A Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.
- Living every moment to the fullest
- Transcending dualism and using it freely
- Respecting the physical
- Enlarging awareness
- Releasing natural altruistic action
- Increasing serenity and effectiveness in daily life
The Zen master thus lives serenely and sensitively in vital freedom no matter what comes.
Zen Living
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Habits Simplified: The True Heart of Change Revealed
Creating a new habit like meditation, journaling or exercise isn’t incredibly complicated - at the most basic level, you tie the habit to a trigger that’s already in your life, start small, and find ways to encourage yourself to remember it and actually do... Read more
Simplify Habits: Get to the True Heart of Change
Creating a new habit like meditation, journaling or exercise isn’t incredibly complicated — at the most basic level, you tie the habit to a trigger that’s already in your life, start small, and find ways to encourage yourself to remember it and actually do... Read more
Illuminating the Path to Personal Freedom and Satisfaction
Calm Business, in their 2023 Workplace Mental Health Trends Report: The Future of Work, reported that forty-two percent of respondents to a workplace mental health survey said that workplace challenges are the top reason they seek mental health support. Read more
Why You Don’t Have Free Will (and Why That Doesn’t Matter)
Free will is “the unimpeded capacity to choose between different possible courses of action.” We tend to believe that everyone has free will all the time, except under certain exceptional conditions, such as being hypnotized, or having a mental illness. I’m going to argue, however,... Read more
How Judgment Creates and Why Only Love Heals All Things
When you judge anything, you energize it. The Judgment of a thing and the thing itself are one and the same thing. it’s the same energy. This is very difficult to understand here on earth because many still think of things as happening OUTSIDE... Read more
The Balanced Path: An Open Heart Without Taking on Suffering
I’ve had a few emails from readers who ask me how to be compassionate towards other people without taking on all of their suffering. Opening your heart to another person can be emotionally taxing if you are feeling all of their pain. Read more
Being Balanced in Chaos
When we’re hit with uncertainty either suddenly or in large amounts, it can throw us off. We can get frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, discouraged. This is normal and there’s nothing wrong with it. However, it’s my belief that we can train ourselves to stay more balanced... Read more
How to Let Go of Obsessive Overthinking
Sometimes, our heads won’t stop thinking about something. Our thoughts will spin around and around, not willing to let go, obsessing. It might be about another person, a big event coming up, or about ourselves. It might be overthinking a decision, big or small. Read more
How to Make the Most of Your 24 Hours
So many of us feel a scarcity of time: we feel rushed, like there’s not enough time to do everything, always behind, never feeling like we’re doing enough. This problem is called “time scarcity,” and it’s one of the most common stresses in our society. Read more
The Five Earth Touchings
This is the full text guiding the practice of Five Earth Touchings that we use at our practice centers and sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition. Practicing the Five Earth Touchings gives us an opportunity to contemplate what has been transmitted to us by our blood ancestors... Read more
Interstitial Ritual: Finding Focus & Mindfulness in Your…
We will often start our days with the best of intentions … and then promptly get caught up in a chain of busywork, messages, opening browser tabs, checking on things, answering email … … and soon the day has gone by and we wonder what... Read more
Energy Depletion & the Practice of Relaxing Our Threat D…
I’ve been working with a large number of people who are very often exhausted, not just from sleep problems but from their daily activities. A lot of us are drained by being around other people, doing video meetings, going out in public … and so... Read more
Everything is a Practice
I have a client who has completely changed his life — it’s been a complete transformation, and it is breathtaking. One of the most powerful things he’s brought into his life is the practice of self-compassion. It changed everything, once he started bringing this into... Read more
Create a Place for Everything That Matters
It can often feel like our lives are messy, cluttered, overwhelming, scattered. Like a house filled with clutter, our lives can feel like a huge mess. Today I’d like to share an idea for getting things in order: just as I recommend for decluttering your house,... Read more
Unrushed: How to Feel More Spaciousness in Your Day, Instead…
Most people experience their day as busy, overwhelming, scattered, rushed. There isn’t enough time to do everything. There’s pressure and stress in this way of living. Now, there’s nothing wrong with experiencing life in this way. As I said, most people do it. But if you’d... Read more
Practicing with the Complaining Habit
We often can spot complainers, when it’s other people — they’re the kind of people who always seem to be complaining, negative, stuck in victimhood. It’s harder to see it when we’re the ones who are complaining so often. And in fact, in my experience... Read more
Expanding Our Capacity to Be With Chaos
We don’t like chaos. It is uncertainty, overwhelm, a feeling of groundlessness, being unmoored, out to sea without a compass. And it usually triggers a shut-down response in us: hide, avoid, procrastinate, try to get control, anxiety, or wanting to give up. Or not wanting to... Read more
Practice: Grounding Yourself When Life is Chaotic
Lately my life has felt pretty chaotic: lots of projects, calls, and creation, along with helping loved ones with things, and preparing to move once again to a new home. Chaos can be beautiful! And I’m embracing it. But it can be hard to embrace chaos... Read more
Becoming Nimble at Dealing with Ever-Changing Plans
With the world in so much flux these days, many of us are noticing how difficult it can be to deal with ever-changing plans. It’s always been a challenge, but as with so many things, it’s become an in-your-face challenge these days. Some people really struggle... Read more
Thinking Mode vs Doing Mode
I spend a lot of time dreaming about things — incredible adventures I want to go on, self-improvement projects, all those books I plan on reading! And there’s nothing wrong with that. Dreaming is wonderful. What I’ve noticed, though, is that sometimes I get stuck in... Read more
Find Freedom in Any Moment
One of our deepest desires is for freedom: to be free of stress, anxiety, a frustrating person, a difficult situation, financial struggles, health problems, the daily grind, distractions, feeling inadequate. So many books, products and other paid solutions offer a version of this freedom. Escape.... Read more
The High Bar of Expectations Can Crush Our Creativity
Many of us face things every day that stress us out: overwhelming number of tasks, a big meeting, a project that feels really tough, behind on paying bills, someone is upset at us, there’s a family crisis, the world feels chaotic. Can we find a... Read more
Training to Be Relaxed in Stressful Situations
Many of us face things every day that stress us out: overwhelming number of tasks, a big meeting, a project that feels really tough, behind on paying bills, someone is upset at us, there’s a family crisis, the world feels chaotic. Can we find a... Read more
Changing Karma to Have A Happy Life Pt. 1
Most believe “karma” is an inevitable chain of causes followed by effects. However, by changing our current responses to situations we change our future karmic patterns. Today we explore how to turn our karma from difficult to enjoyable. I last gave this to you about... Read more
Wanting More Time for Your Meaningful Work
A member of my Fearless Training Program has a full-time business that she loves, but isn’t the meaningful work she’d like to do in the world. She struggles with finding enough time for that meaningful work. Can you relate to this? The rest of our... Read more
Delight in Uncertainty
Most of us have a troubled relationship with uncertainty, often without even knowing it. Our most difficult problems often stem from uncertainty: procrastination, overwhelm, distraction, anxiety, frustration with others, beating ourselves up, trouble with forming (or quitting) habits, health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, control... Read more
Getting Good at Just Starting a Difficult Task
The tendency to put off difficult tasks that we don’t want to face is almost universal. And it turns out, the moment of starting a task is often so much harder than actually doing the task. Once we get started, there can be challenges (and we... Read more
Staying at the Edge of Uncertainty
When we get into a situation that feels uncertain, most of us will immediately try to get to a place of certainty. Instead of writing a blog post, I’ll find myself wanting to check emails or my favorite websites. Instead of having a difficult conversation, we’ll... Read more
Creating Impact When You’re Overwhelmed
Our lives can be chaotic and overwhelming, and we can feel like we’re struggling to stay afloat. We feel behind, stressed, distracted, undisciplined, unworthy. And in the middle of all of this, we want to do our meaningful work. We want to create an impact. Read more
How to Improve Any Moment
The title of this article is a bit misleading, because every moment is already perfect and doesn’t need to be improved. But our experience of the moment can be fraught with difficulty, and we have the power to create a new experience in each moment. The problems... Read more
Reminder: 8 Practices to Get Still & Calm
These days, it’s always nice to have reminders to become present, to pause into stillness, and to calm ourselves down. Chaos rules most of our lives, and every reminder we get can be helpful. Today I’m going to share some simple practices that won’t be new... Read more
The Answer to Anger & Aggression is Patience
We can suppress anger and aggression or act it out, either way making things worse for ourselves and others. Or we can practice patience: wait, experience the anger and investigate its nature. Pema Chödrön takes us step by step through this powerful practice. Read more
Find Freedom of the Mountain in Everything You Do
In the last week, two separate men told me they fantasize about leaving everything behind and living on a mountain. I can relate to this fantasy, because I’ve had it myself — live a simple life, away from the chaos and burden of this crazy... Read more
When Your Task List is Overwhelmingly Long
I’ve talked with several people lately who have tasks lists from the floor to the ceiling, and it just overwhelms them. They’re not alone — I can relate, and lots of people have this problem. If we’re fairly organized, our task list has everything we... Read more
Relax Into Structure in Your Day
There’s something in many of us that resists structure — we want the freedom of not having to do something, of being able to just relax. There’s something to that: freedom and going through our day feeling open and relaxed is really nice! Unfortunately, that’s not actually... Read more
Time Management for Top Performers
In my coaching practice and Fearless Mastery mastermind group, I work with some high performers. These are people who have excelled at something in their lives. They’re always looking to take themselves to the next level. And they’re always wanting to make the most of their time. Read more
Staying Connected to Meaning in Your Work
For anyone trying to do meaningful work, feeling connected to that meaning can be a big challenge. It turns out, even if you can stay focused on your meaningful work for most of the day … it’s easy to lose connection to why it’s meaningful. To why you care... Read more
The Simplicity of Discipline: Thriving Without the Baggage o…
The clients I work with almost all put incredible expectations on themselves — they have higher standards than almost anybody I know. It’s why they work with me. It can be hard to see, but the expectations they’ve set for themselves often stand in the way... Read more
Essential Meaningful Productivity
I don’t care about being efficient and productive just to be a better person, to get more done, to be more awesome. Cranking out more stuff for productivity’s sake doesn’t interest me anymore (it used to). Today, I care about productivity only as it affects... Read more
The Not Knowing of This Moment of Confronting Racism
Last week, I spent some time trying to write an article both celebrating Juneteenth, and inviting all of us to examine the root of our own racism. I struggled. I didn’t know exactly what to say, didn’t have any good solutions to offer, didn’t feel... Read more
Moving Through the Day with More Ease
I recently did dozens of video calls for applicants for my new Fearless Mastery mastermind … and at first, it really exhausted me. I shared that with my Zen teacher, and we had a discussion about leaning into the calls (which feels very tense for me) vs.... Read more
A Guide to Dealing with the Growing Tiredness & Boredom …
This pandemic is no longer an exciting (but scary) novelty. We’re a couple months into this lockdown and crisis, and it’s starting to wear on many of us. We experience it as boredom, tiredness, exhaustion. We experience it as ongoing burden, and can’t wait for... Read more
When You’re Drowning in Tasks, Overwhelm & Stress
I recently talked with a couple of people who are just absolutely slammed with business because of the current crisis, and feel like they are drowning in busyness and stress. I can relate to that feeling — I’ve experienced it a bunch of times, including... Read more
We’re All Monastics Now
My Zen teacher Susan recently told a group of her students at the end of a Zen meditation retreat, “We’re all monastics now.” In this global pandemic, we’re in an era of isolation, retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened uncertainty. This can be a terrible thing,... Read more
Loving Kindness: The Missing Link
Someone wrote the other day saying that she’d had a hard time forgiving a colleague at work who had reflexly shot down her very excellent ideas. Apparently this colleague does this a lot. It’s just a habit with her. My correspondent found her colleague’s actions... Read more
Coming Back to Powerful Habits (plus 6 Powerful Habits)
I was talking with a client about how he felt constantly behind on his email, Slack and other messages and small tasks. I suggested having regular times to do those things: 15 minutes in the morning and evening each for email and Slack (for a... Read more
Mindfulness Meditation For Startups
: Why Your Bottom line Needs It As a meditation teacher, many business owners ask me if there are any benefits of mindfulness and meditation for startups. It might seem strange to suggest that startups should be considering mindfulness or meditation. Afterall, as a startup there... Read more
Cut Through Addictions & Distractions: Feel the Discomfo…
Our lives are pervaded with addictions and distractions. Social media, shopping, favorite websites and video services, alcohol, cigarettes, biting nails, porn, drugs, sweets, fried foods, soda, coffee, gambling, gaming, workaholism, complaining, avoiding, procrastinating, perfectionism, fantasizing, rationalizing, self-hating, sex addiction, drama addiction. These addictions are some of... Read more
The Uncertainty of What You Should Be Working on Right Now
I was talking with a friend who very often doesn’t feel he has a clear direction in life, doesn’t operate on any solid principles, and usually doesn’t feel he’s clear on what he should be doing at any given moment. I completely relate to this... Read more
The Honest Guide to Mindfulness
Mindfulness has (amazingly, wonderfully) become quite a buzzword in the last decade or so, and for good reason. It’s powerful, and can help us to become more present, happier, more focused, and much more. However, if you’re new to mindfulness, it’s easy to get the... Read more
Monkey Mind: Shifting the Habit of Feeling Distracted Throug…
Most people feel busy and distracted throughout the day — calm and focus and a feeling of purpose are fairly rare for most of us. We’re jumping from messages to social media to email to quick work tasks to a search for something we’re curious... Read more
The Heartbreaking Effects of Being Only Partly Committed to …
If we’re absolutely honest with ourselves, most of us are only half-committed to most things — in many cases, much less than half-committed. We say that we’re going to change our diet, but are we fully committed? Do we make a meal plan and buy... Read more
3 Steps to Deepen Your Mindfulness Practice
Let’s imagine that you’re a reasonably healthy adult with all of your basic needs met, people who care about you in your life, and things you enjoy doing available to you … you should be pretty happy, right? It turns out, even in this incredibly... Read more
You Absolutely Can Tackle the Big Things You’ve Been Avoidin…
What big task, project, chore, conversation have you been avoiding facing? It’s one of the biggest problems in many people’s lives — procrastination is one word for it, but I’ve found that “avoiding” is more accurate. We have something we don’t want to tackle or... Read more
A Guide to Dealing with Uncertainty About What Path to Take
The amount of time we spend fretting over what path to take, when we’re feeling uncertain, can sometimes be staggering. We’re entering into unknown territory, and we don’t know how to proceed. It happens all the time for many of us: we start a new... Read more
Wolves at Your Heels
The Fear That You’re Always Behind, Doing the Wrong Thing, & Generally Screwing Things Up Royally I spoke with someone who so beautifully explained their biggest problem that I had to stop and catch my breath. It spoke to the human condition incredibly well. Some of the... Read more
When Your Expectations of Others is Making You Frustrated
Why do we get angry or frustrated or disappointed in other people in our lives? Be honest — it happens to all of us, right? Other people can seem rude, frustrating, untrustworthy, inconsiderate, hurtful. And while there is no excuse for abusive or hurtful behavior, a... Read more
The Practice of Using December for Retreat, Reflection &…
December can be a cold and dark month for many people, a time of lowered energy while still being very busy. For that reason, I find that’s an amazing time for: Retreat: Take a little time out of my busy year for a little quiet solitude... Read more
Holiday Pampering Time - 7 Ideas to Show Yourself Some Love
Holidays are the time of the year when you should be doing something nice not just for the people you love but for yourself, too. It's a perfect opportunity to give yourself some pampering time - you have been working hard all year, so... Read more
How to Be Kind to Yourself & Still Get Stuff Done
I’ve found that there are two profound changes that almost any of of us can make: Become kinder to ourselves Build trust in ourselves Unfortunately, because we don’t really trust ourselves, we’re very rarely kind to ourselves. When I ask people to start being kind to themselves, they... Read more
You Can’t Do Anything That is Shamefully Wrong
I work with a lot of people on their difficulties, and one of the biggest ones people have is some variation of, “I am falling short of my expectations (or others’ expectations and I feel guilty, shameful, inadequate.” In fact, I would guess that most... Read more
The Everyday Mindfulness Practice of Direct Experience
When I first started practicing Zen meditation years ago, I thought it was to make me more calm. Then it was to make me less reactive. Then to make me less attached to things. These things all happen if you meditate regularly, as many of... Read more
How to Not Believe Your Ultra-Persuasive Rationalizations
I’ve come to realize that smart people are very good at creating super persuasive arguments for why the shouldn’t do the thing they’re fearing doing. This past week, I’ve worked with half a dozen intelligent people who have convinced themselves to give in to their... Read more
6 Wellness Holidays That Will Detox Your Body and Mind
Image source The modern world is exciting. New technologies and city lights are dazzling, but after a while, it can all become too much. Stress is one of the main reasons people suffer from depression, anxiety, and numerous other health conditions. It stimulates the body... Read more
Hundred Little Decisions: Training Ourselves at the Decision…
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” ~Tony Robbins Over and over, throughout the day, we make the Hundred Little Decisions: to work on this, to check email, to go to this website, to respond to messages, to grab a bite... Read more
Working with the Heartbreaking Feeling That Something is Wro…
The most common problem I’ve found in the people I’ve coached and worked with in my programs is a very fundamental problem: Most people have the feeling that something is wrong with them. And it is heartbreaking. Actually, most people would say that their problem is... Read more
Antidotes to Overwork
Too many of us are overstressed, overbusy, overwhelmed, overloaded, overworked. This leads to exhaustion, poor health, deteriorating habits, depression, burnout, unhappiness. Overloading ourselves and overworking ourselves is not a recipe for success or happiness. There are a number of factors that lead to being overworked, but... Read more
Oh, the Rationalizations Your Brain Will Dream Up!
As I work with people to change their habits and help them dive fearless into their meaningful work … there is one common obstacle that gets in the way, over and over. The obstacle is the brain’s rationalizations. It turns out, the human brain is extremely... Read more
Creating Impeccable Structure for Your Life
There’s a strange contradiction in most of our lives: We deeply feel the messiness of our lives. We feel it in all areas of our lives, which stresses us out and causes us to shut down, feel overwhelmed, run to distraction and comforts. It creates... Read more
Finding Groundedness in the Age of Anxiety
We live in uncertain times. Actually, things have always felt uncertain to the people who live in those times, but these days it might feel even more heightened, with the hyperconnectivity of the internet, social media and constant messaging, comparing ourselves to everyone else, and... Read more
The Most Neglected & Powerful Act of Self-Care
Many of us are (rightfully) focused on taking care of our health, eating nourishing whole foods and trying to be active … while meditating and flossing and taking some time of disconnection, away from devices. These are wonderful acts of self-care, and they are necessary... Read more
The Ridiculously Awesome Practice of Surrendering
Every day in this world is a shaky, uncertain, constantly changing landscape — and that causes us to try to get control. We create lists, systems, routines, schedules, comfort foods, comfortable environments … we build our whole lives and identities around these comforts and control.... Read more
You Don’t Need to Clear the Decks to Focus on Important Work
We’ve all done it: we have an important task to do, and yet we have to do a thousand other things before we can start: Process email and reply to messages Make sure we’re up-to-date with the latest news Pay bills and check on our bank accounts Make... Read more
Experience the Zen of Japan - Best Places to Get You Inspire…
There isn't a single country in the world that blends history, untamed landscape, tranquil atmosphere altogether with contemporary advancements. Japan is the world of tomorrow while still retaining the reputation of being a lush country that has numerous monuments, historic castles, eye-catching gardens, and... Read more
What It’s Like to Be Truly Committed to Something
All my life, I’ve struggled with being half-committed. Not always, but more than I’d usually like to admit. I say I’m going to stick to something, and I actually believe it … but then a week later (sometimes sooner, sometimes longer), I falter. I justify... Read more
Top Zen Places to Visit in Oceania
Oceania is the continent that is full of tropical paradises and magnificent natural beauty attracting visitors from all over the world. You will easily find the perfect activity for you here, whether it’s just spending leisure hours on the beach or walking through undiluted... Read more
Buying Too Much Stuff is Driven By Uncertainty
How often have you half-assedly committed to something, but didn’t really put your entire being into following through on that commitment? How often have you said you were going to do something, and then just dropped it because you were too busy or didn’t have... Read more
Becoming More Deeply Committed to My Commitments
How often have you half-assedly committed to something, but didn’t really put your entire being into following through on that commitment? How often have you said you were going to do something, and then just dropped it because you were too busy or didn’t have... Read more
The Habit of Calm When You’re Feeling Frustrated
Someone recently asked me about getting frustrated when they feel overloaded, and then shutting down or lashing out. “This has been something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. I had an instance today where I could have been more calm and rational about... Read more
6 Ways to Create a More Mindful Travel Experience
Traveling is one of the most rewarding life experiences – visiting new places, trying new things and meeting people who are completely different than us enriches our lives by giving us a broader perspective of the world around us. Considering these benefits, it’s easy... Read more
A Guide to Habit Resilience
I’ve coached thousands of people who want to change habits, in my Sea Change Program, and I’ve found there’s a key difference between those who actually make changes and those who don’t. That key difference is what I like to call “habit resilience.” Habit resilience is the... Read more
A Simple Mindful Method to Deal with Tiredness, Loneliness …
"I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but when I did not believe them, I did not suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared,... Read more
The Underestimated Importance of Encouragement in Habit Chan…
When we’re trying to change a habit — whether its exercise or meditation or writing or quitting smoking — there are two key factors whose power most people don’t understand. The two factors are encouragement and discouragement. Let me walk you through an example. Michael wants... Read more
How To Do Your Scariest Tasks Of The Day, With Joy
In my Fearless Training Program, one of our members talked about how she gets a lot done during the day, but inevitably puts off her two scariest tasks, and doesn’t get them done. Does that sound familiar to you? Putting off the hardest tasks of the... Read more
The Art of Relaxation - Turning Your Living Room into a Zen …
There’s no time like now to have a little home makeover that will turn your home into a relaxing sanctuary. If you’re under a lot of stress, if you’re feeling drained mentally and physically, you might benefit from the peace and relaxation of your... Read more
Recipe for Happiness: Laugh and Bond with Your Family
Life is full of various challenges, and every person needs a base from where he or she will draw strength and courage to overcome all obstacles. That base is a family, and that’s why it’s crucial for you to spend quality time with your... Read more
Connecting Your Work Tasks to Meaning
I’m really good at getting a lot of things done, taking action, piling up a buttload of completed tasks. Action isn’t my problem — it’s making the tasks themselves feel more meaningful. Do any of you have that problem, that your work just feels like busywork,... Read more
Karmic Clearing - Spiritual Healing for New Beginnings
2019 is a year of renewal. This is also a year of karmic closures and endings. You are bringing new aspects of yourself into the world. To do that, you must release yourself from past beliefs, relationships and circumstances that no longer nourish your soul. Read more
The Best Things I’ve Learned About Raising Children
I don’t consider myself a parenting expert, but I have helped raise six kids (along with their mothers), and being a father has been one of the most rewarding things in my life. And while I’m not a perfect father, I think I’m pretty good... Read more
The Beautiful and Scary Practice of Moving Closer
Life is full of all kinds of stresses, and each of us has habitual ways of reacting to those stresses — we procrastinate, run to comforts, lash out or distance ourselves from others, try to exit from a stressful place, mentally complain about others. The... Read more
Seeking the Peace: Benefits of Creating a Calm and Peaceful …
Zen Buddhism has affected our cultural niche in many ways, and there are many reasons for it. As a school of Mahayana Buddhism, Zen is a popular school of thought that teaches embracing a more peaceful and restful lifestyle. The rules of Zen Buddhism... Read more
The Suffering We Cause Ourselves When We Expect Too Much Fro…
Before heading to the grocery store, we make a list of the things we need. Before attending a class or a workshop, we anticipate what we will learn. Before dating someone, we hope they’ll fit the image we have of them in our minds. That’s... Read more
Ego Dropping: The Magic of Breaking Free from Self-Concern
There’s a mindfulness technique I’ve been practicing for a number of years now, and when I can do it, it’s like magic. The practice is dropping the ego — dropping my self-concern, my sense of being separate from everything else, and returning to wholeness with... Read more
A Simple Practice for Stressful Holidays
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”― Thich Nhat Hanh The holidays are some of the busiest and most stressful times of the year for many people. In this chaotic time of travel, family gatherings, holiday parties, gift shopping and wrapping, and more … I’d like to offer... Read more
Simplify Technology With Limits
I am no technophobe, but I do believe in living consciously … and technology has a tendency to overrun our attention and our lives. It’s designed to do that: tech companies are motivated to keep our attention in their apps, their websites, their devices. They’ve found incentives... Read more
The Seven Top Frustrations For Beginning Meditators
(And How To Overcome Them) Recently I was asked to contribute a couple of paragraphs on top frustrations for beginning meditators (and how to overcome them). The link’s at the bottom of this article. I was in good company, with Tara Brach and Andy Puddicombe,... Read more
A More Deliberate Way of Living
Our lives are often spent in a rush, almost on autopilot, drifting from one wave of busyness and distraction to another, adrift in a sea of crises and urges. There’s noise and quick tasks, lots of tabs, messages and requests, demands on our attention, multitasking,... Read more
Sacred Bow: An Intentional Way to Close Out the Year & S…
We’re entering the last month of the year, and it can be a crazy, shopping-filled, party spree of a month for many people. Or it can be a simpler, more mindful period of closing out the year and getting ready for the coming year. I’d like... Read more
An Intentional System for Working with Goals
Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames. ~Rumi Goals, like any tool, can be used to bludgeon ourselves over the head with shame and guilt, or can be used with intention, as a way to consciously deep our practice in life. I’ve been... Read more
How to Simplify the Holidays
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden Today, millions of people will be shopping, and the gift-shopping spree that is the holiday season will continue for a good month. In addition... Read more
Attachment: the Cause of our Suffering & the Key to our …
“Never love something so much that you can’t let go of it.” ~ Ginni Rometty Anything I become deeply attached to, I end up losing. I’m aware that everything is impermanent and loss happens sooner or later—we will all lose people, belongings, jobs, places, beliefs, health,... Read more
Challenge: Create an Iron Will with Consistent Daily Meditat…
How often do you stick to what you plan to stick to, with 100% consistency, determination and devotion? What would it change in your life if you developed an iron will to stick to your commitments to yourself and others? This month, I’m challenging you to... Read more
3 Simple Mindset Shifts to Transform Your Work Tasks
The two biggest obstacles to doing meaningful work are familiar to many of us: Burden & complaint : The work feels like a burden (difficult, overwhelming, annoying) … you might do the task but you rush through it or mentally complain about it, not wanting to... Read more
Why Romantic Relationships Are Not The Cure For Loneliness
A few days ago, I came across a newly married couple’s photo on Facebook with the caption, “Two less lonely people on this planet.” The caption made me ponder for a minute: are relationships really the end of our loneliness? I lost count how many times... Read more
Your Happiness Does Not Depend On How You Feel
Recently I’ve been feeling, on and off, kind of crappy. A lot of the time I’m fine, but then heavy, despondent feelings arrive. Mostly this is to do with chronically “scraping by” financially, and the extra stress that causes: having to calculate how little... Read more
Refraining From Letting Ourselves Numb Out
Much of our lives is spent numbing out to what we’re experiencing. We don’t want to feel uncomfortable, so we seek comforts and procrastinate. We don’t want to feel fear, so we avoid uncertain situations. We don’t want to stay in the present moment, so we distract... Read more
The Guide to Insecurities You’ve Been Waiting For
Everyone feels insecurity. It’s a part of our lives, which are filled with uncertainty, no matter how much we want to get rid of that uncertainty. We often use the term “insecure” to negatively label a person who doubts themselves, but in truth, no one... Read more
A Hidden Source of Power
Almost every one of us gives away our power, unthinkingly. For example: Someone does something inconsiderate or infuriating that frustrates or angers you. You fume about it for hours. You've given this person the power to make you frustrated and angry, to ruin your day, often... Read more
When Fear is Stopping You From Pursuing Meaningful Work
I was having a discussion with a friend recently who is holding himself back from doing the purposeful work he thinks he wants to pursue. What’s holding him back? Fear of putting himself out there in public. Fear of failure. Fear of being judged. Fear of... Read more
Traveling Lightly & Being Grounded in the Middle of Chao…
Today Eva and I decided at the last minute to move our round-the-world trip up two days early, to avoid running into a strong typhoon that was headed our way. Luckily, we travel lightly and are flexible enough that the switch in plans wasn’t too... Read more
A Simple Technique for Launching Your Project in 20 Minutes
I ran across a friend who’s been dreaming about starting his business for years … and he feels stuck. Like many people who want to start a business, write a book or a blog, or launch some other kind of creative or entrepreneurial venture …... Read more
Unprocrastination Challenge: Train Yourself with Daily Sessi…
I’ve never met a human who was immune to procrastination — we do it when we’re feeling overwhelmed, faced with something difficult or uncomfortable, or when we just don’t have the mental energy to be focused. But while we can’t “cure” our procrastination, we can... Read more
Fearlessness: How to Stop Running from Space
We spend our days filling in every available space, cramming in more tasks, responding to messages, checking social media and online sites, watching videos. We are afraid of empty space in our lives. The result is often a continual busyness, constant distraction and avoidance, lack of... Read more
Five Ways To Forgive Yourself And Let Go Of Painful Regret
I’ve seen many people suffering because they can’t forgive themselves. Maybe they hurt someone in the past, or allowed someone to get hurt, or missed an opportunity, or made a bad choice. And they torture themselves about it. Sometimes people hold onto these regrets—and the... Read more
Herding Cats: A Simple Method For Working With The Disorder …
When we’re trying to change our habits and our lives, even if you have some success, you’ll notice two longer-term difficulties: Habit efforts get sidetracked, you are constantly in a state of transition, things are always in flux, and it can all feel completely out... Read more
The First & Most Important Thing To Do When Suffering Ki…
No one wants to suffer. We all seek absolute happiness above all else and want nothing but to have pleasant experiences. But life doesn’t always give us the experiences we want. Oftentimes, it can feel like life is giving us a series of failures and... Read more
The Practice of Vast Open Sky
Body like a mountainBreath like the windMind like the sky~Tibetan Meditation Instruction A number of meditation traditions have practices that are a dropping of the ego into wide open awareness. I’d like to share this kind of practice with you, because it is one of the... Read more
The Three Most Powerful Motivations
We all have times when we’re not sticking to our plans, not feeling psyched about what we’re supposed to be doing, and when we know we just need to get some motivation to get moving. The usual motivational tips aren’t always very helpful. But there are... Read more
How to Thrive in the Midst of Personal Turbulence
Two people wrote to me recently (a stranger and a good friend) who are going through some pretty turbulent times in their lives. The stranger is going through family chaos and health issues, just barely keeping their head above water, just trying to survive. The good... Read more
Simplicity as Spiritual Practice: Declutter for Deep Persona…
When we begin to declutter our lives, often it’s because we long for some kind of peace, some space, some relief from the chaos … or perhaps it’s to start to lead a more intentional, beautiful life. But something magical happens when we dive into... Read more
The Stories That Stop Us From Being Present & Taking Act…
Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.” ~Jack Kornfield I get emails all the time from people who are... Read more
The Declutter Your Space Challenge
Our lives get filled with clutter not instantly but slowly, one gift or purchase at a time, so slowly that it’s difficult to even notice the clutter creep happening. But it does happen, even to the most devoted of minimalists. If we’re not ever vigilant,... Read more
Emotions Come & Go: What Really Defines A Successful Rel…
“I’m in love,” says nearly everyone at least three times in their lifetime. We are all quite accustomed to associating our emotions with love. Since we were young, the person with whom we experience intense emotions becomes our desired lover. Love begins with attraction, then later... Read more
The Magic of Seeing Everything as Sacred
The best of intentions often flops around without some kind of structure. When we wake up in the morning, many of us automatically go on our phones or computers and start reading, checking messages, responding to things, and moving through our online world on autopilot. We... Read more
Create Structure When You’re Floundering
The best of intentions often flops around without some kind of structure. You might decide you’re going to change your diet and lose some weight, but when mealtime comes around, you just eat the same kind of food and still get too full from eating... Read more
It’s Not a Problem, It’s an Experience
“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” ~Pema Chodron Life has its down periods: your boss is unhappy with you, your business is struggling, you get into a fight with the love of your life,... Read more
The Ground of Your Basic Goodness
A lot of the time, life can be pretty stressful: You feel like you’re treading water, or drowning from an overwhelming number of things to do. You feel bad about yourself because you’re not sticking to things, you’re in debt, you’re overweight, you feel like you... Read more
Finding Stillness: Resting at Home in the Middle of Chaos
There’s a part of us that wants to find peace from all the chaos in our lives, all the busyness and distractions and complication and stress and overwhelmingness of it all. We want to get away from it all, or get control of everything and... Read more
Two Simple Habits of Non-Procrastinators (Plus One Bonus Hab…
It’s pretty rare to find people who (almost) never procrastinate — in my experience, 95-99% of people procrastinate, at least part of each day. If not most of the day! That’s not a judgment — I procrastinate too. It’s about understanding our habitual reactions to... Read more
6 Reasons Why Thailand Is A Perfect Place For Your Spiritual…
Thailand is a place where modern meets ancient and spirituality is not something external, but it is deeply rooted in people’s everyday lives. This is why Thailand can offer a whole range of activities which will be a great addition to your spiritual quest.... Read more
Connect With Who You Are - Messages From Montague
Montague’s Messages Every Sunday, Montague brings through a message of hope and support for all who are willing to listen. It is happening, my friends, the great awakening of all that was kept hidden. One by one, those within the Cabal are being exposed, and... Read more
Haiku Productivity: The Power of Limits to Increase Our Focu…
A decade ago, I wrote about “Haiku Productivity” and how limits can make us more productive, more focused, and better able to prioritize and simplify. The idea comes from haiku poetry, in which the poet is limited to three lines and (essentially) 17 syllables. Such... Read more
Mental Resiliency: Letting Go of the Guilt of Not Getting Th…
It happens to all of us: we don’t get done what we hoped to get done, then we feel stressed or guilty about it. It’s time to let that go, because it’s not helping us. We can build resiliency around this, with a little mental training.... Read more
Warm Ocean Mind: Becoming Immersed in the Moment
Have you ever been on vacation, perhaps floating in warm ocean water, or lounging on a deck or hammock, completely relaxed? There’s a way in which you open your mind to everything around you, not thinking about it but just fully in tune with your... Read more
The Morning Routine That Might Change Your Life
Morning routines are like wearing clothes. Getting dressed is not a choice; it’s a necessity. We don’t stand in front of the mirror and think, “Um, should I wear my clothes today? You know what, I’m just not in the mood to wear anything. I’ll go... Read more
Every Day as you Wake, Say these Words from the Dalai Lama
For 10 days during an Introduction to Buddhism course, we recited the words of the Dalai Lama. There were 100 students, and each morning, before our first meditation session, we said these words out loud together. For many of us, reciting anything in the morning wasn’t part... Read more
Four Antidotes to Procrastination
Lately I’ve been procrastinating a bit more than normal, and of course it doesn’t feel great. The truth is, though, that there are a number of good reasons for my procrastination: I’ve had some serious jetlag and sleep issues, which means my mind is tired and... Read more
The Craving for Wholeness That Drives Our Actions
There’s a sense of incompleteness in our lives. We have felt it since adolescence, at least, if not since early childhood — it’s a feeling that something is wrong with us, that something is missing, or that we’re missing out on something in the world. It’s... Read more
The March Equinox: Time for Balance, Change & Beginnings
“There is no object so foul that intense light will not make beautiful.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson I’ve always been an avid observer of nature. I have a special fondness for trees; the ones that face my house are a calendar that marks the arrival of every... Read more
How to Develop a Mind That Clings to Nothing
It’s said that one of the great patriarchs of the Zen tradition, Hui Neng, was enlightened upon hearing a single verse of the Diamond Sutra (one of the key teachings in Buddhism). That verse can be translate in various ways, but the key line in... Read more
8 Signs You Are A Genuinely Spiritual Person (Even If You Th…
To be a spiritual person is not a title that we gain; it is our essence, the crux of our existence. In other words, there aren’t spiritual and non-spiritual people, but there are people who are either more or less connected to the essence of spirituality... Read more
Beautiful Practice Ground: The Secret to Training Your Mind
I’ve been diving deeper into training the mind when it meets difficulty, stress, the urge to procrastinate, anger, pain, uncertainty, discomfort. And here’s the secret I’ve learned: what most people take to be bad news is actually the good news. Let’s take the example of Greg …... Read more
A Practice For When You Find Yourself Annoyed by Other Peopl…
It’s a common thing to be frequently annoyed by other people — added to our regular interactions with family, friends and coworkers are the online habits of people on various social media, and they can all irritate the hell out of us. What can we... Read more
Why We Take Things Personally & How To Stop It
Taking other people’s words and actions as an offense is distressing. What’s even more upsetting is to be in a situation in which you don’t know whether you’re directly attacked or not. Either way, I’ve come to notice that it’s either about us, about other... Read more
To Find Your Deeper Purpose, Listen
I’ve found that if we can create a connection between our daily actions and our deeper purpose in life, then each day will be incredibly fulfilling. Unfortunately most people haven’t found their “deeper purpose” in life, and many don’t even believe they have one. That’s OK, but... Read more
Primer: When You Have Too Much to Do
You have a to-do list that scrolls on for days. You are managing multiple projects, getting lots of email and messages on different messaging systems, managing finances and personal health habits and so much more. It all keeps piling up, and it can feel overwhelming. How... Read more
Relaxing Into the Feeling of Being Alive
There’s a practice so simple that many people will discount it as not worthy of trying. They’ll miss out on the transformative power of that very simplicity. The practice is this: Sit still for a moment, and just feel what it feels like to be alive. Then... Read more
Bring Purpose & Mindfulness to Your Work
Our work lives are filled with busyness, distraction, procrastination, responding to messages, checking on messages, and getting lost down rabbit holes. We struggle to be mindful and to focus on our meaningful work. And yet, many of us want to create a life of meaning, focus,... Read more
A Guide to Moving Courageously Into a New Uncertain Space
I remember walking into my boss’ office at my day job to turn in my resignation, almost exactly 10 years ago today. I was quitting the life of a regular paycheck, to become a full-time blogger and writer. I was filled with an overwhelming sensation... Read more
Being Kind Isn’t Enough: 5 Ways To Step Up Our Compassion Ga…
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama I used to think that compassion and kindness were the same thing. As I grow, I’ve come to realize that they are different, and that kindness... Read more
A Guide to Finding Calm & Being Less Frustrated
One of the most common sources of difficulty for most of us is frustration – we can get frustrated with the smallest things, throughout the day. And yet, becoming aware of how often we’re frustrated doesn’t quite solve the problem. Someone pointing out that you’re... Read more
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