Reading Time: 4 minutesI read another article recently telling me to stop buying things and start buying experiences. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen that advice. It’s been repeated in newspaper articles, magazine articles, and by bloggers and podcasters. It’s more than just advice at this point — it’s a cultural mantra. As a result …
Reading Time: 3 minutesMost of us go through the day forming intentions and making choices by default rather than through deliberate decision-making. Instead, our choices are made through habits, social contagion, and unexamined assumptions. In his recent book, Intentional, productivity expert Chris Bailey reveals that researchers have found that most of our actions run on neural autopilot. This …
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Age of Anxiety Many people today live their lives filled with anger and fear much of the time. I have a friend who was one of the kindest, gentlest, and most positive people I knew. However, over the past ten years, she has become increasingly negative, angry, and hateful. She became obsessed with political …
Reading Time: 5 minutesMeditation Doesn’t Mean Shutting Your Brain Up I used to think meditation meant forcing my brain to shut up. Turns out, my brain had other plans. In Part 1 of this series, I shared how the focus-on-the-breath-and-don’t-think method of meditation didn’t work for me—and why that didn’t mean I failed. Instead, I learned to befriend …
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen Meditation Doesn’t Click A few years ago, I tried meditation. I read a basic book about meditation, and started focusing on my breath for ten minutes every morning. It didn’t work for me, so I quit after a month. Perhaps you’ve had the same experience? You may have also tried meditation in the past …
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Balance Myth We’ve been sold a lie. From childhood, we were told to “find balance” in life—to give equal attention to every role of life: work, relationships, health, and personal growth. Then, self-help and business writers raised the bar. Not only should we balance it all, they said—we should excel in every area, all …
Reading Time: 4 minutesHave you ever caught yourself living more in the future than in the present? Most of us do. We tell ourselves, “When X happens, then I’ll be happy.” I’m guilty of it too. My wife and I have a trip planned soon—a few days in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains. I keep daydreaming about …