Stranger cities and acts of kindness

“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” ― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter. It always amazes me when I go to London, that whilst the place is buzzing with life; as people rush from place to place; at the same time it feels strange. Remote even. Possibly even cold. These thoughts follow […]

The four constituents of Well-Being you can change

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray Achieving well-being has been the concern of philosophers since Aristotle, and is, […]

What’s been missing in my Mindfulness practice?

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut”. – Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! As I have written before, I practice Mindfulness on an almost daily basis. I have been practicing and experiencing the benefits for the past eighteen months. I have found the ability to be fully […]

A year of Mindfulness and its impact

“Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.” ― Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking As this year races towards its conclusion, I am taking some well earned time away from the normal work world to spend time with my family and friends. At the same time, I am reflecting on what a year […]

10 Second meditation, what have you got to lose?

“God gave you a gift of 86 400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you ” ― William Arthur Ward I came across another talk by Matthieu Ricard, this time talking to the actor, Richard Gere about Altruism. During the talk, there was an opportunity for people in the audience to ask […]

Mindfulness and the six paths of meditation

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Further to the recent article I wrote on Matthieu Ricard on Altruism and the talk he gave at the Action for Happiness event in London, I bought his book at the event […]

Compassion, Empathy and Altruism; which are you striving for?

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia After watching a TED talk from Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax on compassion and another TED talk […]