Liking feels good, it encourages us to approach and engage the world. Know what benevolence feels like in your body, heart, and mind, and realize that it is natural and normal. Appreciate some of the benevolence that buoys you along. Most people are fair-minded, empathic, cooperative, compassionate, and kind: in a word, benevolent.
See the good in others—it’s a simple but very powerful way to feel happier and more confident and become more loving.
Discover the newly written preface to the 15th anniversary edition of Buddha’s Brain—a heartfelt look at the book’s origins and its enduring impact.
Imagine being aware of the surface behavior of the people around you but oblivious to their inner life while they remain unmoved by your own.
Nourish the things that nourish you. Try to do one thing each day to. “Pass forward” a gift to the person you will be tomorrow . . . and a year from now.
Everyone longs to be seen, known, to have our hopes and fears acknowledged. Can you see behind the mask a person wears?
Speaking from an open heart can seem so vulnerable yet be the strongest move of all. Naming the truth has great moral force.
Criticism is unavoidable. Sometimes we take being criticized with good grace, other times it stings, and sometimes both are true. Here are some tips for accepting criticism, learning what you can from it, and moving on.
When we encounter someone, the mind summarizes and simplifies tons of details. Though fast and efficient this process has lots of problems. As our ancestors evolved, rapid sorting of friend or foe was very useful but is it still.
What can you do when there’s nothing you can do? Love Someone. Sometimes something happens. Perhaps your cat takes a turn for the worse, there’s a money problem, or it’s on a larger scale: maybe there’s been an election and you’re grappling with its
Controlling your attention – being able to place it where you want it and keep it there, being able to pull it away from what’s bothersome or pointless.
The most important things often get pushed to the sidelines. But if you don’t make a sanctuary for what is important, it will get overrun B and C priorities.
You can open to a sense of freedom and autonomy where you get to decide what you could stop doing and lighten up.
Being at peace with others’ pain helps us be supportive of their pain.
Get beyond the hassle and bad feelings by admitting fault. Remind yourself how it’s in your own best interest to admit fault and move on. It takes a strong person to admit fault, and it puts us in a stronger position with others.