One of my favorite zen stories is that of the overflowing cup. An affluent man comes to visit a zen master, requesting knowledge about enlightenment. The master invites him to tea and begins to pour a cup. As the cup fills, the master doesn’t stop pouring. Tea spills and the
Gurdjieff, the early 20th century mystic, teaches that human beings develop along two trajectories, that of being and knowledge. Developing along just one line without the other leaves a person one-dimensional and limited. And it is often through the very struggle of adversity that being is developed. Everybody fails at
Esoteric teachings often emphasize hardship as a necessary ingredient for transformation. A person might walk through life blindly until some crisis shakes their worldview. The crisis becomes a catalyst for some profound change. This can happen individually and collectively. A natural disaster or large scale act of violence will suddenly
Recently I was having a heated conversation with a close friend of mine. She was giving me work related feedback and I wasn’t being particularly receptive. Ironically, the feedback was related to a listening exercise that I was testing and I wanted to tell her that no, she just wasn’t
For many years now I have made a personal practice of not holding grievances. Whenever I encounter resentment within myself I go out of my way to release and resolve it. Sometimes that’s an external process, sometimes an internal one. I consider it to be one of my most important
I love juicy words like surrender. I spent years confronted by this concept. For something that is at the heart of so many religious and spiritual traditions, it was hard for me to connect with surrender in a practical and accessible way. I felt certain that something that is so
This week we delve into one of my favorite subjects – being with discomfort. Somehow, this one never gets old – a) because it’s so hard to do and b) because it’s the key to wholeness. What’s that? Discomfort is the key to wholeness? But I thought wholeness was all
Self doubt is painful. But what can be more painful is feeling that others, particularly those close to us, don’t believe in what we’re doing. In the fifteen years that I have been involved in building startups, it is this latter doubt that has been the hardest to deal with.
Today we delve into new territory with the release of a video reflection that will likely be the first of many. The content of this blog has ranged from podcast interviews to personal letters, all with a common thread of awareness, being, and peaceful co-existence. This video series will be
I often reflect on how flossing changed my life. A few years ago I was in a deeply challenging place. My startup was falling apart, an investor who had given me over half a million dollars was threatening to sue me, and I was on the verge of personal bankruptcy.