Hello fear, my old friend, I see you’re back for a visit. Welcome! Do you have a teaching for me today? Handling fear, the big kind, the kind that is the main obstacle between us, the realization of ourselves and of our fullest potential, is the lifelong biggie. As my exemplar, I’ve chosen Exodus 14:13-15.… Continue reading Be Still – Get Going
Category: Some Coaching…
On “Success”
I was having lunch recently with a friend and the subject got around to how each of us would characterize a “successful” life – this is a typical conversation for geezers when not engaged in their usual, what I call “organ recitals,” (AKA- the medical laundry list). I have a lot of trouble around… Continue reading On “Success”
Greeting The Dragons
In Life of Pi, author Yann Martel characterizes fear as “life’s only true opponent…only fear can defeat life”. For the philosopher J. Krishnamurti, fear is “the movement from certainty to uncertainty.” And for the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke (my favorite), “Our deepest fears are the dragons guarding from us our greatest treasures”, and those very dragons… Continue reading Greeting The Dragons
Speak? Remain Silent?
It can be really, really useful to have simple criteria to call upon, for all those situations when we are not sure whether to speak up, or not. Right (or skillful) speech (and action) is a core teaching in Buddhist practice, and the best articulation on this matter that I have ever heard came from… Continue reading Speak? Remain Silent?
Tears
In a recent email exchange with my sweet, wise lifelong friend (and brother) Sage, he mentioned that he and his beautiful Judith had recently seen the Lion King, and were so moved by the experience that they had “wept unabashedly” – which, of course is absolutely right – unabashedly is the only way to weep.… Continue reading Tears
When Hatred With His Package Comes…
In front of the treadmills (and other implements of torture) at the local gym where I work out every day (OK, tell the truth Michael…almost every day), there are three large monitors tuned to the three major cable news channels (you know who they are). It is from here that I am offered my daily… Continue reading When Hatred With His Package Comes…
More, On “Advice”
Been thinking about my last blog – specifically on the 4th Delphic precept – “In old age, give good advice”, and about what that means. So, of course, I have some advice to offer. Ha! For The Advice Giver: Stay away (like the plague) from the words: “you should”. As I tell all my coaching… Continue reading More, On “Advice”
Letting Go (The “Biggie”)
A while back, while chatting with Pam (my sweet, wise coaching and spiritual teacher) at the weekly SF insight gathering, she asked me: “So Michael, what’s up for you these days?” I answered her:”Still working on letting go”, to which she replied: “Yeah, that’s the biggie, isn’t it?” HA! No kidding! In all ways, it’s… Continue reading Letting Go (The “Biggie”)