“Chris, where are your bowls?” “They must be here somewhere. I’m sure I packed them.” “I can’t find your mugs either.” (thorough searching) Crap. I forgot to unload the dishwasher. My partner and I just moved into a new place, and I, quite brilliantly, forgot to pack up the clean dishes from the dishwasher at my old place. Luckily, it’s only 40 minutes away, and my landlord was kind enough… Read More »The Power of Disruption to Change Habits
“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” –Albert Einstein1 We live in a culture that prizes fame and fortune over contribution and service, so it’s understandable that many people are driven to achieve conventional success. I too am driven, in part, by the desire for money and status. But while wealth and prestige do provide a certain sort of pleasure, they do not… Read More »Doing Work That Matters
Imagine that it’s almost bedtime. Your workday is done. You’re winding down. You’re getting sleepy. But then, you think, I’ll just check email one more time. Or you think, I’ll just take one more look at the news. It’s so tempting. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. It’ll only take a minute, you think. And maybe it does only take a minute. But then, your mind, which was all… Read More »Don’t Shake the Snow Globe
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and practicing Stoic The Stoics of ancient Rome were a diverse group. On one end of the spectrum, there were people of great wealth and power, like emperor Marcus Aurelius, pictured above. On the other end of the spectrum, there was Epictetus, a crippled former slave. People from all walks of life found value in the philosophy of Stoicism. The Stoics were not ivory-tower philosophers. They… Read More »10 Essential Principles and Practices of Stoicism