2018 was a very powerful year for me. A challenging one, one of ups and downs. But if I had to summarize, one of the greatest years of my life. I transitioned to a new job and was able to go fully remote before the end of the year. I witnessed 3 of my best … Continue reading Looking back to look forward 2018>2019
Getting Lucky Takes Practice
"Gaining enlightenment is an accident. Spiritual practice simply makes us accident-prone.” - Suzuki Roshi There’s a famous story in the world of Zen Buddhism where the Zen master says to the student “Enlightenment is an accident.” To this the student stands up and yells in frustration, “Accident! You’re telling me that it’s all an accident?! If that’s … Continue reading Getting Lucky Takes Practice
Training the “how to not give a fuck” muscle
I’ve recently come to the conclusion that meditation is actually a giant exercise in not giving a fuck. Instead of trying to clear your mind, meditation is actually all about how to give less fucks about the thoughts going through your head. To watch a thought rise up, and have the ability to say “nah … Continue reading Training the “how to not give a fuck” muscle
The 4 Levels of Non-Reactivity
"Learn to sit with the flies, allow them to land on your arm, walk around, and then fly away." Whether you’re studying Stoicism, Buddhist Meditation, Mindfulness, or simply practicing How to Not Give a Fuck, the underlying principle remains the same - How to become less reactive and more emotionally stable. How to cultivate a … Continue reading The 4 Levels of Non-Reactivity
You get what you’re looking for
Today I’d like to start off by telling two stories that I believe illustrate an important principle in life - the principle that “you get what you’re looking for.” Both of these are not my original stories, and I don’t know where they originally came from, so apologies in advance for any accidental plagiarism. Story … Continue reading You get what you’re looking for
The Normalization Effect
Once upon a time I lived in India for three years. Two years ago I left. Then, this week, I went back for the first time. Coming back to India made me think about how, when I was living here, the lifestyle in India was normal to me. The constant noise everywhere, the overwhelming smells, … Continue reading The Normalization Effect
Anchoring to the Present Moment
Imagine you're sitting in a boat, relaxing and enjoying the calm waves on a beautiful sunny day. You lose track of time, and in your relaxation drift off to sleep. Next thing you know you wake up, but suddenly the shore is no longer in sight. You've drifted out to sea. Luckily, you have your … Continue reading Anchoring to the Present Moment
Appreciate when the waves are calm
I like to look at life like an ocean. Some days the waves are calm, some days the waves are choppy, other days the waves are enormous and will wipe you out. For much of my life, I never really appreciated how calm the waves around me were. Life has been very good to me. … Continue reading Appreciate when the waves are calm
Be careful what you believe
What if tomorrow you woke up and found out that everything you believe to be true was actually false? What if Aliens came down to earth, shattered our understanding of science and religion, and fundamentally changed the way that we look at the world? How much would your life change? How much of your life … Continue reading Be careful what you believe
Moods are like diseases
Whether we like it or not, we’re all sending and receiving frequencies of energy from each other when we interact with each other. This is why some people can pump you up. Others can leave you drained. Some can leave you sad or angry. Others can leave you happy and calm. It's why we say … Continue reading Moods are like diseases