You are trapped. Not in a physical cage, but in a mental one. Luckily, this is a cage of our own making, and we each possess the key to freedom.The cage is made of our conditioned likes and dislikes. We think they are not conditioned, that they are natural, innate to us. But they are all conditioned, and they can be changed. I used to hate olives and cilantro. They made…
If you pull out your phone to avoid your emotions, you are not ready to pull out your phone. Everything you do on your phone will be neurotic, dependency-based, and ultimately destructive.Imagine you find out your car is in need of repair. It’s starting to make a weird noise. Instead of having a mechanic fix it, you fill up the gas tank with sand. This is what we are doing…
When someone says something you disagree with, can you instead of rejecting it or absorbing it, can you let it pass through you? Can you give it space to be? Can you see it, play with it, and let it go back into the void without blocking or denying or accepting it? This is what it means to be fully open to life.If you’re a human being (and I’m just…
We are an outward-focused species. We believe that fortunate circumstances will make us happy. On vacation, we’re supposed to be happy and the rest of the year is supposed to be a struggle. But what kind of life will we lead when only the extraordinary brings us joy? Whatever we do frequently becomes ordinary, so even the extraordinary will quickly become dull to us.Rather than waiting for an extraordinary vacation to be…
When we don’t know who we are, we can easily begin to see ourselves the way other people see us. But most often, those people don’t even know who they are. So we are seeing ourselves through the eyes of people who have no idea what a human being truly is.We can only know others when we truly know ourselves. We are the gateway to understanding the complex and vast…
Isn’t it funny that scientists are now thinking we live in a simulation, when it’s like, “Yeah, we are living in a simulation. Our mind simulates reality.” The observation by scientists is astute, but it doesn’t mean we’re inside a computer. It means that we live inside our head.Every single thing we experience in this physical universe is experienced inside our mind. It is the result of our eyes, ears…
We all know that one man’s trash is another’s treasure. But did you know that one man’s wealth is another’s trash? Here’s what I mean by that. We all have blessings in this world. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you have, you are blessed to be alive in this world. The only difference between living in blessings and living in misery is the story we tell…
As you may know, a few years back while I was out of the country, the people closest to me stole all of my most valuable possessions. Naturally, upon refusing to give them back, that kind of thing ends a relationship. But in that act of selfishness, I lost a lot more than the relationship or my valuables.With the relationship severed and irreconcilable, I lost everything I had from my…
These days, I am laughing a lot at news headlines that tell me I should be scared. I know I am supposed to get stressed, but I have become aware of their tricks and I just find it very funny.Here’s the backstory. I used to be addicted to the news. I mean I would read every article from every media outlet from every angle I could get my hands on.…
I have a very important message to deliver from your future self. And since this is Stress Awareness Month, now seems like a good time to share. Here’s how I received the message.Several years back, I was spending a lot of time outside the country. So, I gave a trusted family member access to my bank account so he could deposit checks for me and that sort of thing. I…
If something here helped you feel less alone, would you help me keep it alive?
Even the smallest support matters.
Weekly Writings from the Desk of Todd Perelmuter
