I’ve lived away from home in foreign countries for the better part of the last 8 years. The most common question I receive is, “Do you miss your family?” or “Do you regret not spending more time with your family?”. Especially in the context of missing my parents. The truth is, no, I don’t miss … Continue reading Living abroad has improved my relationship with my parents
The Surprisingly Simple Secret to a Long and Happy Life
The other day I watched a TED talk called “The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life”. In this talk, Susan Pinker explores why a remote village in Italy has more than SIX TIMES the number of centenarians (people who live to the age of 100) than anywhere else in the world. What … Continue reading The Surprisingly Simple Secret to a Long and Happy Life
Take care of yourself before helping others
One of my favorite buddhist principles is the need to take care of yourself before you help others. In Buddhism, when you practice “metta” meditation, you always begin with yourself. You say “May I be happy. May I be free from Anger, hatred, animosity, resentment, and ill will. May I experience real peace, real happiness, … Continue reading Take care of yourself before helping others
Communication, Transparency, Expectation Setting
I believe that any relationship problem in life, whether with family, friends, significant others, or work, stems from a problem in one of the following three areas; communication, transparency, or expectation setting. Whenever there is a problem, I can guarantee one of these three is at fault. Someone either didn’t communicate, communicated and left something … Continue reading Communication, Transparency, Expectation Setting