periodically take time to step back and reflect on my life, and I’ve discovered something interesting: Nearly everything that stands out as giving my life meaning involved taking moderate to big risks. • Moving to Vermont and starting the ToDo Institute • Working with refugee children in Thailand • Adopting two children from Asia • Starting a new

Scheduling down to the wire is inviting excuses into the equation. Waiting for the last minute is a set-up for failure.

The most effective method we’ve found for self-reflection is called Naikan and originated in Japan. It is a simple method that involves three questions: 1. What have I received from __? 2. What have I given to __? 3. What troubles and difficulties have I caused

Since we’re not trying to prevent thoughts (after all, some of them might end up being brilliant) one alternative is to put your energy into presence – practicing mindfulness in what you’re doing now. Resolutions are thoughts about what you want to do in the future. Mindfulness is about staying connected to what’s real in the present. However, be

The Zen master Kosho Uchiyama referred to our thoughts simply as “secretions.” One big difference between the thought-world and the real-world is the degree of control we have.

Any time you begin to say “I should” or “I have to,” try replacing it with “I get to.”

Good intentions do not soften the impact of our failure to deliver.

Action isn’t something that comes after figuring things out. Action is a way of figuring things out. So be clear and take the next step. Or be confused and take the next step. Even if you have clarity, eventually you’ll run into something that completely confuses you. And if you’re confused… you may always be confused. Life is confusing. Don’t let

My mother never spoke to me about stress, only about the normalcy of life’s difficulties. She treated obstacles as opportunities.