Health

Comparison is the death of joy. – Mark Twain

Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being.” Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self-discovery and reflection. – Dad

A monk decides to meditate alone. Away from his monastery, he takes a boat and goes to the middle of the lake, closes his eyes, and begins to meditate.
After a few hours of unperturbed silence, he suddenly feels the blow of another boat hitting his.
With his eyes still closed, he feels his anger rising and when he opens his eyes, he is ready to shout at the boatman who dared to disturb his meditation.
But when he opens his eyes he saw that it was an empty boat, not tied up, floating in the middle of the lake…
At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization and understands that anger is within him; it simply needs to hit an external object to provoke it.
After that, whenever he meets someone who irritates or provokes his anger he remembers: “The other person is just an empty boat. Anger is inside me.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

The feeling of anxiety is generated by the same process as an itch on your arm. Both are manifested in the brain and both come and go like the wind. – Dad

Psithurism is the sound of rustling leaves as the wind blows through the trees. Stop for a minute, go outside, close your eyes, take a deep breath and listen for yourself. – Dad

As you get older you’ll come across a phrase called “work/life balance”. This represents the amount of time spent on work v the amount of time doing things unrelated to your career. Some people think that these two moments must be independent of each other. I disagree. Exercise, therapy, work, and play, are all part of one big puzzle that when pieced together helps to contribute to a fulfilling and meaningful existence. In other words, I don’t believe in a work/life balance. I just believe in life. – Dad