Here are five things that entertained, eased or opened my mind recently…
01. When the mind can’t stop / won’t stop thinking…
For anyone who has been accused of ‘thinking about thinking’ this Gemma Cornell gem of an illustration is for you. Where my fellow over thinkers at?
02. To avoid therapy follow Bob Newhart’s advice
My funny, wise friend Kevin shared this video with me long, long ago. Kevin believed if everyone just followed Bob Newhart’s advice here there would never be a need for therapy. Ever.
03. How to make a tough decision
Need to make a hard decision but can’t for the life of you? Watch this. It is single-handedly THE best advice I’ve ever heard about how to make a tough choice.
04. This will change how you think about weight (from a woman who lost 110lbs)
This American Life episode is a rare, raw and interesting glimpse into how we think about weight (our own and others): “Elna Baker lost a lot of weight, 110 pounds. When she was fat, she wasn’t able to get a job or a boyfriend and sometimes thought, “I wonder if it’s my weight.” She figured no, that’s a bad attitude, paranoia. When she lost the weight she discovered it was ALL because of her weight.” I loved Elna’s unflinching honesty here.
05. What happens when we lose the ability to shape the narrative of our lives
This quote helped me understand the deep pain that results when we lose sovereignty over our own story and hand the job over to another person or event and allow outside forces to define us. When this happens? Life gets real unbearable real quick. Whenever the mind has us believe that anyone or anything beyond ourselves is responsible for shaping our story – recognize it for what it is. A trick of the mind. A false positive. A trompe d’esprit. And please, please, please don’t believe the wretched trending self-help label of ‘victim mentality’. No such thing. In violent, grief-stricken, unfair moments of life it’s ok to believe the story is being written for us (often against our will). It’s human. Maybe the goal is as simple as lovingly and gently taking back the narrative and crafting the story of our lives best we can when we’re healthy and able.
Bonus. Meditation clouds…
I will leave you with this image of pink fluffy clouds taken on a scorching hot Manhattan Summer day (taken a while ago now as I sit in freezing January Canadian winter). The image reminds me of a meditation teaching that suggests you watch your thoughts as if they are clouds. No attachment. No judgment. Watch with detached observation as witness. And then? Just let ’em roll on by…
Happy 2025. May you thrive.