Category Archives: change
Beyond Coronavirus
It goes without saying that these are difficult times, and a lot of people are suffering. It’s important to keep that in mind, and for each of us to do our best to help in whatever ways we can. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in change, positive psychology, social justice
Tagged Coronavirus, future, Jill Shepherd, Matthias Horx
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The Optimism of Uncertainty
Every January for the past several years I’ve joined activists in front of the White House to protest the indefinite detention of 40 Muslim men at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. This year, January 11 marked the 18th anniversary of … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, anger, change, positive psychology, social justice, work
Tagged activism, advocacy, film, Guantanamo Bay, Howard Zinn, human rights, indefinite detention, NRCAT, optimism, persistence
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Self-Compassion It
I was in a meeting at the Pentagon recently, seated at a table surrounded by uniformed military officers and dark-suited government officials. The meeting was tense, with the officials all insisting the Defense Department was doing the right thing and … Continue reading
Posted in change, coaching, compassion, happiness, health, jobs, mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology
Tagged coaching, compassion, Kristin Neff, Mindful self-compassion, mindfulness
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War and Peace
To escape the news recently, I’ve been immersing myself in 19th Century novels, and one theme keeps coming across: the destructive human obsession with social status. In Tolstoy’s War and Peace, for example, Prince Andrew Bolkonski, infatuated with dreams of … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, change, coaching, happiness, meaning, psychology, self-care
Tagged envy, glory, psychology, social status, success, Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Time Out
I’ve written almost nothing on this blog since the inauguration of Donald Trump. Partly I think it’s because I’ve been so outwardly focused – fixated on the daily, minute-by-minute news of the disturbing, twisted, often absurd machinations of this new … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, anger, change, positive psychology, psychology, self-care, service, social justice, work, writing
Tagged anger, Buddha, depression, Donald Trump, Harper's, hope, news, Thoreau, time out, Walter Kirn, writing
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On Staying Hopeful
Last week was tough. Not just because many of us were returning to work after a holiday break, but for anyone who works in social justice advocacy, the air is thick with fear, apprehension, lingering shock and disappointment. What will … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, anger, change, fear, health, meaning, mindfulness, self-care, social justice, work
Tagged activism, asylum, Donald Trump, fear, holidays, justice, politics, racism, Rebecca Solnit, refugees, self-care, sexism, social change, xenophobia
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No Expectations
There’s a classic zen story that goes like this: A young man approached a great master and asked to become his student. The student asked the master: “How long will it take me to become a master?” “15 years,” replied … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, Buddhism, change, coaching, happiness, meaning, mindfulness, positive psychology, psychology, Uncategorized
Tagged aspirations, Buddhism, Deborah Ratner Helzer, expectations, Field Guide to Getting Lost, Kenneth Sheldon, Martin Seligman, motivation, positive psychology, Rebecca Solnit, self-determination theory, success, Tim Kasser, Zen
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Separating the Normal from the Natural
I’m getting ready to head out on a 7-day silent meditation retreat, and I’ve been feeling a little weird about it. So I really appreciated coming across Paul Graham’s essay, The Acceleration of Addictiveness, which in large part explains why … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, change, coaching, freedom, happiness, health, meditation, mindfulness, nature, psychology, self-care
Tagged addiction, Buddhism, independence, meditation, Paul Graham, technology
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What Would You Do If Nobody Knew?
When thinking about what to do with our lives, it’s easy to get sidetracked by the idea of doing something, rather than how we’d enjoy the experience of doing the thing itself. I loved the idea of being a public interest … Continue reading
Posted in change, coaching, freedom, happiness, psychology, self-care, Uncategorized, work
Tagged Alain de Botton, anonymity, career coaching, careers, employment, jobs, management consulting, meaning, Paul Graham, prestige, Tal Ben-Shahar, warren bennis, work
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On “The Habits of Highly Cynical People”
Rebecca Solnit has a powerful essay in the May issue of Harper’s that gets at something I’ve been thinking about for a while. In “The Habits of Highly Cynical People,” Solnit writes about what she calls “naive cynicism” — a … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, change, compassion, service, social justice
Tagged activism, Bernie Sanders, change, cynicism, Harper's, mindfulness, naive cynicism, Rebecca Solnit
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