The most important thing to do today
Rather than asking “What’s the most important thing I can do today?”, ask yourself “What’s the most important thing I can do today that would make tomorrow better?”
Rather than asking “What’s the most important thing I can do today?”, ask yourself “What’s the most important thing I can do today that would make tomorrow better?”
If someone lets you down, keep in mind:
The biggest disappointments in life are often the result of misplaced expectations.
The biggest disappointments in life are often the result of misplaced expectations.
Famous break-up letters
After reading the diaries of Sylvia Plath, Frida Kahlo and Courtney Love, I imagined what their break-up letters might have sounded like.
After reading the diaries of Sylvia Plath, Frida Kahlo and Courtney Love, I imagined what their break-up letters might have sounded like.
Overcome laziness
"Kaizen" is a concept where you only work on a specific task every single day, at the exact same time for only one minute. The underlying belief is that you will usually surpass the 60 seconds, and do more.
Do the duties that echo from deep below
To realize your existence, do the things you know you should do — the duties that echo from deep below. Stop avoiding your life.
— Reddit
Imagine yourself as a mountain
An audio meditation for stress resilience
“Stress is a reaction to our perceived to our wellbeing. Therefore we have individual experiences of what stresses us out. It throws us off our base into a fear or panic reaction. When we are in this state we are no longer clear minded and often act in ways that are not helpful. The practice of Mountain Meditation is a powerful way to return to balance and equanimity.”
Transcript of meditation audio:
Imagine yourself as a mountain, one you have seen and experienced, or can just imagine. Is it snowy? Or green? Tall with one peak or several? Fully embrace this vision of your mountain, either up close or from afar. Recall that mountains experience all the different seasons. Summer, autumn, winter and spring unfolding. Summer brings wildflowers and green. Autumn often covers the mountain with a splendored coat of many colors. Winter brings more brown or the white of snow. Springs bring new growth and renewal. Has the mountain actually changed? The mountain remains the same, solid, stable and grounded. It just sits here being mountain. The mountain is much like our own lives. Circumstances come and go. When people visit the mountain, they often make judgements, like it’s too cloudy, I can’t see the mountain, it’s so hot. I love climbing mountains, etc. In the midst of all these comments. The mountain just sits, being truly itself. And we learn so much from the image of this mountain as we move throughout our life. Letting go of the opinion of others, of harsh judgements, challenging moments. Remember that we can move through the season eventually. If you remember to stay true to your authentic nature. Just being in the world. Just as you are. This magnificent being.
Do something small today
When people talk about traveling to the past, they worry about changing the present by doing something small, but barely anyone in the present thinks they can change the future by doing something small.
— Reddit
Be a wholehearted creative
The wholehearted creative woman knows that art is not simply the work of her hands. Her truest artistic work is being fully herself in the presence of others. The book, the painting, the meal, the presentation are all simply evidence of a deeper art happening within the soul of the artist.
“Art is what happens when we dare to be who we really are. ”
— Emily P. Freeman
Visual poem: soon we’ll be together
soonwe’llbetogethermaybeeventoucheachandthenproceedtocrusheachother
Interview your future self
Ask yourself what would your future ideal self do on a typical day? Visualize specifics like the brand of clothing you are wearing. Ask your future self questions like:
What did you have for breakfast?
What book did you finish reading?
What project are you working on, and how do you feel about it?
Who did you last spend time with?
What are your weekend plans?
How to Love (Mindful Essentials) by Thich Nhat Hanh
Learn how to practice mindfulness in such a way that you can create moments of happiness and joy for your own nourishment.
Hugging meditation is a practice of mindfulness. “Breathing in, I know my dear one is in my arms, alive. Breathing out, she is so precious to me.” If you breathe deeply like that, holding the person you love, the energy of your care and appreciation will penetrate into that person and she will be nourished and bloom like a flower.
The roots of a lasting relationship are mindfulness, deep listening and loving speech, and a strong community to support you.
Hugging meditation is a practice of mindfulness. “Breathing in, I know my dear one is in my arms, alive. Breathing out, she is so precious to me.” If you breathe deeply like that, holding the person you love, the energy of your care and appreciation will penetrate into that person and she will be nourished and bloom like a flower.
The roots of a lasting relationship are mindfulness, deep listening and loving speech, and a strong community to support you.
When your loved one is talking, practice listening deeply. Sometimes the other person will say something that surprises us, that is the opposite of the way we see things. Allow the other person to speak freely. Don’t cut your loved one off or criticize their words. When we listen deeply with all our heart—for ten minutes, half an hour, or even an hour—we will begin to see the other person more deeply and understand them better. If they say something that’s incorrect, that’s based on a wrong perception, we can give them a little information later on to help them correct their thinking. But right now, we just listen.
Recognizing our habits and smiling to them is the practice of appropriate mental attention, which helps us create new and more beneficial neural pathways.
If you’re too upset to speak calmly, you can write a note and put it where the other person will see it. Here are three sentences that may help. First: “My dear, I am suffering, I am angry, and I want you to know it.” The second is: “I am doing my best.” This means you are practicing mindful breathing and walking, and you are refraining from doing or saying anything out of anger. The third is: “Please help me.”
When our bodies are very close, we feel it will relieve this loneliness. But if we don’t share our aspirations and what’s in our hearts, then even if we live together or have children together, we can still feel very alone.
To love is not to possess the other person or to consume all their attention and love. To love is to offer the other person joy and a balm for their suffering. This capacity is what we have to learn to cultivate.
We cling to objects and to people like a drowning person clings to a floating log. Everything is impermanent. This moment passes. That person walks away. Happiness is still possible.
The sixth mantra is, “You are partly right.” When someone congratulates you or criticizes you, you can use this mantra.
We are aware that blaming and arguing can never help us and only create a wider gap between us; that only understanding, trust, and love can help us change and grow.
