From worthless anxiety to worthwhile anxiety
As life’s uncertainties make us anxious, we often long to be anxiety-free. Curiously however, when we are relatively free from anxiety, as when we are [...]
How to deal with discouragement
How to deal with discouragement Suppose we have an ability, but don’t have any forum for expressing it. Becoming discouraged, we stay silent. In general, [...]
The more we watch the mind’s movie the more we make our life a horror movie
Suppose a friend takes us to a movie theater and then gets us so engrossed in watching the movie that we become oblivious to everything [...]
Even though we have more enemies than we realize we also have more friends than we realize
Suppose we are confronting someone. To face them effectively, we need to know our friends and our enemies. If someone we had overlooked turns out [...]
We can’t always move on from grief; we need to sometimes move on with grief
02.18 We can’t always move on from grief; we need to sometimes move on with grief When we lose a loved one, grief can overwhelm [...]
The stronger the hold of problems on our mind the weaker becomes our hold on ourselves
Suppose we see a friend getting rattled when facing problems. We may tell them, “Get a hold on yourself.” This common usage suggests that we [...]
Destiny may determine the complexion of our face but we determine the expression on our face
Destiny may determine the complexion of our face but we determine the expression on our face “Is everything destined?” We may ask when factors beyond [...]
Better to endure cravings that seem unbearable than to endure consequences that are unbearable
Suppose someone is trying to recover from alcoholism. They may still be subjected to strong cravings to drink. Suppose they feel that those cravings are [...]
Attachment makes us psychologically rigid, detachment makes us psychologically flexible
Attachment makes us psychologically rigid detachment makes us psychologically flexible A tree that is stiff breaks when battered by strong storms, but a flexible tree [...]
To forget that the world is a hurtful place is to place ourselves on a path full of hurts
To forget that the world is a hurtful place is to place ourselves on a path full of hurts Suppose we walk out on a [...]
Inability to face life’s challenges may diminish us, but unwillingness to face life’s challenges will demolish us
Inability to face life’s challenges may diminish us but unwillingness to face life’s challenges will demolish us We all face challenges in life. And some [...]
Look for the good in all situations, even in situations that don’t look good
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 [...]
Attachment is the inability to say no, whatever the cost
Attachment is the inability to say no whatever the cost No matter how challenging a situation may seem, there’s always good to be found. Discover [...]
Tolerance empowers us when we focus on our purposefulness, not on our powerlessness
Tolerance empowers us when we focus on our purposefulness not on our powerlessness Some people feel that tolerating makes them powerless: “If things are going [...]
Trying to get even with others gets us at odds with ourselves
Trying to get even with others gets us at odds with ourselves Whenever anyone hurts us, a natural human tendency is to want to get [...]
What we feel doesn’t fell us, what we will does
When we strive to free ourselves from impurities, we may still feel impure desires rising in our consciousness. To not become disheartened by such desires, [...]
Pleasure and pain are both life’s ringtones – don’t keep hearing the tone start picking up the phone
Pleasure and pain are both life’s ringtones - don’t keep hearing the tone start picking up the phone Suppose our phone rings. Some ringtones are [...]
Life may be full of problems, but we don’t have to be one of them
Life may be full of problems but we don't have to be one of them Life is tough. We all face problems. When multiple problems [...]
We can’t eliminate suffering, but we can cultivate a purpose that makes suffering bearable and meaningful
We can't eliminate suffering but we can cultivate a purpose that makes suffering bearable and meaningful Consider soldiers fighting to free their country from tyrannical [...]
Our urges aren’t like endlessly rising lines they are like endlessly recurring waves – surf them patiently
Our urges aren’t like endlessly rising lines they are like endlessly recurring waves – surf them patiently Whenever some self-destructive urge attacks, we tend to [...]
Problems may get stuck inside us but we don’t have to get stuck inside them
Problems may get stuck inside us but we don't have to get stuck inside them Suppose someone writes abusive graffiti on our house wall. We [...]