5 Thought Friday

Are you focused on outer wealth or inner wealth?

1.       What I am currently reading, viewing, or listening to:

• Joyful Wisdom; Embracing Change and Finding Freedom; Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

• The book addresses the timely and timeless problem of anxiety in our everyday lives. Rinpoche says “We can look directly at the disturbing emotions and other problems we experience in our lives as stepping-stones to freedom. Instead of rejecting them or surrendering to them, we can befriend them, working through them to reach an enduring authentic experience of our inherent wisdom, confidence, clarity, and joy.”

• Give me just 10% of that…..and I’m good!

2.       Gratitude Practice (for improved happiness):

• Grateful for the ongoing journey to divest myself of “things” and focus more on the joy of life’s experiences; Deep relationships with family and friends, seeing the world, and finding personal purpose.

3.       Wellness ideas to consider:

• Revisited Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life (see list at the bottom)

• Check out his informative talk here, which I did at 1.75x

• Jordan Peterson is a very deep thinker, so it was sad to watch this short video of why he stopped producing content for the last 18 months

4. What I’m eating, drinking, buying, or whatever else is on my mind:

• Baked Salmon, fennel, asparagus, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, and broccoli with middle eastern spices. Heavenly (thanks Irene)!

5. Quote(s) I am Pondering:

• “Everything's so great here. You have nice homes, nice cars, and good jobs. Why is there so much unhappiness? ….. I gradually came to realize that the time and effort people spend on accumulating and maintaining material or “outer wealth” affords very little opportunity to cultivate “inner wealth”—qualities such as compassion, patience, generosity, and equanimity.” Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Happy Friday!

Mike

12 Rules for Life:

1. "Stand up straight with your shoulders back"

2. "Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping"

3. "Make friends with people who want the best for you"

4. "Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today"

5. "Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them"

6. "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world"

7. "Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)"

8. "Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie"

9. "Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t"

10. "Be precise in your speech"

11. "Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding"

12. "Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street"