If you’ve seen my recent social media posts, you’ll know that my diary was stolen out of my hotel in Thailand. They took my whole camera bag which had memory cards full of photos, my expensive Nikon camera, and my journal full of my most personal thoughts, stories and struggles.At first when it happened, I was very angry. I felt violated, exposed, and naked. I knew the thief probably didn’t…
We live in a world that, at times, can seem to celebrate and reward the greediest among us. We live by our own code of values and morals, yet we see people who are unencumbered by ethics get ahead and who seemingly don't have a care in the world.But the truth is, there is a greater joy than the fleeting pleasure of accumulation. There is a greater and lasting peace…
Human beings are the most remarkably adaptable species on Earth. We are blessed with the ability to adapt to any environment, location, and situation. A baby growing up in Spain will adapt to her culture and learn Spanish. A baby growing up in the Arctic will learn to icefish and speak Inuit. This adaptability gives us the variety of rich cultures and ways of life for our species. Whatever situation we…
Q: Dear Todd, I feel extremely unsettled when I sense that I am being deliberately excluded. How do I find the source of why this unsettles me so much? TODD ANSWERS: The source is not in the situation but in the mind. It is caused solely by mental activity. Like an improv troupe, our mind throws out a suggestion and then we create a whole show around it. Instead of…
When we say that humans are social creatures, it doesn’t just mean that we like to gather and communicate. It means that through the many selves, a society emerges. Without society, we would have no language, and thus no thoughts. So while there is a great deal we can learn about ourselves when we close our eyes and turn our attention inward, it is also important to understand that we…
Is mindfulness about controlling our thoughts or suppressing them? What even is the difference? Are they even possible things to achieve? Are they even worthy of us trying? In today's episode, I lay out the differences between these two approaches to dealing with our thoughts. But more importantly, I describe a third option for approaching our thoughts that is actually easy and way more effective for generating lasting happiness and…
When we expect others to make us feel better, we become the outsourcer of our own happiness. And while it can be very healing to have close people in our lives who we can share our problems with, sharing can all too easily turn into dumping. When we dump all our problems onto others with the expectation of them making us feel better, we are not valuing the other person in…
Q: Dear Todd, will you please give me encouragement on healing from a long-time illness? I'm told I can heal but I feel hopeless. TODD ANSWERS: I just want you to know that your body is an incredibly amazing healing machine. We know for certain that our mental state can either make us sick, or it can help us recover.So I simply encourage you to view your pain and discomfort,…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterHope is a funny thing. We like it, we crave it, and we feel we need it. But when things don’t go as we hoped, we suffer. Getting our hopes up and to have them crushed, over and over again, can be agonizing. So, what are we to do?The problem with hope is that wanting it causes our feelings of hopelessness. When we…
Our mind is the determiner of whether we are happy and content, or longing and dissatisfied. We may think it is because of this situation or that one, but one way or another we find out that it always stems from our mind. The question is, will we learn to become the masters of our mind or not.Yes, we all wish for possessions, praise, friendships and a loving family. But,…
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
