zen habits

How to Love Your Dark Side

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 22:07:14 +0000

By Leo Babauta We all have a side of ourselves (or multiple sides) that we don’t want others to see. You might think of this as your “dark side,” or the Gollum in you (as my friend Adam calls it). It might be that you procrastinate, waste inordinate amounts of time on a certain site […]

How to Be Happy When You’re in an Unhappy Situation

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:13:33 +0000

By Leo Babauta Sometimes life throws you into a miserable situation, and it can seem pretty dark. Just a few examples of unhappy situations: You lost a loved one You received bad news Your finances are messed up You’re having a bad day at work Your partner is mad at you or has broken up […]

Develop Resiliency: How to Move Towards Your Fears

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 21:54:41 +0000

By Leo Babauta One of the things we tend to do habitually is move away from things we’re afraid of. How very human, how very loving, to protect ourselves! Unfortunately that tendency to avoid fears is exactly what limits us. We avoid our fear of pain, humiliation, anxiety, looking stupid, failing … and we develop […]

The Building Self-Discipline Challenge

Fri, 02 Jun 2017 20:26:49 +0000

By Leo Babauta I’m issuing a challenge, to anyone who’d like to work out their self-discipline muscle, who’d like some mental training: Pick one self-discipline task to do for five minutes, every day this month. Commit to doing it publicly, or at least to a few friends or loved ones. Report to them weekly. If […]

The Unexpected Pleasures of More Than a Decade of Reading Harry Potter

Tue, 30 May 2017 18:47:19 +0000

By Leo Babauta Recently, I finished reading Book 7 of the Harry Potter series with my youngest daughter Noelle. We cried, laughed, gasped in shock, cried some more. It was quite a journey, reading all seven books with her, and it took us four or five years. Amazingly, it was my fourth time through the […]

A Guide to Developing the Self-Discipline Habit

Tue, 23 May 2017 20:16:02 +0000

By Leo Babauta One of the most important life skills to develop, for those just starting out in life (and everyone else!), is the skill of self-discipline. It’s like a superpower: when I developed some self-discipline, I started exercising and eating healthier and meditating and writing more, I quit smoking and ran marathons, I started […]

Small Actions, Huge Impact

Wed, 17 May 2017 13:44:24 +0000

By Leo Babauta Most people get hung up because of a few reasons: A task or project is too intimidating/overwhelming, so they put it off. Sticking to new habits is hard, so they fail after a week or two. Life becomes overwhelming, because there’s so much to do, so many choices. The problems with these […]

The Magic of Being Held By the World

Tue, 09 May 2017 19:42:16 +0000

By Leo Babauta Right now, as you read this article, you are being held up by an invisible, magic web. Consider the following, with gratitude in your heart: You are reading an article written for you by me, sent across the Internet thanks to the work of thousands and thousands of engineers and power workers […]

How We’re Harmed by Our Dissatisfaction with Ourselves

Wed, 03 May 2017 18:38:51 +0000

By Leo Babauta Over the last five years or so, as I’ve worked with thousands of people on changing their habits, I’ve come to a realization: dissatisfaction with ourselves is a pretty universal phenomenon. We are unhappy with who we are, sometimes in small ways but often in very fundamental ways. We doubt ourselves, feel […]

The 44 Training Program: Turning Uncertainty & Discomfort into Mindful Openness

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 16:58:48 +0000

By Leo Babauta Today is my 44th birthday (thanks mom!) and I have a gift for you, my beautiful readers: It’s called The 44 Training Program: Turning Uncertainty to Find Mindful Openness. What the heck is that? It’s a video training program that I’m offering for free, to help you: Overcome uncertainty, anxiety, fear, discomfort […]

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