You are not a negative thinker, even if your mind is
“You are such a negative thinker.” We may receive this discouraging feedback if we tend to look at problems in a given situation. Such labels [...]
When positive thinking affects our life negatively
“Think positively,” is an oft-circulated message in our self-help steeped culture. And it’s helpful to the extent it encourages us to look at a glass [...]
Tap the power of negative thinking
Yes, you read that right. We are discussing the power of negative thinking, not positive thinking. Every time a fire is prevented by an accessibly-placed [...]
When a long-awaited good thing happens, be grateful that it happened, not resentful that it happened so late
Suppose someone who had a longstanding disagreement with us finally comes over to our viewpoint. If we welcome them gracefully, we can work together effectively. [...]
The essence of commitment is recommitment
We sometimes resolve to do something constructive such as exercising, meditating, studying wisdom-texts or becoming more tolerant in our relationships. But we often fail to [...]
Look for the good in all situations, even in situations that don’t look good
Whenever life subjects us to terrible situations, we often obsess over how bad things are. Such obsession makes us feel frustrated, burdened and drained – [...]
When the mind says our victories are too small to count, cross-question it – What other way is there to big victories
When striving for self-mastery, we sometimes succeed in taking small steps forward. For example, suppose we find it difficult to wake up early in the [...]
Complaining is no one’s birthright – and it has made no one’s birth right
Some people are chronic complainers. They self-righteously justify their negativity, irritability and disagreeability, “Can’t you see how many things have gone wrong in my life? [...]
Everything in history is not in memory; everything in memory is not in history – intelligence means to know what belongs where, and to keep it there
History and memory are both records of the past. Yet they can differ significantly. Let’s see how. Everything in history is not in memory: Because [...]
When life is uncomfortable, thank God that it is not unbearable
We all experience discomfort at times. The discomfort may be because of loneliness, boredom, overwork, worry, annoyance and so forth. Such feelings are obviously not [...]
Where we are doesn’t determine who we are
We might sometimes be at a terrible place in life — we may be addicted to something harmful. What could make us feel worse is [...]
Look up and things will look up
When things start going downhill, the more we think about the things around us, the more we feel depressed. To raise our spirits, we need [...]
Learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable
Life often makes us uncomfortable, through stress, boredom, overwork, loneliness, sickness and so forth. On facing such discomfort, we impulsively seek to get away from [...]
What differentiates spiritualists from materialists is not absence of pain but presence of healing
Some people ask spiritualists, “You go through the same problems as we do – what do you gain by your spiritual practices?” To understand, consider [...]
The less time we have for our problems, the less problems we have
We sometimes feel burdened by our problems, as if they were heavy weights on our back. And the more we obsess over them, the bigger [...]
A season of grieving may be necessary, but a lifetime of grieving isn’t
Suppose we get physically wounded, but are immediately told to resume normal activities. We won’t be able to. A similar principle applies to emotional wounds [...]
Even if we can’t be grateful for all situations, we can be grateful in all situations
Suppose we have a sickness for which we are being treated. Understandably, we will find it difficult to be grateful for being sick. But we [...]
Our life’s quality is determined not by how we look, but by what we look forward to
We are often obsessed with our looks. Undoubtedly, how we look matters, especially in today’s materialistic society where people are judged by their appearances. We [...]
Every ending is also a beginning
When anything good ends, we often feel sad, “Why did this have to end?” Conventional wisdom reminds us that endings are also beginnings. Expounding this [...]
We can’t delete our memories, but we can choose what we remember
Some of our memories may have scarred us – memories of abuses we have suffered or allurements we have succumbed to may agitate us whenever [...]
Those who obsess over what is wrong overlook what is right
Some people are industrious faultfinders. Whoever they are with, they zero in on the faults of that person. Such people who obsess on the wrong [...]