Perhaps the wisest thing we can do isn't to necessarily acquire additional knowledge, but to unlearn some of what we thought we knew in the first place. Let's hold what we know very lightly, without any grasping or attachment, for we might need to let it go someday.

If life is a road trip in the car, who is driving and deciding which path to take? Are you behind the wheel, or did you get on a bus with millions of other people, all living the same life, heading in the same direction, just sitting there... sometimes until the very last stop? We can get off the bus and change direction at any point if we're not happy with where we are, so the first step is to ask ourselves: who's driving, and are we happy with where we're headed?

How I stopped blaming other people for the way I feel. The problem isn't frustrating situations or annoying people, it's that I keep getting annoyed and frustrated. It's not you.. it's me. 

I was recently interviewed by Steve Prussack on his Juice Guru Radio Show, and this is a recorded portion of that live conversation. If you know someone who might benefit from the message and invitation in Buddhist Boot Camp, go ahead and send them this audio clip as a good place to start, or enjoy it as a good reminder. 

We either enjoy the ebb and flow of the tide, or we try to fight the ocean. Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. 

The first chapter from Faithfully Religionless. 

The power of gratitude and why it's so important.

A quick pep talk reminder that our actions convey our priorities.

A couple of sample chapters from Buddhist Boot Camp. Each chapter is only a page or two long and can be read in any order. Keep a copy of the book on your nightstand and read just one chapter each day. 

Our thoughts are rarely ever truly our own; they are shaped by the people around us, current events, and media exposure. Even when we think of something ourselves (or we think we do), it's important to remember that the mind is strangely capable of believing just about anything in order to avoid internal conflict.