One of our deepest desires is for freedom: to be free of stress, anxiety, a frustrating person, a difficult situation, financial struggles, health problems, the daily grind, distractions, feeling inadequate. One of the great discoveries of my life is that this freedom is always available to us. In any moment.
Author: Leo Babauta
Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger & author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog with a million readers. He’s also a best-selling author, a husband, father of six children, and a vegan. In 2010 moved from Guam to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he leads a simple life.
How We Shut Down What We Want
By Leo Babauta One thing I’ve learned about myself in the last year or so is how much I shut down what I want. Somehow the world taught me that what I want is not acceptable, that I should only want what seems reasonable, doable, or won’t inconvenience others. So I rarely even acknowledge that […]
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The High Bar of Expectations Can Crush Our Creativity
At some point, we’ll need to bring in our craft, and refine. Edit, toss out, and discern. But not when we’re creating — let that be free and abundant and open!
Training to Be Relaxed in Stressful Situations
Many of us face things every day that stress us out: overwhelming number of tasks, a big meeting, a project that feels really tough, behind on paying bills, someone is upset at us, there’s a family crisis, the world feels chaotic. Can we find a way to be relaxed in almost any stressful situation?
A Well Lived Life of Purpose
By Leo Babauta Most of the people I know and work with want a life of meaning and purpose, not a life where we just get by … A well lived life, that feels meaningful. But this isn’t taught in schools, and most of us feel completely unsure of how to move towards this. I’m […]
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Delight in Uncertainty
Most of us have a troubled relationship with uncertainty, often without even knowing it.
Becoming Trustable
It’s really a magical thing, when people start trusting you. When your wife and kids trust you, it can melt your heart. They can relax, and feel taken care of. When your clients trust you, you can go deeper with them. When you trust yourself, you can relax more in any activity.
The Guilt of Not Working More, When We’re Done for the Day
At the end of a day of work, there can be a simple practice of wrapping things up and shutting down for the day. But so many of us feel guilty at simply stopping, and this feeling that we should be doing more … it drives some of us to keep going as long as we can.
Allowing Ourselves to Feel Joy During the Day
If you felt a daily amount of joy and wonder, you’re likely the exception. Most people don’t seem to feel joy regularly, or even realize that that’s the case. Let’s change that.
Meaningful Impact When the New World Has Not Emerged Yet
Our old lives are gone, and the new world has not been created yet. We’re in an in between state right now, and this can feel really shaky for a lot of us.