Nudges from Nature

When I'm feeling fulfilled, warm, and giving, I'm grateful that the feeling has returned. When I'm overwhelmed, I'm grateful to know that it will pass. When I'm full of fear, anxious about the future, and uncertain about what to do, I'm grateful for the ability to look inward, knowing peace will return. When I'm burdened by life's daily challenges, I'm grateful that they are mine. When I'm alone and feeling alone, I'm grateful knowing soon I will welcome others to my home. When I'm uneasy and I don't know why, I'm grateful for the understanding and patience my wife and of my children. When I lack focus on my work, I'm grateful my habits lead me toward healthy distractions like playing guitar, baking sourdough bread, and tending to the cabbage fermenting on the counter. When I'm down, I'm grateful knowing deeply that it will pass, on its own. I'm grateful when I have no will, that there is nothing for me to do. Whet

You can't browse through a newsfeed these days without seeing some mention of anxiety and depression being at an all-time high.  While it seems to be most shocking and pervasive among kids and teens, no one is immune.  Men, women, blue collar, white collar, rich, poor. One way we seem to be addressing this as a society is from the bottom up.  It's now common to post and talk openly about the individual struggle. A colleague shares on LinkedIn. A politician openly hospitalizes himself for treatment. A pop star vlogs about a particularly challenging episode. I imagine there's quite a bit of value in these things and perhaps contribute to a collective sigh of relief, however small and however fleeting. We feel better knowing we're not the only ones, and that others that we work with, others that we admire, others that we follow, are not exempt from the increasing barrage of threats to our mental well-being. What I've noticed most in the private, one-on-one conversation

What you focus your attention on is illuminated. If you’re looking to change, to improve, to be happier, to be more productive, to soothe your depression, to ease your anxiety, or to in any way alter your daily life for the better, you must look closely at yourself. You absolutely must find time in your day to step away from the world, be quiet, be still, and turn your attention inward. This doesn't have to be meditation, though this is perhaps the most intensely directed route. It can be any activity that moves your attention from your mind to your body, and allows you the space to play and create. Gardening, painting, hiking, writing, sketching, crafting. If you've ever lost track of time doing something, look there. Like meditation, these activities naturally and inevitably invoke introspection, whether you intend them to or not. If you don’t, you’re likely to live a life less than fully lived, or perhaps you’ll be forced into the change by circumstances. Depending on how fa

Having purpose is part of being human. It may be critical to living a long and joyful life. Finding that purpose can seem like a daunting task. I believe one of the best tactics for finding one's purpose is to put aside effort and instead know that your purpose will find you . If you're struggling, find a quiet place to sit still for a little while.  Take three deep breaths, and ask these questions, either silently to yourself or out loud: Who am I? What am I to do? Where am I to go? What should I say and to whom? And then listen. And even more importantly, observe. And ask again tomorrow. And the next day. Even several times a day if you like. The universe expects you to be a conduit for its creation. Like melting snowpack at the highest peak must eventually find its way to the ocean, your purpose must eventually find you. It simply must. Be open and allow it to do so.

I first met Craig in the heyday of the dotcom boom. I interviewed him for a PR position at the high-tech startup where I was marketing director, and we became fast friends.  I hired him on the spot. In return, he invited me for dinner that night at La Barca in the Marina District of San Francisco with his roommates to celebrate. We drank pitchers of margaritas followed by many bottles of beer, and there was probably some food in there too. We were young and stayed up all night carousing around the bars of the city and playing cards back at his apartment once they closed. Craig lives in LA now. He has a two-year-old daughter, a baby mama who's a bit of a nightmare, and is lately under a tremendous amount of pressure at his job. The company is in free fall, and the new executive leadership is taking a slash-and-burn approach in a desperate attempt to turn things around. Several directors have recently left, voluntarily, including his boss -- who was handpicked and placed in the posit

Cosmic apples. If that title sounds like a creative metaphor for some kind of nutrient-dense concept for the soul, I'm sorry to disappoint. Though, who knows, perhaps the title has come to me for dual interpretation. We'll see. Cosmic Crisp is a variety of apple.  I started a die...er...a nutrition program recently on a whim. My health insurance company targeted me with an offer to join one of several health programs for free.  I abhor the health industry in America, and generally ignore anything they send me except for bills - which I review religiously (and, sorry, you should too. 85% of medical bills contain errors. It's criminal.) I don't know why this promotional email caught my attention this time, and even more surprising, I acted on it.  The basic gist of it is to eat 75% fruits and vegetables and 25% lean proteins. There's a one page list of allowed foods for phase 1, and it looked doable. And, they emphasize you can eat as much as you want, and really talk

I read so many books, I easily lose track of how I came to possess them. Friends, articles, references in other books.  I devour these recommendations and always have a stack by my bed, usually overweighted with non-fiction and increasingly related to consciousness, purpose, and various mysteries of life. I get a lot of books from my local public library. I love libraries. There's a meme circulating around about them being one of the few remaining places in our capitalistic society where you're permitted to exist without expectation the expectation to spend money. I love walking into the library and walking out with almost too much to carry. It's incredibly freeing. I've had a lifelong habit of reading about five books at once. Recently, as I've been delving deeper into the unknown, it seems like several books can meld into a single volume. My friend made the comment that books talk to each other. My cousin suggested that in certain cases, there is only one author -

A married couple I know is going through a tough time. After 25 years of marriage, they've separated.  A family member confided in me that he's struggling with depression. Strangely, I was glad to hear that. With a problem identified, it can be addressed. Plus, I know what depression is like and I've learned quite a few effective tools over the years to ease the pain it causes. So, I reached out to him and we set up a time to meet. It was weeks away, so I had all kinds of time to prepare. I revisited my years long journey and crafted a mental timeline of when certain things appeared and became useful for me. Nothing all that revolutionary, but effective. Avoiding alcohol. Walking in nature. Meditating. Healthy nutrition. I was all geared up to share. "I know what you're feeling. I can help." I barely said a word. He needed to talk. And I could listen.  Do you remember what it's like when you were a kid (and maybe more recently) when you got hurt pretty bad

When I write my consciousness expands.  When I write, my fears dissipate. I am transported to another world, a world where I am the Creator and I am an instrument of Creation. When I write my concerns are addressed. I am no longer chasing an elusive dream, but I am instead living it. When I write, possibilities unfold. I become possibility. I become a form with infinite options, options unbound and yet easy to grasp.  When I write I am filled with excitement, wonder, and adventure. When I write I am becoming. I am bursting forth. I am alive. I am at the edge of creation and riding into existence that which previously did not exist. When I write I wish not to stop. I wish it forever. Please let me stay here. Let me go on. Let me be. Be. To stop means to forfeit the thrill. To risk the vanquishing of the Spirit.  And yet, it is only a risk and not a certainty. For to write is but an attempt once again to reach the event horizon, beyond which there is no return.  And to stop is not an end

The way I describe it now is that I was lost at sea, in a dingy little life raft. Din-jee  as in run down and gloomy. Not a dinghy as in a small boat. I was in a life raft. A din-jee little life raft. A dinghy, the boat, has multiple uses. A life raft only one. A dinghy, though modest in size and capabilities, is designed to move, whether by manual rows or an outboard motor. Its purpose is transport. It moves people. It moves supplies. It moves. It's designed to. Life rafts, on the other hand, have only one purpose: provide safety. They float. They float in cases where you really want something that floats really well. And I was grateful and fortunate to be in one.  However, if you're on a life boat, and you aren't a person prone to just floating around, you really come to appreciate the differences between the two and the impressive characteristics of a dinghy.  Compared to life boats, dinghies are remarkably empowering.  They provide you with the capability to take action

"This too Shall Pass"  When you're in the midst of a particularly bad state of mind -- let's say a bout of depression or anxiety -- it's really easy to believe it will go on forever.   You've become so familiar with the feeling and it's so strong at times, that you think it's ever-present -- just one more moment in a string of black pearls that stretches on forever. But they really do end. Always. They do take pause. Just like happiness or contentment, no emotion lasts forever. In fact, they can be quite fleeting. They can be particularly fleeting if you do nothing with them, except perhaps, observe them. This is one of the powerful perspectives that meditation delivers. Depression and anxiety do, in fact, deteriorate in their natural state. They rise and pass away. They are bubbles floating to the surface of the water.  Sometimes they start deep. Other times shallow. But they only have one way to go. We can get wrapped up in them. We can try to destro

There are some people I can't seem to forgive.  I read recently that forgiveness doesn't mean you have to say the behavior was okay, or even that you have to communicate your forgiveness to the other person. Apparently to forgive another is to forgive yourself. Forgiveness isn't something you do for the other, it's something that you do for yourself. You release the stranglehold that another has had on you. And I can't seem to do it.  Without forgiveness I can't heal. Without forgiveness my growth is stunted. In a recent documentary I watched, there was a line that stuck out for me. It was apparently directed at addicts, but I think it's great advice for anyone seeking to live in the here and the now: do the right next thing.  Don't think too big. Don't "finish the marathon" before you've even started out. Just run the next step. From experience, I know forgiveness takes time. I have forgiven. I just haven't forgiven some. I know it

Do you know what the #1 way to get new customers? Talk to people. Yes, that's right. The best marketing tactic for small businesses is conversations.  Before the internet. Before email. Before social media. Even before phones and faxes. The way you got new business was by talking to people. These technologies help, but by no means do they replace the need for conversations. If your business is struggling, you might want to ask yourself if you're having enough conversations. I'm working with a CEO now with a lot of talent. He has a great product, a great service, and a lot of credibility. But his business is struggling. Not enough people are buying.  And believe me -- there are a LOT of people that should be. He does legitimate data-driven marketing for e-commerce shops. There's a lot of BS in that space. This guy is the real deal. He's looking everywhere except to 1:1 conversations to understand why. Websites. Emails. Landing pages. Social media posts. Content. Webi