Personal Development with Gray Miller
I do not remember the source of this story. A middle-aged woman, distraught, goes to the village wise woman. “I fear my husband no longer desires me!” she says. “He has not lain with me for months, and I do not know what to do!” The village wise woman says, “Listen carefully, for here is …
Some of you may have seen the whole “safety pin” movement. It actually started in WWII, as a way to show solidarity against the Nazis; then, in the U.K., when they began the competition for most clueless democratic group by voting in “Brexit.” The anti-immigration rhetoric turned into action almost immediately, with a sharp rise …
My friend Michele Serchuk, a New York photographer, was talking with me about a new project of hers involving “modern fairy tales”. We were thinking of the ways that moral lessons were conveyed through the classic stories, and what modern lessons might be useful. One in particular that came to mind was the idea of spreading …
It’s been a few weeks of working with the SELF Journal, and there have been some surprising results, so I thought I’d do a quick updated review. The Good The journal’s design is wonderful. It’s a real pleasure to hold, the cloth cover maintains integrity in spite of taking it on several trips, and the …
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had noticed myself falling victim to a common malady among personal development hobbyists. I call it “All the Things!” after a beloved comic called Hyperbole and a Half. The symptoms of the malady are pretty simple: A tendency to overestimate what you think you can do in a …
Zazu: What’s going on, Sire? Mufasa: Pouncing practice, Zazu. Hold still. Zazu: Very good, Sire – wait, what? I have a love/hate relationship with Cal Newport. Our disagreement (which he is totally unaware of) comes in our difference of opinion about the old “follow your passion” argument. I believe honestly we simply aren’t talking about …
The third and final suggestion, also from Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience, is dear to my heart. It has its roots in the concept of fiero, or the feeling of pride of accomplishment innate to everyone. Jane McGonigal talks a lot about it in her book Reality is Broken, Fiero is what we feel after we triumph …
Last week we mentioned the book Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience. I don’t want to imply that I’ve read it – it’s a little out of my price range, so it’s a wish list item instead. But in the article in Time that mentioned it, there were a few other really simple habits that seemed …
“You know,” Natasha told me last week, “you’ve been getting sucked into Facebook and Twitter the last few days…” “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I said, not looking up from my phone where there was this great Star Wars a-capella theme playing. Of course I hit share; that’s what being a good digital citizen is …
This month I’ve been successful in doing my Morning Protocols more than any other month. Here’s what that looks like: Yoga or “5 Rites”: A short stretching routine just to get the body moving. Sitting Meditation: Nothing fancy, just my butt on a cushion for 15 minutes. Journaling: One page, while I have my coffee. Deep …