It may sometimes seem as if new obstacles are placed in our path constantly. Rarely does everything proceed as planned or without unexpected problems. Yet... a life without setbacks, failures, regrets and sickness is not a real life. These negative developments are as real as everything else in life.

Might we all have moments in our life when we are in the midst of genius without recognizing it? The seeds of greatness lie latent in many places we do not expect them, to sprout and flower at a time destiny claims...

Why is joy so important? Because to inspire people to bring about change — to work to create a culture of caring — we need the strongest, most motivating emotion there is, and joy is the ultimate experience of happiness, the essential desire of our lives. On a personal level we're isolated and...

We need to awaken a crucial understanding at this time of evolution... What we need to become aware of is that the choices many of us have made on Planet Earth are not resounding with the highest truth, and therefore our planet is not evolving as fully as it could...

When you catch yourself complaining about the weather, stop. Sim­ply say, “Really? I love this weather.” Usually that produces a shock effect. Remember that all kinds of weather are necessary to keep this earth healthy. So...

Here’s what I’ve learned so far from “Mother River”: Go with the flow! Most times the main current will bring you through tricky areas without any struggle on your part. But how often do we fight against the flow, not trusting the divine current to keep us safe. One of my favorite...

Rather than comparing ourselves to others or competing against others, author Keith Johnson suggests "Focus on becoming your personal best. Compete with yourself by becoming your best; then compare against only yourself." 

A number of years ago I went on an intense lecture tour that left me feeling exhausted. The last event of the trip was a full-day workshop, and as I pulled myself out of bed that morning to get ready for the seminar, I wondered how I would gather the energy to present a decent program. When I arrived at the venue, I...

I was speaking to a friend who is the head of a customer service department. She tells everyone in the company, whether they work in the warehouse, in accounting, or wherever, that everyone in the company is in customer service. As I reflected on her words later, I realized that her sentence "we're all in customer service" had much more further reaching...

What would you be doing differently if you did not have to prove yourself to anyone?  Your enemies are not your dysfunctional parents, childhood sexual abuser, or punitive parochial school teacher; your enemies are the thoughts they instilled in you that you still believe...

Whenever you live something consciously it never becomes a loaded thing on you. If you go to the market to purchase something and you move consciously, walk consciously, purchase the thing consciously, with full remembrance, mindfully come back home, this will never be a part of your memory. If you want to remember it, you can remember it, but it will not be constantly forcing your attention towards it...

by Alan Cohen. My eight-year-old neighbor Mark keeps me on my toes. Mark asks lots of questions, which I am sometimes tempted to dismiss as childish. But when I think about them, I usually discover a profound lesson. The other day Mark asked me for a ride to the local grocery store...

Most people have some physical symptom that signals them that they are starting to run down their batteries. A sore throat, headache, or hemorrhoid flare-up is the universe's way of alerting you that you are getting stressed.

The first among the six perfections is generosity. Generosity is of three types: giving material aid, giving dharma, and protecting from fear. 'Giving dharma' refers to the giving of teachings to other sentient beings out of the pure motivation to benefit them. Giving away one's own possessions without even the slightest touch of miserliness...

Every day we make choices. Some seem simple, some seem complex. What will I eat for breakfast? What will I say to this person? How will I react to this situation? Some choices we make without even thinking about it, and sometimes we are simply remaking a choice we made a long time ago.