what true happiness is. We confuse it with other emotions like excitement or comfort or pleasure. We may define …
Mar 06
Pain So there I was lying on the cold tile of the bathroom floor reflecting upon my life, wondering if this was the end. I really thought I might be dying. Rational thoughts do not go through the mind in a pre-syncopal state and this was no exception. The pain in my lower back was …
Feb 23
This last summer I was introduced to an odd little book by Marie Kondo titled The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. A friend of mine read this book and was in the process of decluttering – and by decluttering I don’t mean sorting through the junk drawer …
Feb 17
Experiment. Optimize. Inform. That’s it. These three simple words are the summary of a slow revolution that’s been happening for the past decade. Originally referring to computer code that simplified one’s life, “hack” now refers to just about any simpler solution to a seemingly more complex problem. Often times these hacks are not obvious …
Feb 15
Shame and Identity After reading my last article someone sent me the following comment: When someone asks me what I do or a living, I feel a certain degree of shame. It feels like I am not only afraid of being judged by others, but I am afraid of judging my own identity. Shame is …
Feb 10
Be what you are, not what you do. The first question a stranger asks us at a party is usually “So, what do you do?” They are specifically asking what you do for a living, or alternatively phrased “What activity to you trade your life energy for that gives you money in return”. Why is …
Feb 02
An interesting way to look at our existence is the realization that much of our experiences exists in cycles; day and night, seasons, life and death, economic boom and bust, political cycles, etc. On a personal level there are cycles within us; alternation between sadness and joy, tension and relaxation, excitement and boredom. Basic human …
Jan 27
Loneliness… I’m a contemplative guy. I think a lot about, well, nearly everything. I think about thinking and then…well I think about that. It’s safe to say that there are few topics I have not given at least some passing thought to. Sometimes though, a question is asked that causes me to pause and realize …
Jan 21
I used to watch a lot of television. It seemed natural. Everyone else did it and being a social creature and wanting to fit in I went along. I’ve since learned there are few things in our lives that are such a destructive force to our time, money and happiness. I actually still own …
Jan 15
A turning point. One morning, a few months ago I was listening to a podcast. It was an interview of JB Glossinger, a guy I’d never heard of. He is a coach/author/podcaster focusing on lifestyle design. Now I was listening to a lot of podcasts at the time and this one was good. Not …
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