Last month I wrote about addiction, a prime example of a bad habit. This probably seems obvious; if you are addicted to something, you are using it or doing it without control, often to the deficit of your well-being. But what about other habits? Are they always bad? The truth is that habits can be…
On Addiction
Addictions. We all have them. Coffee. Television. Soda. Video games. Working. Self-deprivation. Sports. Gambling. And of course, drugs and alcohol. To discuss this important and sensitive subject, I figured it would be useful to relate some of my own experiences. I majored in psychology in college. One reason I did this was because I didn’t…
We All Think We’re Right
Most of us will have a moment in our life when we realize that we were wrong about something. Hopefully, we’ll have many of them. Not because it’s good to be wrong, but because it suggests that you’re mindful of your inability to always be right. Despite our very best efforts, despite our past experiences,…
The “Why” Exercise That Leads to Happiness
I recently completed a 5-day silent retreat offered by the Insight Meditation Society with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg. It was a virtual retreat, which made for an interesting experience, some pros, some cons. This retreat was particularly dense with dharma teachings, so I figured I would share just the tiniest bit here on this…
On Anger
People have a lot to be angry about these days. While it’s true that we’ve made incredible progress in reducing some of the worst afflictions of poverty and disease over the past few decades—acknowledging that of course we still have far to go—there are countless other ills that we experience or hear about every day….
Follow Your Passion, or Effective Altruism?
By all accounts, I shouldn’t be feeling good today. Yesterday, I was supposed to complete a written project assignment from a prospective employer. Instead, I submitted a request to withdraw my application. March 2020 marks five months that I’ve been unemployed and out of school. I had applied for this position after being informed that…
It’s Fine–Until it Isn’t. Avoiding Burnout
Burnout. We’ve all heard the word, and we probably have some general understanding of it—it’s what happens when a person works too hard or too much—but unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you probably don’t fully get it. And if you have experienced it yourself, well, odds are that you waited too long to recognize the…
On Racism
I remember very clearly the first time I heard the ‘n-word’ in person. It was in high school. Although I lived in a Hispanic-majority neighborhood, I went to a military-prep high school that was probably, broadly speaking, 75% white, 5-10% Hispanic, 5-10% Asian, a few percent Indian and a few percent Black. So I was…
Revenge Holds Us Back
I wrote the following for someone close to me when I wanted them to adjust their worldview, which sadly placed high value and emphasis on “getting back” at those who had done them wrong. It’s not exactly the same format of my standard blog post, but that’s fine because I’m not trying to be perfectly…
Weaponizing Mindfulness
What is mindfulness? And why should we weaponize it? Just what the heck are you talking about? Without looking up a proper *definitive* definition, mindfulness is presence. It’s being aware of the here and now. It’s owning your actions. It’s thoughtfulness. It’s paying attention. Let’s back up a minute. Consider how we go about making…