I’ve been a fan of Bullet Journal® for a number of years. In fact, multiple years spent using and improving the system contributed to ZenJo’s development.
About 10 days ago, in a post that was long overdue, Ryder Carroll acknowledged that his original model had become overshadowed by (and synonymous with, in my opinion) the colorful, artistic collections and spreads that are so prevalent in social media. [Read more…]
From my morning reading in Lodro Rinzler’s book, Walk Like a Buddha:
Sacredness is not just an idea. It is an experience. Having a realization of sacredness means that you experience an element of power and dignity in everything, including the ballpoint pen you are using, your comb, taking a shower, or driving your car.”
~Chöygam Trungpa Rinpoche, Smile at Fear, p. 112
I have long held that there are both meaning and significance to be found in the simplest of tasks if we hold the intention to experience them.
Filing important papers, waiting for a meeting to begin, making that first cup of coffee at work: all can be inherently sacred moments.”
Re-reading Rinzler’s book in recent days, and especially coming on to this quote from Chöygam Trungpa Rinpoche, has been like the appearance of guideposts along the path I walk, indicating the way forward.
Perhaps while getting ready for work, maybe see everything you do in prep as part of a sacred ritual.
#monkatwork #zen #BeABuddha
If you’re unhappy with the culture of your workplace or the general level of professional behavior in your office, there is no better way to initiate the change than to start with yourself and consistently be the best version of yourself each and every day.
When you bring your inner monk to work, you show up as the same person you are when you’re on the meditation cushion. I realize that just by possessing a positive outlook and modeling positive behavior isn’t often enough to bring about changes in others, but as a Buddhist practitioner, it’s the place you must start. [Read more…]
I’ve been re-reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness on my Kindle. I’m having a beautiful experience revisiting this volume that I read so many years ago.
You’ve probably had this same experience whereby you begin reading a book you read years ago and suddenly remember how lovely it was the first time, right?
I’ve recently experienced a heavier weighted reliance on mindfulness: In part because of work pressure, in part due to personal issues, and partly because I want to cultivate more awareness on a moment-by-moment basis.
It’s too easy to slip into the lazy habit of being somewhere else. I want to be here now…and now…and now. It is a positive way for me to be in the world and it reminds me, especially in times of challenge, to remember the faithfulness of my breath and how it supports me both physiologically as well as spiritually. [Read more…]
I’m currently reading Zen of Business Administration: How Zen Practice Can Transform Your Work and Your Life by entrepreneur, Zen monk, and former Zen Center Director, Marc Lesser.
The premise of the book is that Zen practice can lead to the dissolution of the often self-placed boundaries between work and play.
At the heart of Zen is the absence of a separate sense of self. I have to admit that this is a concept that I’ve yet to fully understand.
I’m only about one-fifth of the way into this delightful read, however, I hope that by the time I get to the end I’ll have a clearer understanding of it. [Read more…]
Open seating offices are all the rage in both Silicon Valley companies and across the globe, but for many, they’re a problem.
While proponents of the concept boast about improved productivity and ease of interaction between team members, there is a growing body of evidence that sheds light on some of the more harmful aspects of the model.
In this article on Forbes, David Burkus -author of the titles, The Myths of Creativity and Under New Management– takes a look at the various studies that identified some startling negative effects on the inhabitants of open seating offices.
The findings include a 2005 study from researchers at Australia’s University of Sydney that found: [Read more…]
Mindfulness practice is a transformative practice. If you engage in eating ice cream five minutes every day, do you know what would happen? Your waistline would be transformed… and probably not in the way you’d want. 🙄
You wouldn’t see it changing each day, but over the course of a few weeks, you’d notice some changes.
That’s how it is with mindfulness practice.
After five minutes on the first day you might not notice any transformation occurring, but over a few weeks you’ll notice some significant changes.
OK, that’s a bit dramatic…(if you’ve seen the film or read the novel, you get it), but life working around Type-A folks can certainly evoke some really strong reactions.
Anger, feeling hurt, annoyance and other forms of upset are examples often how we choose to respond to various stimuli at work and maybe even at home, on the freeway, or around our kids.
It’s almost as if we possess a negative-reflex-thinking mode that becomes our go-to response, triggered over and over again each day.
Unfortunately, this leads to increased stress levels, a dumping of stress hormones in our bloodstream, and ultimately to disease states like hypertension and heartburn.
That’s an unhealthy way to live. [Read more…]
“I’m thirsty, but I guess I should wait for an aquatic scientist before drinking.”
Searching for a certified, aquatic scientist before making the decision to drink water is ludicrous, right? I mean, who in their right mind would even think of that?
Yet that’s exactly what some trained and certified (by their tradition) meditation teachers advise new meditators. Frankly, I think that’s a load of crap and it promotes further division along sectarian lines. Yes, I understand that Buddhist meditation isn’t something that anyone can teach, but let’s be realistic, sitting in silence, focusing on your breath, and learning to be with yourself isn’t rocket science.
The argument seems to be that non-certified meditation teachers can’t take a student deeply into their meditation journey and, therefore, might omit the finer points that a traditionally-trained meditation teacher would be equipped to teach.
So, respectfully, I get that, but again, we’re not talking brain surgery here. Ok, we are kind of talking about a brain-changing experience, here is where I think that logic breaks down. [Read more…]