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Instead of trying to think about not being at a job you dislike, think about being in another job altogether.
Instead of thinking about ending a relationship, think about the new one you would like to start.
“There must be something that I like about this job. What is it?”
Usually things aren’t all bad. Train your brain to find the good and make it the focus of your thought.
The next time you notice a negative thought in your brain, simply respond with Go get me a happier thought.
Pete Cohen, author of Life DIY, discuss how the constant quacks affected the performance of the top-tier athletes he trained,
focusing your brain on something outside the scope of thought: the beauty of a rose, the flickering flame of a candle, or your own breath.
Meditation isn’t a lifestyle, though. It’s a practice that prepares you for a lifestyle.
One thing at a time is all that this magnificent machine can do.
the brain, multitasking is a myth!
Observe the light in the room, pay attention to whatever is on your desk, catch that smell of coffee percolating in the kitchen, notice the wood grain on the table, or listen to the distant sounds of cars in the street.
Don’t let anything go unobserved. Notice every tiny detail around you.
Pay close attention to your body.
This time you’re not priming your brain with a good thought—you’re priming it with no thought at all. This is when silence sets in. Big peaceful smile!
You can watch your thoughts, knowing that the only power they can gain over you is the power you grant them.
The Illusion of Self is one of the deepest multilayered illusions humankind has ever needed to decipher.
Like a Russian matryoshka doll, who you really are is hidden beneath layers of illusions that should be uncovered, one by one.
When you uncover these, first you’ll find out who you’re not.
I’m spiritual but not religious.
You’re not your achievements.
You’re not your possessions.
Anything you ever observed isn’t you, and everything that has ever changed in your constant presence isn’t you either.
Sense the sounds around you, the light in your eyes.
You are the observer. You are the one aware of all that is happening around you.
When you’re not your wealth, then a lack or an abundance of money can’t touch the real you.
Ego is not used here to mean arrogance but rather to mean a sense of identity, a persona—the
We are all born without an ego.
Being “less” than others hurts you.
You start to build a persona, an image of how you want to be seen in order to fit in and be accepted.
It no longer matters what or who you really are inside; what matters is what you appear to be.
if you feel different from what the herd expects from you, life can be a struggle.
What would happen if we all took off the masks and did the best work we could without pretending to be something we are not?
In an egoless world where it doesn’t matter how we’re perceived, we would dedicate ourselves to doing our very best and aiming for the best results regardless of how others perceive us.
Perception
best results are achieved by doing very little.
example, hire talented people and manage sparingly. As the need to pretend is removed, the best professionals often turn out to be ...
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We wear different masks and hide our reality from everyone, including ourselves.
And when I truly became successful, I didn’t need a car to prove it.
Success is not making them happier.
the teacher acknowledges the most beautiful cups, but then points out that what they all really wanted was coffee. Regardless of the cup, the coffee was the same.
image, possessions, and social acceptance are like the cup, he says, then life is the coffee.
Why do we try so hard to drink from a fancy cup when all we want is good coffee? If you want to live a stress-free life,...
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Enjoy the coffee.
When your ego is threatened, you become offended.
If suffering is a choice, then I chose to suffer. It is who I am.”
He led a life that took him places. Sometimes I was a part of his story and sometimes I wasn’t.
The egoless child is still calmly sitting inside each of us.
distinguish the real you from the roles you assumed over the years, until you find your pure self.
undress. Remove all the masks of the ego.
Did you buy it just to cover you and keep you warm, or does it also serve to help you create your self-image?
undress. And put them all away.
