Experience becomes our best teacher when we experience the Best Teacher
As the common saying goes, experience is the best teacher. But we see so many people who don’t learn from experience; they keep repeating the [...]
For changing yourself, focus on comprehending yourself, not on criticizing yourself
Suppose someone criticizes us constantly about something we are doing. Instead of understanding where we are coming from, if they simply judge and condemn us, [...]
We rarely do things without a reason, but reason is rarely behind the things we do
Suppose someone does something stupid or terrible. If they are asked why they did what they did, they usually come up with some justification for [...]
Be terrified about how terrible you can be, to never become that terrible
Suppose we read about some people doing terrible things, such as terrorists murdering innocent people. We may feel revolted, “What kind of human being would [...]
To free yourself from the burden of self-consciousness, become conscious of a purpose bigger than the self
Self-consciousness can be a big burden for many people. When they interact with others, especially in public settings, they are choked by their self-consciousness: “I [...]
To keep small things small, keep big things big
Suppose we are driving on a crowded lane and we notice someone driving wildly on an adjacent lane. If we get angry at their irresponsible [...]
Even if your better choices don’t create a better world, they will create a better you
The daily news of destruction, deceit and death can dishearten us: “In this big bad world, I am so tiny; I can’t make any difference.” [...]
Humility frees us from dependence on our own power and grants us access to God’s power
Some people think of humility as weakness, “If I am humble, people will walk all over me.” Such an understanding arises from a misunderstanding of [...]
Determination is distilled desire directed decisively
To achieve anything challenging, we need determination. How can we develop this elusive thing called determination? To understand, let’s divide determination into its components. Essentially, [...]
To be dissatisfied with the material is ordinary, to be so dissatisfied as to look beyond the material is extraordinary
During the course of life, we often feel dissatisfied – with our phone, vehicle, house, salary, looks. Essentially, we feel dissatisfied that some material thing [...]
To be brave, we don’t need to be free from fear, we just need a purpose bigger than fear
Whenever we are called to do something that is difficult and dangerous, we may feel apprehensive and think, “As I am feeling so much fear, [...]
Self-acceptance should open the door for self-improvement, not shut the door
Today’s ultra-competitive, globally connected world can afflict anyone of us with low self-esteem. By comparing ourselves negatively with those who are better than us, we [...]
Accepting our weaknesses takes courage – and so does accepting ourselves with our weaknesses
Life’s battles often expose our weaknesses. Accepting those weaknesses can make us feel unsafe, undermined and unworthy. Recoiling from such threatening feelings, we often try [...]
The world may not value our individuality, but we can and should
Each one of us is an individual, with our own strengths and weaknesses, interests and blind spots, aspirations and anxieties. The constellation of all these [...]
If we repeatedly let our mind take us to hell, eventually it won’t let us come back
Addicts often live in their own mental hell. Their mind subjects them to tormenting emotions: unbearable cravings, crippling self-flagellation, utter hopelessness. How do addicts enter [...]
As long as we hide behind ourselves, we can’t challenge ourselves
Suppose we are afraid of some aggressor and choose to hide behind some protector. Later, if our protector starts oppressing us, we won’t be able [...]
To put ourselves together, put aside the things that pull us apart
Suppose we are driving and come across an intersection with many roads ahead. We need to choose the road that takes us to our destination. [...]
We can’t avoid being pushed by time, but we can choose where we are pushed by time
Just as leaves fallen in an ocean are pushed inexorably by waves, we are pushed inexorably by time toward death. Does that mean we are [...]
Don’t let the craving for clarity distract us from working with whatever clarity we have
Suppose we are driving through a storm. If water, sleet and dust obscure our front window, we will keep navigating the car with whatever clarity [...]
We can never start in our life unless we start with our life
Suppose we wanted to walk somewhere, but somehow took several wrong turns and ended up far away from our destination. To get there, we will [...]
To be caught unawares occasionally is condonable, to be caught unawares repeatedly is condemnable
Suppose a person who runs a ferryboat gets caught in a storm because they don’t know that the sea tends to be stormy in that [...]