Acts of kindness are thoughtful contributions to others. Volunteer work rooted in unconditional love for others supports our communities and improves the world. We think it’s important to ask yourself why you give. Is it because you truly care? Is it because you think it’s the right thing to do? If you were not acknowledged for your kind act, would you still do it? Do you serve from a place that is free of ego? Rick and Keith share how serving others from the deep consciousness within you, you expands your capacity to love, grow and be peaceful.
In the Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, Dr. Amit Sood discusses three things the brain attends to. Fear, pleasure and novelty. In this episode, Rick and Keith talk about pleasure and how the undisciplined pursuit of it can lead to incredible suffering.
Amit Sood, M.D., M. Sc. at Mayo Clinic and author of The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living. Dr. Sood is serves as Chair of Mayo Mind Body Initiative. His amazing website is www.stressfree.org. Check out his Ted Talk on visualization and You Tube video on managing stress.
Most people want to be around positive kind people. And we can easily spot someone who isn’t. It’s a lot more challenging to identify that person if it’s you. Let’s call it a blindspot. In this show, Rick and Keith share how they’ve been troublemakers, the cost of being one and how to go from troublemaker to being positive, kind and loving all the time.
What We Are Reading:
– Naht Hanh, Thich, “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy and Liberation” (1998).
– Harris, “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” (2017) News anchor and author of “10% Happier,” Harris outlines meditation methods that focus on inner peace and gratitude, crowding out the need to gossip, blame and argue.
– Cain, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” (2013) Silence as a tool for understanding self and others.
– Reynolds, “Easing Brain Fatigue with a Walk in the Park,” New York Times, March, 2013, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com
Rick and Keith share what a healthy social network looks like, how to create yours, and its countless benefits to your wellbeing, family and community.
What We Are Reading:
– Gilbert, “Stumbling on Happiness” (2006) Cultivating a network based on giving and receiving love without judgment.
– Simon, “Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier,” from Harvard Men’s Health Watch, November, 2011, www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat. Attracting others begins with gratitude.
Watson, “Volunteering May Be Good for Body and Mind,” Harvard Health Publications, June, 2013 www.health.harvard.edu/blog.
In this episode, Rick and Keith discuss how to overcome your past to live a more peaceful, joyful life.
What We Are Reading:
– Germer, “The Mindful Path to Self Compassion: Freeing yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions” (2009) Concise and insightful ideas about how to leave the past where it belongs—dustbin of history!
– Kabat-Zinn, “Full Catastrophe Living” (2013) Attaining comfort in the face of uncertainty and accepting the unpredictable chaos of life for healthier and balanced living.
– Worthington, “The New Science of Forgiveness,” Greater Good website, http://greatergood.berkely.edu.
The true measure of whether you are truly courageous, resilient, kind and loving, is to be tested. It’s easy to be brave and a good person when life lines up for you and other people behave. But what about when life is very challenging and people are really difficult. How do you respond in these situations? In this podcast, the guys discuss how life and relationships are the real spiritual practice because they provide opportunities to really test your personal development, growth and consciousness. Learn to see them that way, practice being your best when dealing with them and watch life become more peaceful.
The experience of the sacred is available through relationship with our spouse, lover, parents, children, and closest friends. They are all our holy teachers providing us with opportunities to practice. There are many paths that can lead to spiritual awakening: service, devotion, meditation, and wisdom are but a few.
Check out: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/…the…/relationship-spiritual-practice-part-1, and
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/…/relationship-spiritual-practice-part-2
