Teachings of a Zen Gardener
Our group of neighbors meets occasionally over coffee and cupcakes. I don’t remember the subject, but on this occasion our gardening expert had his turn to speak. The talk was related to love, and his view was that love involved giving.
As his example, he took the flowers of summer. They produce their seeds, containing the essence of themselves, and give them away. They send the seeds out into the world without any certainty of how many will land on fertile soil and sprout. They send their seeds out without knowing whether their efforts will be welcome or appreciated.
I’m unable to capture the effect this comparison had on members of the group. It was a profound insight into how we toil in all humility, without knowing if any of our efforts will be appreciated or welcome, or if any will land on fertile soil.
And yet we plug away day by day, week by week, with a small and not too sure faith that we are building something greater than ourselves.
The following week, our gardener friend brought in samples of seeds from his yard and garden. The bean seeds were interesting to look at. They were twisted, dried up husks that had split open. He explained that the husks twisted as they dried so that the seeds would spill out, hopefully planting themselves to lie dormant over winter, waiting for another spring.
He compared this to the stresses of life that make us twist and turn, but force us to relinquish and reveal our inner gifts.
We haven’t had any more homey show and tell programs since then, but it sure makes you look differently at the common seed.
This post was written for PickTheBrain by Laura A. Sosnowski
7 Life Lessons I Learned Playing Halo
Yesterday I had a blast playing Halo 3 for the first time. It lead me to reflect on the countless hours I’ve poured into the Halo series over the past 6 years. Sure, I might not have much to show for it, but that time was thoroughly enjoyed. In retrospect, I even learned some important life lessons that have helped me succeed.
1. Hesitation is death – In Halo, nothing will get you cracked on the back of the skull faster than hesitation. The same is true in real life. If you waste time worrying about what your competitors are doing, you’ll never succeed. Sure, if you take a chance you might get burned, but you need to accept that risk and make a move. If you fail, learn from the experience and try again. Success comes from being aggressive and actively seeking opportunities. Read the Rest of This Article »
Find an Affordable Car Insurance Rate
One of the reasons many people have bad financial habits is that frugality isn’t sexy. The tasks that save you money are generally tedious and time consuming. Finding an affordable car insurance rate is a perfect example. No one enjoys filling out endless forms, searching for quotes, and haggling over the phone.
It’s tempting to make a snap decision and go with the first company that comes to mind. Unfortunately, this isn’t likely to land you the most affordable car insurance.If you can get past the aggravation and spend a couple hours shopping, it’s likely you can save yourself a few thousand dollars over the life of your car. That works out to an impressive hourly rate, and the experience will help you save on future purchases.
Read the Rest of This Article »
7 Tips for Resolving Conflicts Quickly and Peacefully
Everyone has to deal with difficult people, whether they are argumentative, abusive, stubborn, or combative. The question is, how can you assert your own rights without creating an unnecessary incident?
In most cases, angry people are screaming to be heard. They want to be valued, loved, and listened to. They want to feel important but aren’t able to express themselves constructively. With the right attitude, it’s possible to get past these insecurities and reach an understanding.
These 7 strategies will help you setting disputes quickly and peacefully for the benefit of everyone involved: Read the Rest of This Article »
Inspiration: Terminally Ill Professor Faces Death Without Fear
“If I don’t seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”
That was the opening line from Professor Randy Pausch’s final lecture to the student’s at Carnegie Mellon University. Despite suffering from pancreatic cancer and having only a few months to live, Paush is in the best shape of his life. He even dropped to the stage to do a set of push ups, challenging students to do the same before pitying him.
Refusing to discuss his illness, Paush spoke about fulfilling childhood dreams and the lessons he’s learned over the course of his life. He also said that he hopes his wife remarries. See here for the Post-Gazette coverage or watch the video embedded below. (image)
Update: Check out the full lecture videos on YouTube (thanks Marty). Very funny as well as inspiring. Read the Rest of This Article »
10 All Natural Ways to Stop Feeling Depressed
- Life is a drag.
- What’s the point of anything?
- I’ll never be happy.
Do any of these gloomy thoughts sound familiar? It’s likely they do. The occasional case of the blues is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. If you allow them to, negative thoughts can fester and lead to serious depression. That’s why it’s important to take action early to bust yourself out of a slump.
While these suggestions won’t eliminate your problems, they can help you break a negative thought pattern and stop feeling depressed. Read the Rest of This Article »
Do You Have the Characteristics of an Effective Leader?
How are some people able to effortlessly lead and inspire others, whilst other meet with constant criticism and failure? What are the qualities that we should look for in potential leaders? If you ever find yourself in the position to offer leadership, what are the factors that will help you lead more effectively?
The following characteristics will help you estimate the leadership ability of others and become a better leader yourself.
Inspire not Command.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tsu Read the Rest of This Article »
5 Ways to Use Your Blog to Organize and Motivate Yourself
Even if you aren’t interested in investing the time and effort needed to create a high traffic website, a blog can still be a powerful self improvement tool. The web is an amazing medium, and a blog will help you build motivation while also serving as a container of knowledge.
Here are some ways you can use a blog to achieve your goals.
1. Track your development over time
One of the biggest benefits of a blog is the ability to track your thoughts chronologically. As I look through the archives of PickTheBrain, I can follow my stream of thoughts over the past several months. This reminds me to get back to goals that deserve more attention and to evaluate my progress. Read the Rest of This Article »
How to Create an Entrepreneurial Niche
Many people are fascinated with “entrepreneurship” and starting their own businesses. What these people need to ask themselves before jumping into the roller-coaster ride of entrepreneurdom is: can they create something that is a niche product or service?
Here are 6 tips that are useful in understanding how to create a niche.
1. Research your market.
No matter what product or service you are developing, you need to understand a) what is the market for your product/service, b) is there a need within the market for your product/service, c) who is the competition( if any), and, if there is competition, what can you do to separate yourself from that competition. It is always important in creating a niche to be “where everyone else is not.” Read the Rest of This Article »
7 Ways to Make Your Own Good Luck
When I look back at the last 45 years, I feel the greatest factor in any success I have had, as a university student, diplomat or businessman, has come mainly from being lucky.
When Napoleon was asked if he preferred courageous generals or brilliant generals, he replied neither. He preferred lucky generals.
So, how do you get lucky?
These are seven habits that brought me luck. Read the Rest of This Article »
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