Pebbles on Water

You have to embrace the suck – an interview with Leo Babauta of Zenhabits

Date: December 19, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

How do you convince yourself to go on?Youre cold and wet and youve been crawling on the sand for hours with your heavy pack biting into your shoulders and your knees are bloody and your shoulders want to collapse, and you dont know when this will end. Your mind has been complaining constantly, Why are we doing this? Whats the worst that would happen if we just quit and walked away? What are we trying to prove? Is it worth it? You could go home and sleep. Wouldnt that be nice?And its incredibly tempting to give in to your mind, because it is very convincing. We are very very good at rationalizing, especially in the face of pain. Its painful, and you want the pain to end, and you want to just rest. This is what happens when it starts to suck. And that was just the beginning of the suck there were many other such moments along the way.I would convince myself to go on first by being aware of what my mind was doing. I would watch my mind as an outside observer, and laugh at my mind and its rationalizations. Then I would pay attention to the ground in front of my face, the waves on the beach washing up near my body, the incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge lit up at night, and think, I am incredibly lucky. I would feel the pain and the tiredness, and think, What a wonderful thing it is to feel. And then I would say, Just one more step. We can re-evaluate after one more step. Then Id repeat that after that one step. It also helped that I had a team relying on me, and that I couldnt just quit or Id let them down.


Source: http://inoveryourhead.net/you-have-to-embrace-the-suck-an-interview-with-leo-babauta-of-zenhabits/

6 Simple Tips to Live a Balanced Life

Date: December 8, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

A balanced life is necessary for personal effectiveness, mental peace and living well. We all have responsibilities; whether we are working, going to school, or retired. And while dealing with those responsibilities, we will face many troubles and possibly get frustrated. So to get rid of that frustration and stressful energy we must do proactive things to keep us in balance.To achieve a continually balance state is not an easy task but its also not an impossible one.If your determination is strong and you commit to regular practice you will find greater enjoyment in everything you do.


Source: http://www.exploremeditation.com/tips-for-balance/

Venting Anger Increases Aggression, Is Seductive

Date: November 27, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

The value of venting is a myth. The theory on which the idea of venting anger is based has been repeatedly disproven since the 1950s.While it may feel cathartic, venting anger doesn’t purge aggression from your system or improve psychological state. In fact, it’s more likely to increase anger and aggressiveness. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, cautions that venting feels satisfying “because of the seductive nature of anger.”


Source: http://lenski.com/venting-anger-good-habit-to-break/

Is your inner lizard getting you into conflict?

Date: November 27, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

Everyone has an inner lizard, that part of your brain tasked with alerting you to threats in your environment and keeping you safe. Your inner lizards an important critter, but sometimes hes over-involved. In conflict, you want to manage your inner lizard instead of allowing him to manage you.Your inner lizard lives in the reptilian part of your brain called the amygdala, which is like an emotional tripwire and primes you for impulsive reaction, such as fleeing from danger or staying to fight off a threat. In emotional emergencies, such as in conflict conversations, your rational mind can get swamped by your emotional one. I think of it this way: The inner lizard wakes up, takes note of the threat, and jumps valiantly into action.


Source: http://lenski.com/inner-lizard-getting-you-into-conflict/

Blamestorming Is a Waste

Date: November 27, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

a waste of everyones energy. When you assign blame, you act to protect yourself at the expense of another. In most workplaces, theres rarely one person or department to blame for any significant problem and trying to find one is a signal of poor problem solving.Instead of blamestorming next time something goes wrong, spend your energy thinking about the contributions that many people or departments probably made. Individually, those contributions may have had little impact, but collectively they created a problem.


Source: http://lenski.com/conflict-hack-blamestorming-is-a-waste/

Ditch Your Inner Critic

Date: November 26, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

We beat ourselves up for both the big things and for the tiniest imperfections. And all this punishment isn’t helping us become more successful or to feel more fulfilled or even to get more done.What would happen if we gave ourselves a break?First, it is vital that you identify the critical, catty, judgmental voice in your head as your very own Inner Critic. And I’ve got news for you: Your Inner Critic is a Big Fat Liar! She/he tells you Big Fat Lies to try to maintain the status quo and keep you in your comfort zones – even if your comfort zones arent all that comfortable. If you want to take control of your happiness, it’s time to take Your Inner Critic out of the drivers seat.


Source: http://www.buddhachicklife.com/1/post/2011/11/ditch-your-inner-critic.html

A Different Perspective on Stress Relief and Management

Date: November 23, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

Stress seems to be an inescapable part of life, doesnt it? I remember one of my lectures on stress I always thought stress just came from a high workload, but woah, I was wrong. It all differs depending on the person stress can be financial, social, mental, or emotional. It can come from pressure and conflict. It can come from natural disasters, noise, and pollution. It can come from low self-esteem, an impatient and perfectionist personality, all sorts of stuff.What is it for you? If stress is a problem for you, think of something that really gets you, and then read on with it in mind perhaps there are different ways of handling your stress, not the usual massage or walk in nature. Perhaps we can prevent stress from arising in the first place.


Source: http://www.urbanmonk.net/956/stress-relief-management/

Presence, Acceptance, Impermanence

Date: November 23, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

Things happen. Time Passes by. Attaching to an idea or concept, we trap ourselves. Mind is its own trap when fed. The acceptance of the present, fully, may bring suffering. The four noble truths. Karma. When letting go and coming to be, Karma comes back. How can it not? We can deny literally anything. It doesnt make it true.


Source: http://themiddleway.net/?p=240

Zen Flow Chart

Date: November 17, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

Zen Flow Chart

Can meditation change your brain? Neuroscientists want to know

Date: November 17, 2011  Author: Adam Leave a comment

Can people strengthen the brain circuits associated with happiness and positive behavior, just as we’re able to strengthen muscles with exercise? Richard Davidson, who for decades has practiced Buddhist-style meditation – a form of mental exercise, he says – insists that we can.