Tag Archives: spiritual

Where are you Going? Don’t know…

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

IMG 1421 150x150 Where are you Going?  Don’t know…There is an old Zen story that uses the comments, “Where are you going? Don’t know,” to make its point.   For those who may not know, Zen is an ancient spiritual practice related to Buddhism that frequently uses stories, parables or “koans” to explain and deepen its teachings among followers.  Many koans are paradoxical and used to shock the mind into enlightenment.  So, when you hear a Zen Koan for the first time, it may not make any sense at all.  However, at exactly the right time and place, the truth behind it suddenly becomes clear.   That’s what happened for me after a few recent events. Continue reading

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Permission to Slow Down–Ending the Addiction of Busy-ness

“There’s more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mohandas Gandhi

Slow down 150x150 Permission to Slow Down  Ending the Addiction of Busy ness

Thom & Kloe showing us one way to slow down.

It’s summertime here in the Coachella Valley where I live, and because it is the desert southwest, it is expectedly hot outside.  While we locals have certain tricks and techniques to stay cool, most of the time the heat of the season makes me lethargic and under-motivated.  While none of us like to think of ourselves as lazy, me included, maybe the season is both an invitation and permission to slow down, relax and enjoy life.  After all, pushing yourself when it’s extremely warm (or cold) outside isn’t SMART no matter how you look at it.

The problem is, most of us are addicted to busyness.  That’s right.  Unless we are busy doing something there is a little voice inside our heads constantly driving us to do more, be more, and have more.   That voice of criticism is quick to point out that we will never get everything done if we pause for more than five minutes.  It tempts us by leading us to believe that we can’t possibly be happy if we neglect to finish that project, make that last phone call, return that last email or whatever it is you think you need to get done.  Of course, there is always more that needs to be done, and before we know it, the day is over and like Jackson Browne sings in one of his songs  “I’ll go home and lay my body down, And when the morning light comes streaming in, I’ll get up and do it again.” Continue reading

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Seeking Art and Beauty Everywhere—the “A” in SMART Living

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

When most people search for happiness, they seldom think of beauty or being artful unless they claim to be an artist.  I certainly used to think that way.  When focused on creating a happy and successful life, I seldom realized that unless I was also creating something artful or beautiful, that dream often eluded me.  I think that is because there is something inside each of us that finds peace, harmony, awe and connection whenever we see and recognize beauty.  And if we don’t see beauty, then no matter how close we are to achieving any goal, something seems to be missing.   That’s why I believe it is critical to create beauty when living SMART 365.

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