Nat’s Second Rule

“Don’t be tossed away by your monkey mind. You say you want to do something—“I really want to be a writer”—then that little voice comes along, “but I might not make enough money as a writer.” “Oh, okay, then I won’t write.” That’s being tossed away. These little voices are constantly going to be nagging us. If you make a decision to do something, you do it. Don’t be tossed away. But part of not being tossed away is understanding your mind, not believing it so much when it comes up with all these objections and then loads you with all these insecurities and reasons not to do something.”

Natalie Goldberg

From Nat

“Continue under all circumstances.”

Natalie Goldberg

Pleasure is Overrated

“Happiness is not pleasure (which is so quick and short). Happiness is the joy you feel moving towards your potential. Joy is something you can feel even when life is not pleasurable.”

Shawn Achor

Le Corps

edit-sztazics-320555-unsplash — Aztazics

Don’t ever – ever – take your health for granted.

Form dissolves over time. It is inevitable. But take care of your body as much as you can because it’s the only vehicle for your soul.

So Simple

randy-jacob-358648-unsplash — Randy Jacob

“There are only three things we do in life: We stand, we sit, we lie horizontal. Once we’ve found success, we’ll still be sitting somewhere, until we stand, and we’ll stand until we lie down or sit again. Success is a concept, an illusion.”

Byron Katie, Loving What Is

This Indecision’s Bugging Me*

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As I pursue the National Board Certification for Teaching, I’m losing steam at the end. It’s feeling like maybe I’m not going to finish. A sprinkle of overwhelm and the bland mushiness of despair have rendered a toxic “Blah Stew.”

So I typed “quotes on finishing strong” to motivate me. The one above is pretty good. But then I found this one:

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I’m going to continue on: I will complete the work. At the same time, I surrender to whatever happens.

It’s all good.

*The Clash

Work

*You could ask yourself, “Does my work help propel people or my community or me forward?”

Or are you just getting by?

*Inspired by Mary Oliver’s work

Contemplation

Taking the time to reflect can greatly enrich your practice. You might realize you can do more of what you’re doing right and learn how to improve weak areas. Undoubtedly, this will expedite progress.

Hello, and what do you do?

“When you completely identify with your role (mother…doctor…), then something vital is missing. If you play a role at work, you always have a secondary motive because the ego is at work. You’re not totally focused on the task at hand because there is some self-interest there. You want to protect yourself. You want to get credit for yourself…or use the people around you.”

Eckhart Tolle

Domestic Distraction

I sat down to work on my Teachers’ National Board Certification.

I got a lot done:

Three loads of laundry, the dishes, my car, and refrigerator are clean, and my dog got a bath.

And now this post.

Ok. Here I go. I’m really going to do it.

Kismet

Daily Practice

work