Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very old holiday, not only in this country but in many cultures. At this time of year people have traditionally paused to give thanks for the year's harvest.

As the sun shines golden through the bright autumn leaves, I, too, pause to give thanks for my friends, my family of choice, and the beauty of the natural world. Psychologists tell us that "the gratitude practice," the simple act of finding three things to be thankful for each day, can make us happier and healthier.

May you find health, happiness, and a deep sense of peace in this holiday season and may this spirit of peace go forth to heal this beautiful but troubled planet we call home.

Our Greatest Natural Resources

Just posted this article about using our strengths on Ode Magazine's exchange site. We can each create greater joy in our lives and new possibilities for our world by using our strengths more each day.

Contemplative Practices in Action

I'm excited about our new book, Contemplative Practices in Action, published with Tom Plante and my colleagues in Santa Clara's Spirituality and Health Institute. Featuring a foreword by Huston Smith, the book describes contemplative traditions from East and West--including Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic approaches--offering history, current research, and step-by-step instructions for each. We have chapters on the 8-Point Program of Passage Meditation, Centering Prayer, Mindfulness Stress Management, Mantram Meditation, Energizing Meditation, Yoga, and Zen as well as discussions of how a regular contemplative practice can help people deal with job loss, stress, bereavement, chronic pain, psychological disorders, and the challenges of daily life.

Discernment

Here we are on the edge of summer--with a chance to reflect before plunging into a new season.

Living with a the joy of vocation means living our deepest values. Vocation doesn't just happen; it requires ongoing discernment. You can begin by pausing whenever you've finished a task to ask whether you feel:
--a sense of accomplishment
--or just relief.

The answer can light your way to wiser choices and greater joy in life.

New Beginnings

Yesterday on campus I met Juan Gonzalez, who's in the US Air Force, stationed in Colorado. He'll be retiring soon, and is reading Your Personal Renaissance, finishing his master's degree, and planning for the next season of life. I was heartened and inspired by our discussion. May we all embrace life's new seasons with joy, courage, and faith in new possibilities.

Today's challenging job market offers us an unexpected opportunity

Check out
>my new OPED about hope for new graduates--picked up nationally.

The power of YES

The news is filled with people saying "No"--to political opponents, health care and other government initiatives--seeing each other as enemies, degenerating into polarized camps. But what are we saying "yes" to? What are we creating?

Shouting "no," may bring a momentary rush of power but dwelling on negativity only undermines our collective future. To build a better tomorrow, we need to focus on the power of "yes."

I invite you to join me a spiritual exercise--whenever you hear complaints, put the power of Appreciative Inquiry to work by looking at what IS working and how to build on it. Don't be reactive; be creative--ask yourself what you'd like to see, then begin to make it happen.

Our greatest natural resources are our hearts and minds. When we use our energy to say "yes," we can create new possibilities for ourselves and our world.

Wisdom for turbulent times

Amid all the poisonous rhetoric this week, I found a welcome voice of wisdom in Frances Moore Lappe's latest video and forthcoming book. To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, "most people look at things the way they are and ask 'Why?'" People with vision, like Lappe, see possibilities where others see problems, giving us the courage to build a better tomorrow.

I'm excited about the new edition of Your Personal Renaissance in Spanish: Tu Renacimiento Personal, published by Ediciones Urano in Barcelona.

Muchas gracias, amigos, for this beautiful edition, available in summer 2010.

Enjoy the present moment

What does the world look like through the eyes of a dog? My dachshund, Ginny, doesn't rush to get things done, doesn't worry about tomorrow, and has no problems with work/life balance. She naturally practices mindfulness and enjoys the present moment.

Focus on quality, not quantity

Finding Time: How Corporations, Individuals, and Families Can Benefit from New Work Practices by Leslie A. Perlow


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Subversive study! Perlow's research shows that most corporations rate their workers on quantity (time spent at work), not quality (productivity). When we focus on the task and block out interruptions, we can get a lot more done and enjoy a more balanced life.

View all my reviews >>

State of the Union: 1998 and 2010

"For 209 years, it has been the president's duty to report to you on the state of the union. Because of the hard work and high purpose of the American people. . . we have more than fourteen million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 24 years, the lowest core inflation in 30 years, incomes are rising, . . . crime has dropped for a record five years in a row, and the welfare rolls are at their lowest in 27 years. Our leadership in the world is unrivaled. Ladies and gentlemen, the state of our union is strong.For three decades, six presidents have come before you to warn of the damage deficits pose to our nation. Tonight, I come before you to announce that the federal deficit, once so incomprehensibly large that it has eleven zeros, will be simply zero. "

These were Democratic President Bill Clinton's words in 1998. Now, after 8 years of disastrous Republican policies under George W. Bush, our current president has inherited an enormous deficit, an illegal war, an economic crisis, and an epidemic of cynicism, distrust, and despair. As President Obama seeks to move America forward again, Republican extremists are trying to undermine him.

Let's stop this Republican war against the American people, encourage our elected officials to get back to the work of representing us, and give Barack Obama--and America--a chance to create a better future.

Insights for today from ancient China

Taoism was developed over 25 centuries ago, around 530 BCE, during the warring states period in ancient China, a time of challenge and change much like our own. Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, a book of 81 poems translated more than any book in the world except the Bible, offering principles especially relevant to us today. Lao Tzu and Confucius were contemporaries. Each came up with his own response to challenging times. Confucius emphasized ritual, obedience, and observation of social rules, while Lao Tzu studied nature, basing his philosophy upon the interrelatedness of all things, the patterns of energy within and around us.

Taoism has always appealed to creative thinkers, artists and innovators, such as Hegel, Dag Hammarskjold, Abraham Maslow, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Carl Rogers, who carried in his wallet this quote from the Tao:

With the best of leaders,
When the work is done,
The project completed,
The people all say
"We did it ourselves."
(Tao, 17)

In the spirit of Tao leadership, I'm delighted to link to a new blog that Rebecca has begun, meditating on Tao principles from my book, The Tao of Inner Peace.

Fascinating read

In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography by John Gartner


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Carefully researched, beautifully written biography, fascinating psychological analysis of a complex personality and one of the most compelling leaders of our time.

Don't give up

Disheartened and disappointed by the Massachusetts senate election, the conflict and confusion in our world, I draw strength from the example of Winston Churchill.

Don't give up in challenging times.
As great leaders have always realized, we overcome the darkness and disappointment around us by increasing the light within us. Our greatest natural resources are our hearts and minds.