Nothing is ever stable. Without warning, life demands us to go beyond what we think we can do. These moments test us. We cower away from the strangeness of the new demands, or we prove our worth by acting. Whether we fail or succeed in these spontaneous exams is no matter. What matters is that we are elevated to something better than we were before.
Tag: change
How We’re Harmed by Our Dissatisfaction with Ourselves
Over the last five years or so, as I’ve worked with thousands of people on changing their habits, I’ve come to a realization: dissatisfaction with ourselves is a pretty universal phenomenon.
Be Confident Above All Else
A person is more than the knowledge they hold and the body they control. A person is, fundamentally, awareness of themselves. The way you see yourself changes everything about you. Thinking and feeling exactly the way you are is the root of confidence. Anything that strays from the mark of reality will color all your actions.
Poisonous Narratives
Victim/predator narratives are highly saturated within Western culture. This isn’t only limited to feminists, SJWs, alt-right, BLM, trans-activists or anyone else. It is everywhere, including your mind and my mind.
Influences I
Whenever someone asks me which philosophers I follow, I very quickly branch off into persons who do not seem to be philosophers within the narrow meaning of the term, lover of knowledge. But how could Mark Twain possibly be not that? If asked who are the great wits, I will come up with a list from all over the place. In what universe would we think Lewis Carroll was not as witty as could be?
The Gift (?) of Oddness
Looking back on my life I find that the times that hold the most value are the times when I did things that were strange, unexpected, unconventional, risky, or just weird. Those are the things I remember and smile about the most.
My Mission: Help the World Transform Fear into Openness & Joy
When I started Zen Habits 10 years ago, I simply wanted to share what I’d been learning about changing my habits and simplifying my life with others. Then something magical happened.
Talk to, Don’t Provoke, North Korea
There’s little more we can do than hope that some cool heads around Donald Trump are telling him he’d be nuts to attack North Korea. I don’t know who they might be. Still, we must hope.
Words Poorly Used #84 — Scientist
Once again we’ve see this too-broad-by-multiples word, scientist, asked to carry far more straw than would break a camel’s back. If we look at its etymology, we can see the truth that it was not meant to tote all the baggage attached to it today.
Marine Le Pen and the Growing Scourge of Nationalism
While I certainly do not expect to see Marine Le Pen secure a victory in the upcoming French Presidential runoff election, even her ascendency to such a race represents yet another (once) surprising victory for the strain of nationalistic populism which has been sweeping the globe in recent years. From the Philippines to Great Britain to the United States to Turkey to France (and many other similar examples as well), we are witnessing the reversal of a trend at least 70 years in the making.