#409 – How gratitude kept my Ego and the Ghosts quietDo I need to prove I didn't lie?Yesterday, I sat in a courtroom for the last time in my son's case. He was changing his plea to "guilty," as the final, necessary step to be released from his 309-da...
#408 — How does gratitude keep you in the present?When there’s nothing to hope, staying grateful is the only option.Last night, even though I’d been working all day on staying hope-free and avoiding “futurization,” worst-case scenarios came to me.I k...
#407 – What will you do when you stop hoping?A better question might be, "how will you handle not hoping?"When you hope, you're rejecting your present reality, wishing that it'll change in the future. "I hope my son will be released from jail tomorro...
#406 – How is "hope in the future" keeping you trapped?I can hope that what I want will materialize. Or I can relax in the moment-by-moment unfolding of life.Hope gives me a momentary rush of happiness. But the loftier the hope, the harder I fal...
#405 – Do you want true freedom? Stop working for your EgoYou know how the Mafia works: "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse," etc. That's exactly what your Ego does to you. "If you follow my advice, you'll always be safe. Under my protectio...
#404 – What are you looking for in "being realistic?"Uncertainty is difficult to handle. The markets go haywire, supply-chain managers freak out, baseball coaches lose their cool. And your Ego? It can't handle it.Will your son get out of jail on Tues...
#403 – What draws your Ego to authoritarianism?Your Ego (and mine) love control, certainty, and superiority. Having those things means it owns the resources, which it can give out or hoard. Being in charge, it feels safe.I was recently made "lan...
#402 – How do you grow when you dare to be disliked?Standing bold in a sea of rejection telegraphs: I don't care. Your Ego and the Ghosts then freak out––what? People reject you and you don't care?, running up and down, fanning their faces with their...
#401 – What do you gain when you prepare for the worst-case scenario?If you're the Head of Crisis Prevention at an amusement park, preparing for all the worst-case scenarios possible, plausible, and unforeseeable is the smart thing to do. It's your j...
#400 – How do you find your way in chaos?If your life can (and probably will) be influenced by a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere, what would you gain by resisting life's unfolding?Consider these pairs:"Go with the flow." "Stand your ground.""T...