Climate change. The economic downturn. Terrorism. And now there’s Haiti. A client and I were conversing recently about the mess our world is in. She was feeling overwhelmed. How do we, as individuals, respond in the face of such huge problems? I won’t be so presumptuous as to …
This is a fun and funny video of Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) sharing her ideas on creativity. She says that that instead of the rare person “being” a genuis, all of us “have” a genius. And she shares how we might be in relationship with that part …
Fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability stay with one’s fear and use its energy wisely. In Sunada’s monthly post on Wildmind’s blog, she explains how welcoming our fears can point us toward our own place of freedom.
I’ve been talking with some clients recently about anger. We all know what it’s like. It feels like an alien takes control of us. When in its grip, we can’t seem to stop ourselves from saying or doing things we regret later. Or it silently boils inside, leaving us simmering …
In The Mindful Leader, author Michael Carroll’s premise is that the best leaders aren’t those who take charge and make things happen. They’re the ones who are willing to be fully human and inspire the best in others. Sunada reviews this book that shows us how to …
Learning and growing as an individual is a do-it-yourself project… up to a point. Sooner or later, there comes a time when we need to take a risk and leap into something new and beyond our control. Sunada shares how a recent experience reinforced her understanding of faith. …
Many people think of play as a fringe benefit of life. Work comes first. Play is an “extra” that we reward ourselves with only after finishing our work. But Sunada sees it differently. On the one hand, play has a generative quality that can help us navigate …
I read a really interesting article in Ode Magazine yesterday. There’s now scientific research showing that happiness is contagious! This study suggests that if I’m feeling happy, there’s a good chance that my friends and neighbors will be happier, too. The analysis is distilled down to pretty significant numeric probabilities, …
Every time I watch Bobby McFerrin or Yo-Yo Ma perform, I’m left in awe. It’s not just their amazing musicianship. What uniquely comes through in their music is their generosity of spirit and totally engaging way of expressing their individuality. As a musician myself, I muse in …
As a pragmatic Buddhist, I felt a lot of skepticism when I first encountered the Law of Attraction (LOA). Many things I’ve seen stretch my credulity. But the more I think about it, the more I see nuggets underneath the hype that make sense to me, if reformulated a bit. …
Does the Buddhist idea of “no self” strike you as bizarre or outrageous? I’ve been reflecting on this difficult concept and, in my monthly post in Wildmind’s blog, share my thoughts on it so far. It isn’t just an obscure philosophical point for mental gymnasts. Paradoxically, I think …
So many of us shy away from being fully ourselves in the world. Maybe it’s fear, or feeling it’s inappropriate, but we often keep our gifts hidden in our private shells. Well, here’s a great counterexample of someone who just put himself out there, and what a response he got!
A friend sent …
Fear is a universal human experience. Fearlessness is a something we can cultivate through mindfulness. Here’s what it looks like for one man, as he takes on perhaps the biggest challenge of his life — as the Music Director of a major American symphony orchestra.
As armchair observers, we all read about people …
The vast majority of the people with whom we interact on a daily basis are people we don’t know. This sobering little experiment shown on YouTube shows that most of us view each other in as personal a manner as we do mere machines! It makes me think about acting more kindly …
Is it possible to be in a committed sexual relationship and follow the Buddha’s teaching on non-attachment? Does loving someone deeply by definition mean we’re attached to them? I don’t see these ideas as contradictory. Here in Wildmind’s blog, I explore what an enlightened relationship might look like.