the art of stress-free productivity

February 1, 2013 | Filed Under Consider this, Inspiring, Learn something, Pay attention | Leave a Comment

The heart of my efforts right now center around productivity, so I’m sharing productivity expert David Allen’s TedxTalk with you. Enjoy!

“If you do not pay
ATTENTION
to what has your
ATTENTION
you will give it more
ATTENTION
than it deserves.”

your inner world rules your outer world.

August 8, 2012 | Filed Under #notetoself, Consider this, Pay attention, Rewritable words, Thoughts | Leave a Comment

This was originally posted on September 4, 2010.

Life is calling you. All the time. Do this. Do that. Don’t do anything at all. There’s always a fork in the road. Sometimes you don’t even know it’s there, but it is. Sometimes you hear it, see it, feel it…this urge…this moment that comes to visit briefly. It may whisper, it may shout, but it’s always saying something. Are you listening?

The perpetual, invisible fork is the following question: how are you going to respond? To what? To everything.

We allow the outer world to control our inner world because we don’t understand that the more we control our inner world, the more we control the outer world. It often acts the other way around, but we’re so much more effective in our lives when we understand this. The past few weeks have proven this to be true.

Out of nowhere, my job suddenly became a place I slightly dreaded. I wasn’t even fully aware of it, but I noticed it when I realized time was my obsession. “What time is it?” and “how much longer will I be here?” Sure signs of danger. Everyone and everything was a problem and I played the victim to all the haphazard incidents and wrongdoings.

When somebody/everybody else is always the problem, maybe the problem is really you.

SPOTLIGHT: “Freedom Ahead”

June 15, 2012 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Great ideas, Inspiring, Pay attention, Plain cool, Spotlight, Watch this | 2 Comments

My life is changing! I´m currently in the process of experiencing a completely different way of living (again), but now in Haiti. I´m studying and practicing permaculture, which I want to share with the world. Even though the title´s about 40 years old, the principles are much, much older than that. Somebody just decided to call it something and now people living it now have a common language for it.

The film above, Freedom Ahead is about permaculture and sums up a bit about where I am in my life right now. I hope it inspires you. Please share your thoughts.

you ever tell yourself to shut up?

October 13, 2011 | Filed Under Consider this, Pay attention | 4 Comments

A few months ago, I met these awesome twin pastors and in a sermon, one of them said he tried to only say what was necessary one day and found himself having to be very quiet. It made me think about how much we say. How many words and ideas and opinions come out of our mouths. How much of it is necessary or even relevant? How much of it reflects the type of person we want to be?

In analyzing myself, I’ve noticed how much I give my opinion. Without request. “There it is, I’ll give it to you.” While I appreciate the boldness, albeit blind, and openness of it, I’m just one person of nearly seven billion. I certainly don’t want to know everyone’s opinion on everything because…I don’t care. And, in most cases, unless someone asks me, they don’t care about mine.

Hmmm.

I need to humble myself. In fact, I’m about to. I’m going to see what happens when I focus on only saying what’s necessary. If it doesn’t improve upon silence, must it be said?

Enter the silence.

life’s lessons…

September 13, 2011 | Filed Under Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Random | 4 Comments

I’ve been listening to myself lately — honoring my own wisdom, listening to its whispers, feeling its tugs and trying to heed its advice. This is what I’m learning…

On music: It’s amazing. It’s awesome. It’s super powerful. It’s healing… It’s distracting. Sometimes. When I disconnect and listen to vocal-less music, I’m connected to myself and insights on life. It relaxes me and makes life a bit more otherworldly. Ambrose Akinmusire’s When the Heart Emerges Glistening and Robert Glasper’s Double Booked are soothing my spirit right now.
On desire: We’re not supposed to have everything we think we want. Or when we want it.
On life: Talents are our gifts — to us and to others. Burying them only shortchanges us and minimizes our contribution. Follow your bliss.
Practice love. Be loving. Don’t let pain, and subsequent anger, blind you to your love. You love because you are love and expressing it is the highest joy. So express it. Live it. Be love in motion.

#notetoself: drop your anger.

August 8, 2011 | Filed Under #notetoself, Consider this, Pay attention, Thoughts, monday motivation | Leave a Comment

Anger is crippling when used improperly. We often act — react — to it without knowing the feeling that’s motivating action. Anger is a motivative force and when you feel it, you should always monitor your emotions. How do you feel? Angry? Hurt? Sad? Disappointed? Betrayed? Frustrated? Impatient? To what degree?

Intense feelings can lead to anger, a secondary emotion. By secondary emotion, I mean you feel something else before you actually feel anger. Tune in on that emotion. Feel that. What need do you have that isn’t being met, or is being violated? Safety? Honesty? Affection? Respect? Attention?

Use your anger as emotional feedback, as a barometer indicating when you’re in the red. When you know the underlying feelings and missing needs in play, you can work more effectively towards resolving the situation peacefully and heathily.

There’s a fire, an urgency to being angry. Let it work for you, not against you. Understand it to use it.

Great words…

July 1, 2011 | Filed Under Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Rewritable words | 1 Comment

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Hate multiplies hate, violence mutliplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction…

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
We never get rid of an enemy meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity.
By its very nature, hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up.
Love transforms with redemptive power.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

3-way street

June 28, 2011 | Filed Under Consider this, Pay attention, Watch this | 2 Comments

Image Source: 3-Way Street by ronconcocacola

SPOTLIGHT: “Forks Over Knives”

May 19, 2011 | Filed Under Consider this, Inspiring, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Spotlight, Watch this | 3 Comments

Once upon a time, I was a health zealot. Whether or not you asked, I’d gladly and immediately inform you of the contents of your food and any health risks they posed. My intention wasn’t to be a zealot; it was to be helpful. I was open and ready for that information and assumed everyone else was, too.

I was wrong.

Over time, I’ve ebbed and flowed with health. It’s prominence rises and falls. Over the course of the last year or so, it’s fallen. I’ve had beef (I thought it was veal), I’ve had pork (I knew it was pork), and I’ve consumed lots and lots of sugar. As of late, however, my attention to health has been on the rise.

It’s not even necessarily what’s present in my diet, so much as what’s been missing: easily digestible, nutrient rich plant-based foods.

Preventative health, mostly based around diet, used to be such a large focus in my life, and over time has dwindled away. But I miss it. I believe in it. I want it back.

That said, last week, I decided to detox by eating raw foods for two weeks. At first, I was super nervous, even tentative about lasting the entire time. By the time the first day arrived, I was mentally prepared and fully committed. On the second day, I realized it was my one year anniversary of moving to New York (sentimental, I know) and decided to, on day three, treat myself to a dinner at the raw restaurant near my house.

Best decision ever. I’m so about to eat lots of raw foods. Not just for the next two weeks, but period. I’m interested in optimal health.

I saw the Forks Over Knives trailer posted above and thought you’d be interested in knowing that optimal health is at the end of your fork.

If health and food politics are of interest to you, you may also like: