We humans spend a lot of time wondering about why other people like certain things. Who could possibly like the color of that sweater? Why would someone buy that car? Does anyone actually classify those sounds as music? That person is the worst actor I’ve ever seen; that actress is the best. I’ve been guilty…
Favorite Albums of All Time
Music has been a big part of my life for a long time, and as someone whose career has almost always allowed for a musical accompaniment, I’ve got thoughts. Check out my favorite albums of all time in this post!
Continuing Your Mindfulness Practice
I recently finished teaching my first mindfulness meditation course. While it was a lot of work, I truly enjoyed sharing the crucial knowledge of being present and mindful with my first cohort. More than anything, I can’t overstate the feeling of appreciation and joy for my student’s efforts as I heard them speak about their…
You Don’t Need to Justify Everything
I was pretty insecure growing up. I didn’t have any confidence in myself, and always looked for others’ approval in order to feel good about what I was doing. Why? Some of that is probably my natural tendency, but some of my insecurity likely came from living in a broken home; with my dad mostly…
Do The Things You Like
Ever find yourself never actually using or doing the things you like, with the mindset that you’re saving it for later? I know that many of us humans do the opposite, just binging the things we like and running from one thing we like to the next. But I must not be alone in charting…
On Acceptance
I recently started to play a game called “The World Ends With You.” The game has an excellent soundtrack all around, but there is a song that sticks out to me as being particularly groovy. In case you’re interested, you can listen to it here. In the latest iteration of the game, a remaster with…
On Psychedelics
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. I don’t recommend that people take any of the substances discussed in this post unless they have spent considerable time studying their use and effects, thought carefully about their mindset and intention for using them, prepared appropriately, and sought out guidance from experts. Even then, there are certain…
On Vulnerability
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretsky For the younger folks who might be reading this, Wayne Gretsky was a famous hockey player known for his aggressive offensive (i.e. not on defense) play. He scored more goals during his career than any other hockey player. The above quote is often referenced as…
There’s Always Room for More—Personally, Politically
In the past, I’ve had a bad habit of convincing myself that some things weren’t worth doing because other people would always be better at them than me. I remember my dad’s words as a young child, when he told me “Son, no matter how good you are at something, there’s always going to be…
A Definition of Mindfulness
The below mindfulness essay was composed for my mindfulness teacher training at the Mindfulness Training Institute. I think it does a decent job of conveying some of the concepts in an introductory way, so I decided to share it here. — Mindfulness is…not something that is easy to define in a single sentence. But for…