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Monk Notes

  • Monk Notes 21 - Why We Avoid Reflection and Favor Action (To Our Detriment)

    There is a very specific reason we often avoid taking the time to reflect:When we reflect, it doesn’t feel like we’re doing anything.For many of us...

  • Monk Notes 20 - The Hidden Relationship That Impacts Everything

    Relationships shape the person that we become. With little effort, one can come to see the many ways we have been shaped by our family of origin: o...

  • Monk Notes 19 - The Ultimate Gift Is a Life of Meaning

    Generosity is directly connected to meaningCulturally, we have a strange connection to generosity. We hold up generosity as a universally positive ...

  • Monk Notes 18 - On Counterbalancing Chaos and Preserving Peace

    “Go with the flow” can sound like good advice when you are enjoying yourself on a gentle river, but it is terrible advice when you have lost your f...

  • Monk Notes 17 - Productivity and Subtraction

    The path to productivity — and to a fuller life — is a path of subtraction, not addition.This is the reason the lives and environments of monks are...

  • Monk Notes 16 - The Cost of Simplicity

    The dominant narrative in western culture is one of pursuing more.An unfortunate side effect to this is that we often end up with more. More stuff,...

  • Monk Notes 15 - The Underestimated Urgency of Gratitude

    It is rare to feel an urgency around gratitude. For most of us, it holds a steady place in the nice to have category, an aspirational quality that ...

  • Monk Notes 14 - The Voices at Your Inner Table

    We think of ourselves as being a monolith, a solitary individual with a particular set of values, priorities, and ways of relating to the world. Bu...

  • Monk Notes 13 - The Impossibility of Saving Time

    For the past two months, I’ve been tracking my time. As in, all my time. I start out my day by projecting out how I will intentionally spend each ...

  • Monk Notes 12 - Who Do You Inspire?

    When asked who or what inspires us, we typically think of things that evoke positivity and encourage momentous change.  Motivational speakers, upl...

  • Monk Notes 11 - The Practice of Anti-Mindfulness

    Sometimes, it’s just a matter of perspective. If you asked 50 people what news network is closest to the center or what income level will guarantee...

  • Monk Notes 10 - You Lost That Busy Feeling, Oh That Busy Feeling

    “I’ve been good. Things have been busy, but good.” This may be one of the most commonly used responses to the question, “How are you?” In a fast-...

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