Do you feel you have been judged because someone called you a “neat freak” or a “slob?" A neat freak and slob exist at polar ends of a spectrum. Most of us occupy an area somewhere in between these opposites. There will always be someone neater than you — or a bigger slob. The question...
The truth is, no one likes to be told what to do. One of my teachers used to say “don’t advise unless someone asks you for it.” To enjoy and thrive in any relationship, unless you are a project leader or a parent, do you really need to tell others what to do? Children surely...
Growing up in India in a non-religious household, I assumed that everyone did yoga and meditation every morning. My dad would do his yoga and prānāyāma (yogic breath work) followed by a few minutes of meditation. My brother and I still follow this childhood habit half a century later. To us, yoga and meditation are like...
Most anthropologists will say that the DNA of Homo sapiens is not wired for monogamy. Yet society and religions expect their members to engage in monogamy. People swear to be devoted to their relationship on paper, but their eyes wander and they imagine, visualize and dream. Often, that relationship ends and another one begins which lasts for a...
When I see promotions and ads for spiritual retreats that claim to help you find yourself, I wonder — with all the love and humility within me — how I can find myself by going somewhere else. I am right here, already within. Well-meaning event organizers entice you with a promise to help you center yourself. To which I...
I've lived in the United States for 30 years and in the past 20, as a Gen X-er myself, I have heard a lot of complaints from Baby Boomers about Millennials. Each time I hear Millennials being trashed by Baby Boomers, I remember all the talk back from my youth that cultivated a “generation gap.”...
Most people seek happiness. Yet there comes a time when you want to transcend happiness and seek inner peace. Happiness is like ice cream. It comes in many flavors — joy, contentment, euphoria are a few that come to mind. And while happiness is great, what you truly seek is peace. You want peace at...
You might have heard that fortune favors the brave. It’s true. I have ample examples to share, as I have seen it work over and over again. But sometimes, you just feel stuck. Maybe you even want to run away. I have felt like running away far more often than I wanted to hang around...
Grief is a heavy word because its weight can be felt every time you read or hear it. Grief means deep sorrow that arises from what feels like an irreplaceable loss. It is hard to handle whether you are the one grieving or you are around someone who is. While you might associate grief with...
I remember being exactly six months short of my 40th birthday and saying to myself, "Oh no! The big 4-0 will be here and my life will go downhill!" As a teenager, I thought turning 40 was growing old. In my 20s, I thought those in their 50s were old, and in my 30s, the...