“Overwhelmed, burned out, fatigued” “I can’t do it” “I need a holiday” This could have been my inner monologue for a couple of weeks in the earlier part of this year. Yet two helpful practices have pulled me back into the running for 2024. You see, 2023 was a good… Read More »How to bullet journal using the Kaizen method
The drums of war are beating. Conflict is boiling over. Spilling out from Ukraine and the Middle-East like magma flows from angry volcanic eruptions. At the same time politics seems gridlocked. Battle lines are being drawn up. The Western powers, some potentially underprepared, are waking up to the reality large-scale… Read More »Zen Buddhism and the coming War
Hard rain. Torrential rain. Rain that drums on the roof like it wants to get in. Accompanying gale force winds. Whipping through the trees, whistling and howling. Change has come to the weather. The last week of ice and frost with its pleasant, expansive open blue skies has given way… Read More »Change and Enlightenment the Zen Buddhist Way
Acceleration. It feels good to be moving. Hitting the pace. Autumn sunlight caresses the skyline and the bright yellows and subtle browns of my window view begin to blur as the train picks up speed. Swiftly approaching 120 miles per hour. Positioning my mind to have a good day, I… Read More »On Personal Development: Building People and Having Faith
Scary Times I close my eyes. Blackness. Solitude. Fear of the unknown. I picture horrendous things out there in the darkness. My inner voice tells me they want to harm me. Shadow beings with teeth like knives and creatures with many horns and limbs. Crawling, scrambling somewhere out behind the… Read More »How does storytelling create reality?
A chance encounter Such intricate design. The silver serpents gushing forth fans of smaller snake heads were enticing. I took the steps up to the temple complex in this small city in Northern Laos. As I started taking photos I was approached by a young man in an orange robe.… Read More »Buddhist fashion? How Zen influences the design process
A few days ago it was the summer solstice here in the UK. I love this time of year. The summer lies ahead of us like a vast canvas, ready for us to elevate our experiences into lifelong memories. Friends will be contacted, good times will be had. May is… Read More »On the employment market: How to mindfully embrace uncertainty
Do you feel lucky? Here’s the good news. It’s simple. You can be more lucky in your own life straight away. Right after reading this blog post. You’ll need to get to grips with two points. Let me explain. First you need to accept that luck is all relative. Once… Read More »On perspective: How you can improve your luck in life
An Extra Day This week just gone by, I felt like I needed an extra day to get everything done. I was toying with the idea and wondered what such a day would be called. I settled on the rather boring name ‘Newday’, and decided it would come after Friday, and could… Read More »Being where you are and Incremental Improvement
Thanks mainly to a positive comment I recently found a YouTube Channel of an Amsterdam based spoken word artist called Vino Venitas. For one thing, it has reminded me of the creativity of exploring a poetic voice. For another, a certain video of his has inspired me to write about… Read More »Captain Your Own Ship : Never give up on your Friends
Outlook on Life There are various answers to the question of whether the glass is half full or half empty. My favourite is ‘it depends what’s in it’. The core purpose of the question: are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? I have previously touched upon needing to… Read More »How To Find Inspiration
What is effortless action? There are times in life when everything seems to flow by. One good experience after the other. A seemingly endless stream of positive and empowering experiences. The travelling lifestyle or University days seem to embody this sense of flow. During these episodes, it tends to be… Read More »Effortless Action (Teachings of the Tao Te Ching)