I've been doing a bunch of research for my first eBook on the topic of life purpose. A few times during the research process, I came across Carl Sagan's timeless Pale Blue Dot speech. I always stop what I'm doing to take a few minutes to read or watch it again. It may be the single best thing I've ever found to set (or reset) perspective. You can check out a video (of the audio) or read the transcript below. The Voyager 1 space probe took the famous Pale Blue Dot photo from 3.7 billion … [Read more...]
Edit Your Purpose: The Story of the Cracked Pot
I wish I could find the origin of this story. Some say it's Chinese, but the majority say it's Indian folklore. As far as I can tell, the author is unknown. I initially came across this story on Quora and decided to do some quick research. The version of the story below can be found here. The Story of the Cracked Pot "A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other … [Read more...]
Mindful at Mealtime: The Zen Buddhism Five Reflections
I first read about the Zen Buddhism Five Reflections in the book Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki. This post highlights three different translations. Choose your favorite! The Zen Buddhism Five Reflections chant, Gokan no Ge Here's the version from Goodbye, Things: Reflect upon how the food has come before you—how the food might have been grown, how it was prepared, and how it was brought to you as your meal. Reflect upon your virtues and … [Read more...]
“Maybe.” A Simple Story about Non-Judgement
Don't be so quick to judge. Better yet, try not to judge at all. This is a short story about non-judgement. I've heard iterations of this story, but I most recently came across it in Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth. A Simple Story about Non-Judgement "This is illustrated in the story of a wise man who won an expensive car in a lottery. His family and friends were very happy for him and came to celebrate. 'Isn't it great!' they said. 'You are so lucky.' The man smiled and said … [Read more...]
The Secret of Productivity is a VERY BIG Waste Paper Basket
A True Essentialist • I recently finished Greg McKeown's book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Essentialism book summary here). Like most great books, I have a ton of underlines, highlights, and notes. However, there are usually one or two stories that stand out above the rest. In this case, McKeown's story about Peter Drucker stayed with me long after I finished the book. It certainly gave insight into how he uses his 24 hours per day. "Peter Drucker believed … [Read more...]
