Sometimes we might lose our temper, shouting or even just becoming passive aggressive with our friends. Sometimes it’s appropriate for them to draw a boundary and say, “Please don’t speak to me that way.” But many times it’s not necessary.

When our friends respond in a way that demonstrates absolute patience, that they see our good intentions purely, we will want to live up to their expectations of us.

Through their grace, we see ourselves better.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Someone To Overlook Our Flaws: Episode 450)

It’s well-known to criminologists that poor company can affect a person’s values and life situation. At first a person might find the concept of stealing abhorrent, but after spending a few months hanging out with people who find it normal, it is likely that person will also find it normal.

Likewise, if we surround ourselves with righteous people, people who are motivated, who meditate, who take care of their bodies and their diet, all of those habits and qualities are likely to enter into our minds and days.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Be Careful The Company You Keep: Episode 449)

Luis Fernando Mises is a consultant for many companies, teaching servant leadership, and is also a guide in the spiritual realm, leading sacred breathwork ceremonies and other types of ceremonies. Throughout his many years of experience he has learnt how to create an environment that is conducive to growth and revelation among his clients and students.

In this interview Kurt and Luis discuss the principles of leading a ceremony and how it relates to business, to intimate relationships, and every aspect of life.

Luis explains how our breath is a link to our unconscious processes, and how it is a powerful tool to activate our parasympathetic systems, bringing us into a state of deep relaxation, and even awakening emotions which might have been numbed for years.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Sacred Breathwork with Luis Fernando Mises: Episode 448)

On social media, you can find many videos that bring your emotions to the surface - footage of dogs caring for cats, a clip of a father seeing his daughter for the first time in years, cute ducks rescuing their ducklings and many other things.

In the comments, it’s normal to read people saying things like “I’m not crying - you’re crying!” or “Wow, is someone cutting onions?”

Perhaps these comments are just jokes, but perhaps they’re reflective of the cultures we live in. Rather than simply say they are moved, many people find a roundabout way of saying that they are affected emotionally.

Maybe we don’t need to be cool, to be detached from our emotions, or make excuses for them. Maybe those emotions are worth being honest about.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – There Are No Onions: Episode 447)

In the Marx Brothers movie Duck Soup, there is a famous scene where the president of Freedonia, played by Groucho Marx, talks himself into believing that the foreign ambassador is going to refuse to shake his hand. Naturally, when the ambassador walks in, Groucho slaps him in the face.

It’s an absurd scene, and it’s also very incisive. Many times we believe we know the intentions of others, and we behave accordingly.

This almost always has consequences in our relationships. If we believe someone is avoiding us on purpose, then we might start to act awkwardly around them, and soon enough they might start avoiding us, even if they weren’t previously.

We can never know others’ intentions perfectly, and so it makes sense to assume that there are things we do not know.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Second Guessing: Episode 446)

In the introduction to No Limit Hold ‘Em: Theory and Practice, poker theorist David Sklansky says that he held off from writing a book about NLHE for so long, because he would often see certain players win consistently, even though their style of play was not technical.

The biggest winners were often players who had a feel for the game, understanding their own emotions and the emotions of the other players, being in touch with the moment and knowing how to interpret their intuitions.

The game of poker may have changed over the years, however this principle rings true in many aspects of life. As hard as we try to follow the wisdom of our teachers, sometimes it might be justified to go against tradition. As hard as we try to follow our stated values, sometimes it is beneficial to defy them and discover some deeper value, some deeper wisdom.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Play By Feel: Episode 445)

In recent years we’ve seen a lot of chaos in the world, a lot of panic, fear and confusion.

Many people have lost friendships, because they realized with shock that their friends had very different values to them. Instead of valuing research, discernment, and companionship, they valued compliance.

Some people managed to maintain their calm and wish others health, even if they disagreed. Perhaps we can even go one step beyond, and have a good time - no matter how crazy the world gets.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Have A Good Time: Episode 444)

Sara Zobek was working in logistics for an import company in Poland when she decided it was time to change her life, enroll in a course, become a life coach and make her way to Mexico.

In this episode, Sara tells us about how she made the decision, rejecting the ideals of prestige and stability that might have kept her working for a corporation, facing her own self-image and limiting beliefs, and traveling the world.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Becoming A Coach With Sara Zobek: Episode 443)

Socrates famously said “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Socrates noted that others labored under the illusion of knowledge, but they weren’t aware that it was an illusion. His awareness of his own illusion was what made him, reputedly, the wisest man in the world.

Many times during our lives we might get the feeling that we don’t know what is happening in our lives, that we’re not really who we try to be, that we’re just pretending we know how to be an adult.

We might be very uncomfortable with that idea. However, it surely beats the alternative of being certain in foolishness.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – You Don't Know Jack:Episode 442)

Sometimes manipulation and motivation can seem quite similar. What makes the difference is the circumstances and the intention.

For example, if your partner said they would go to the movies with you, but now they’re not in the mood, you might sing a song, dance with them, make them laugh. Now they want to go to the movies, and you have a great time.

In a different situation, a person might suspect that they’re about to hear a difficult subject come up in conversation. They put on your favorite song and cook you a good meal, and suddenly you don’t feel like talking about anything serious.

Using these tricks on people can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how you use them.

(Read the transcript and find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – The Right Use of Tricks:Episode 441)