Tag: buddhism

When I get entangled in metrics and expectations (societal pressure), I have to remind myself that my definition of success is being happy. In circumstances where I have achieved what others define as “success,” I have often found myself absolutely miserable. There is no success if I can’t optimize my personal state of mind.

Dreaming isn’t an impracticality—every invention started as a dream. It’s important to exercise the muscles of “What if” along with “How would that work?” Otherwise, what’s the point of being creative? Pure reactivity is purely for machines.

Some people avoid contemplating their own insignificance because they fear it will induce a sense of powerlessness—why try at all if you’re simply a dot on a spinning blue ball in the vastness of space? But I look at it the other way: given our insignificance and impending mortality, why NOT pursue our dreams and…

I’ve tried to obsess my way out of negative circumstances, but more often than not (and I would never have said this as a younger, obsessive man) I have to dream my way out on them; I have to focus on relaxation and positivity (sometimes anger/apathy is the most positive I can be) and allow…

I regard my feelings in an illogical sense; I believe they depend on my personal focus and nothing more. It took a long time for me to come to this conclusion, but after seeing I could be happy in miserable conditions and miserable in happy conditions, I realized that my perception of events is a…

In my opinion, moving into and embracing a new state of expansion (often uncomfortable at first) is as natural as breathing. And though clinging to patterns past their expiration date may seem comfortable, I have seen it breed misery, inflexibility, and creative imprisonment. (I suspect this is simply an amplified version of the initial new-state…

As far as I can tell, applying emotional intelligence is akin to using a rudder; it doesn’t correct your heading all at once, but it does start aligning you with your goals. So for negative emotions, I try to jump straight to apathy or boredom (oh well, it is what it is, we all die…

In the past, I’ve clung to old rhythms out of fear and comfort, but I started to realize they turn into chains and eventually anchors, weighing me down with paranoia and pessimism. I’ve watched my friends experience the exact same thing, retreating into aimless patterns and a fortress of talking points. They were no longer…

I’ve spent most of my life obsessed with sacrifice and struggle.  Ironically, when I began to focus on appreciating what’s around me, the goals I sacrificed and struggled for came much easier (and earlier) than I ever thought possible. Eventually, I realized I only ever wanted to achieve those goals so I could unabashedly appreciate…

In the absence of positive emotion, I abide in the best feeling I can—typically apathy or anger—while trusting it will open into boredom, mild satisfaction, optimism, and so on and so forth. Or I could choose to stay negative—wallow in depression and unworthiness and all-consuming rage—and burn myself out, eventually coming right back to apathy. …