It has often seemed a hidden truth that people can choose their beliefs much more freely than they think. Beliefs seem or feel concrete, but in reality they are quite arbitrary and liable to change based on time or circumstance. For example, imagine a person born several hundred years ago but otherwise identical to you. This person likely believed slavery was fine and that … [Read more...] about Choose Beliefs That Are Beneficial (Even If Not Necessarily True)
Mindset
Focusing (Introspection Technique)
Hey, you haven’t heard from me in a while. Today I wanted to share something interesting I learned recently - it’s a technique for introspection called Focusing. Focusing was created by a psychotherapist named Eugene Gendlin who, in the 1950s and 60s, did research analyzing thousands of recorded therapy sessions in an attempt to find what separated those that were successful … [Read more...] about Focusing (Introspection Technique)
Doing Costless Good
At Psychedelic Science 2017 I briefly interacted with one of the most warm and welcoming women in the world. She was volunteering at the tea house, serving tea at low tables with cushions spread around on the floor. Whenever someone sat down, this woman was ready with tea and a gracious smile. When she smiled at you it was like being washed over with calm and serenity. In … [Read more...] about Doing Costless Good
How to Hold a Bird
Hold firmly enough so that it can’t fly away, but don’t squeeze so tightly that you kill the bird! This is a concept sometimes taught in meditation, where holding the bird is a metaphor for the use of attention. One should focus on the object of attention - the breath, for example - forcefully enough so that the mind does not wander, but not so forcefully that it … [Read more...] about How to Hold a Bird
Come Back to Yourself
The world gets faster and crazier every day. More happens on a monthly, weekly, daily basis than ever before. I know I’m not the only one who feels it. There’s just so much going on. You could spend every waking hour reading news articles and end each day with thousands left to read. New discoveries, new technologies, new facts and opinions about those facts, new projects, … [Read more...] about Come Back to Yourself
The Necessity of Living Well
Death is painful and often tragic. It’s frightening and one of the hardest things we face. It’s been said that all human fears are individual manifestations of the one fundamental fear: fear of death. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective; survival and reproduction are the driving forces of any living organism. Death is the antithesis and thus we fear it on a … [Read more...] about The Necessity of Living Well
Wanting Things to Be Different From the Way They Are
The nature of the mind is such that nothing is ever perfect. Anytime, anywhere, it always seems possible to invent a way for things to be better or a reason that something is wrong. Sometimes in big ways, but often in small ones too. Maybe you feel tired or hungry. Or your seat is uncomfortable. You wish this person wasn't sitting next to you. The coffee is too hot. The … [Read more...] about Wanting Things to Be Different From the Way They Are
Questions to Think Deeply On
Something I’m planning to do on a semi-regular basis this year is to set aside time to think deeply about important questions. These are questions about the future: what kind of person you want to be for the remaining years of your life and what you want to experience, achieve and see happen during those years. While we know questions like this are important, you can't … [Read more...] about Questions to Think Deeply On
What I’m Working on in 2017
These aren’t resolutions or concrete goals so much as things I’ll be trying to focus on and traits I'm looking to develop in the coming year. Switching between focused/intense mode and relaxed/enjoyment mode on command On the one hand there is a state of determined, focused and intense work mode and on the other hand there is relaxed, present, chilled out mode. The first one … [Read more...] about What I’m Working on in 2017
Feeling Dissatisfied? Here’s What to Do
If you feel dissatisfied you are probably going through a lot of unnecessary stress. Dissatisfaction follows you around, nagging at you. It tugs at your attention when you’re trying to focus on something else. But there’s a simple way to avoid this problem, and it is to understand the following: When you feel dissatisfied there are only two good options: Change … [Read more...] about Feeling Dissatisfied? Here’s What to Do
How to Experience Heavenly Glory
It’s a beautiful day, clear and sunny. I’m surrounded by tropical forest and there’s an infinity pool filled with clear warm water only a few steps away. The carpet of trees stretches far into the distance, up a mountain where you can see a tiny temple at the summit. But I'm not paying attention to any of that - at least not right now. I'm still sitting at the table next … [Read more...] about How to Experience Heavenly Glory
Simplify
Get back to basics. Clear everything out. Drop the dead weight. The obligations and pressures and responsibilities are in your head and you can let them all go. Back to basics. Get rid of objects you don’t need. Don't buy objects you don’t need. Own a small number of high quality things - there is nothing worse than lots of junk. Physical clutter creates mental … [Read more...] about Simplify
Understanding the Difference Between Impulses and Deep Feelings (Meta Skill #2)
“Trust your feelings” “Listen to your body” “Follow your heart” "Do what the universe is doing through you" Let's be honest... this can all sound like nonsense. What do you mean trust your feelings? (One might say) When people listen to their feelings - not thinking before they act - it causes all kinds of problems! Someone feels like eating too much food, so they do. … [Read more...] about Understanding the Difference Between Impulses and Deep Feelings (Meta Skill #2)
72 Self Improvement & Success Tips from Me to You
I’ve noticed something weird - The phrasing alone of an idea or concept can be the difference between it "clicking" and getting internalized vs. just being forgotten. You've probably experienced this too - you read or hear something and it just hits you - the light bulb goes on and you "get it". It's a bit like the feeling of fitting the last piece into a jigsaw puzzle. The … [Read more...] about 72 Self Improvement & Success Tips from Me to You
It’s All Perfect
It’s sunny, warm, a beautiful afternoon - I'm lying on the beach under some palm trees listening to the waves rolling in… but I don’t feel happy. Looking up at the leaves I can’t stop thinking, Is this really what I should be doing right now? My businesses aren’t where I want them to be. My finances aren’t where I want them to be. And I’m sitting on the … [Read more...] about It’s All Perfect