There is no doubt that William Shakespeare had an exceptionally brilliant mind. I listened to a story on NPR once that listed out many of the phrases and expressions that we use daily that come from Shakespeare – it was mind-boggling! Here are just a few: *All that glitters is not gold. *I have…
We all run into negative thought “loops” at times that are difficult to shake. Sometimes these negative thought loops can contribute to our suffering because the way we think affects the way we feel. For instance, incessantly thinking about a romantic relationship that went south can lead to strong feelings of sadness, anger, regret, and jealously…
Words can be tremendously powerful. Very subtle changes in choice of words, voice inflection, etc. can totally change the impact our words have on others. Importantly, our words cannot control others, only influence them. Other people could choose to ignore what we say altogether. However, to a great extent, the words we choose can…
I had to go take care of a traffic ticket today at a precinct office – not a favorite task, but I try to take a flexible approach to life and see situations from different perspectives. It’s very challenging to do this with some things, but it works well with many others. The Dalai…
Now we’ve arrived at potentially the most powerful way to break out of a cycle of negative thoughts and feelings. It is through mindfulness, which is really a way of changing our being more than just our doing or thinking. It is the transformation of consciousness. As a refresher, mindfulness is the term used…
So, changing our behavior is one way of improving our sense of well-being. I’m referring to this as a form of self-liberation because we do not have to be shackled to our feelings. We can rise above these in a number of ways. Another way of gaining self-liberation is through changing our thoughts. According…
Now, I’m on the same journey as everyone else, so I grow and learn just as you do. Thus, I expect my views to change some over time. Still, I’m very interested in finding some core truths that everyone can use to improve their lives. I’m comfortable saying that what I’m about to list…
As I said in my last post, it’s easy for thoughts that are just in our imagination to create strong, visceral responses. The exact type of physiological and emotional responses depend upon the content of our thoughts (e.g., lustful thoughts can create sexual arousal, thoughts of being wronged can create feelings of hurt or…
Our emotions are typically elicited by our thoughts. Situations, in a sense, are neither bad nor good…they just are. It is our thoughts about the situations that give rise to corresponding feelings. Often these thoughts are “automatic” and just below our conscious awareness. If we learn to become aware of them, we can learn…
It’s a given that when we practice something, we get better at it. Our brains are made to adapt to different stimuli. Mindfulness can be practiced in small ways every day such that you will get better at it. If you really wanted to learn a foreign language, you wouldn’t practice one day a…