Procrastinating to Get Things Done

Do you consider yourself a procrastinator?
Undoubtedly, many of us have procrastinated on some project or task at some point in our lives.
But that’s not necessarily bad.
The classic view of procrastination is that we shouldn’t do it. We shouldn’t put off what needs to be done. We should just “do it,” as Nike suggests.
Here’s another perspective:
We’re all procrastinators because we have to be. We simply can’t do everything that needs to ...  Read More

Procrastination Disguised as Busyness

The meditation teacher Eknath Easwaren talks about how people have energy only when it comes to things they like or already know how to do well. If you enjoy painting, or playing music, or a good novel, you can get lost in what you’re doing and stay up for hours doing it. But if we have the opposite reaction to a task — if we don’t like it, or if we feel particularly challenged by it — then ...  Read More

That’s What I Thought

A friend of mine recently visited her mother in a nursing home.  But her mother didn’t recognize her.  Her mother’s mind had lost the capacity to recognize someone she had known all her life.  Actually we have a similar experience every day when it comes to our thoughts.  Our thoughts arise, thousands of times a day, but we don’t recognize them.  We notice them, we react to them, but we don’t recognize them as thoughts.  This is truly ...  Read More

Habits of Attention

We are all on intimate terms with anxiety. We all know what it’s like to be caught in its claw. It’s pretty miserable. And given that our entire future is a giant blank screen upon which we can concoct endless agonizing storylines that destroy our peace of mind and contribute nothing of benefit, we might as well be prepared for anxiety’s next visit, whether it be prompted by a biopsy, a pink slip, a weather report or an ...  Read More

Morning of the Spider Webs

It seemed an unlikely morning for miracles. As I woke and glanced out toward the valley, I saw that a thick layer of fog had wrapped our windows in gauze. The nights in Eagle River were growing cooler now.
The back door slammed and my husband called for me to grab my camera and come outside. “You won’t believe this,” he said. I grabbed the camera and long lens and pulled on a coat, watching my feet ...  Read More

Our Brilliant and Collaborative Minds (video)

If you haven’t heard about the work that Sugata Mitra did to secure TED’s million dollar prize, you might want to take a few minutes and look at this presentation. Mitra has been investigating the power and limits of self-organized learning environments around the world, through computer-based experiments with kids. But the lessons that Mitra has learned are not limited to, or even focused on, the brilliant capacity of the individual, although that shines through loud and clear.
His ...  Read More

The Power of Turning Inward

Where do we turn for answers when we are faced with daunting questions? Who do we consult with when we are stuck and don’t know what to do? Many of us turn toward trusted sources outside of ourselves, those who have wisdom that we are drawn to, whether revealed through books, retreats or personal meetings. Or those who know us and love us, as the unique beings we are. We all learn from each other, and lean on ...  Read More

What Prevents You from Appreciating Your Partner (and a lot of other people)? Hint: It has to do with gorillas

Are you familiar with the “invisible gorilla” experiment?  A group of people were asked to pass basketballs back and forth to each other.  Three of the people wore white t-shirts, and the other three wore black t-shirts.  Participants in the study were asked to count the number of times the basketball was passed between the members of the white t-shirt team.  During the experiment a person in a gorilla suit appeared, pounded his chest, and walked away.  Only ...  Read More