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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”— Marcel Proust “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”— Albert Einstein In recent years psychologists studying human flourishing have come to a surprising conclusion: some of the most powerful moments in our lives are often very small. A friend listens when we are hurting. A child laughs with

We are not "in love"... but, we are love. I'm glad, It lasts longer. Portia Nelson, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk Portia Nelson's book of poetry just got to me yesterday. The 35th edition, originally published in 1997. Though it's a classic, I have only ever read the opening poem, the most famous one in it - Autobiography in Five Short Chapters . It is used often in therapy groups including those recovering from addiction largely to teach mindfulness and help

“A ll pain deserves to be held in the warm embrace of compassion, so that healing can occur.” — Dr. Kristin Neff, renowned self-compassion researcher and practitioner In an earlier blog, I wrote about taking the U-turn — that sacred pause where we regain our center, get back to our "home," the seat of focus, attention, and intention (some call it our true Self or best self). The U-turn keeps us from spinning outward in blame or panic. But sometimes a pause, a breath or two,

“Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” — Anthony de Mello. Indian Jesuit Priest, psychotherapist A friend and mentor, Dr. Frank Rogers, Jr. once told a story that is both sobering and, if we are honest, a little funny (It’s in his book, Practicing Compassion; I have his permission to share it with you . ). After 9/11, during the invasion of Iraq, a small Quaker group organized a silent peace vigil at

“Evil is something that ordinary people do, not something that only special people do.” — Roy Baumeister I want to begin with a story that has stayed with me for years because it unsettles a myth we like to believe about ourselves as people. A dear friend—an exceedingly good man and a trusted leader—once told me that he had been a participant in the obedience experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram. You’ve likely heard of these studies but hearing them through the voice of s

“The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn One of the most dangerous myths we carry is the belief that evil lives somewhere else—in other people, other nations, other eras of history. It is comforting, but it is not true. What social psychology, history, and lived experience tell us—again and again—is that the capacity for cruelty and the capacity for courage live side by side in all of us. Which one emerges often dep

“The greatest prison people live in is the fear of what other people think.” —David Icke Early every Sunday morning, John and one of our...

Both Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King used these phrases ("playing out of one's mind," or "over one's head") to describe their...

Darkness is at its deepest, just before sunrise. Voltaire There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope. ...

Prayer isn't just spiritual—it's essential . Dr. Andrew Huberman I was surprised recently to tune into a podcast where Dr. Andrew...

Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings. Ralph Marston, author...

Between stimulus and response there's a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and...

Every waking moment we talk to ourselves about the things we experience.  Our self-talk, the thoughts we communicate to ourselves, in...

There is definitely openness to others' suffering that is dealt not with distress but with compassion. Matthieu Ricard A couple of months...

When it comes to luck, make your own. – Bruce Springsteen I love the research on luck. It started for me when I first read The Luck...

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” W. B. Yeats Let’s get right to it – we are taking...

The more we realize that most of our views of ourselves, of others, and of presumed limits regarding our talents, our health, and our...

Stop, breathe slow, and make a smart choice." Aldie, mindful paragon Imagine yourself at bedtime. An adult processing the day. Think...

While working on nuclear weapons I became acquainted on intimate terms with my own self-righteousness - the captivating, invigorating...

“With awareness, we can make conscious choices, instead of letting our habitual thoughts and patterns run the show.” – Tamara Levitt,...