Play, Don't Win: The Game of Life According to Alan Watts
I grew up believing life was a game you had to win. Get good grades. Get a good job. Get promoted. Get married. Buy a house. Each milestone was a level, and the point was to advance. I never stopped to ask who designed the game or what happens when you beat it.
Read MoreMeditation Has No Purpose
I sat down to meditate this morning. Not to become enlightened. Not to reduce stress. Not to improve my focus. Just to sit. And it felt completely different from every other time I meditated with a goal in mind.
Read MoreNishkarma: Why Letting Go of Outcomes Changes Everything
I used to measure everything by results. Did the workout count? Did I write enough words? Did the conversation go well? Everything was a transaction, a means to an end. Then I came across a word from the Bhagavad Gita that Alan Watts talked about: nishkarma. It changed how I see almost everything.
Read MoreYour Feelings Are Not the Enemy
I used to treat my feelings like invaders. When anxiety showed up, I fought it. When sadness arrived, I pushed it away. I thought the goal was to feel good, and anything else was a problem to solve.
Read MoreYou Are Not as Important as You Think (And That Is the Point)
I used to take myself very seriously. My career. My reputation. My identity. I had built a story about who I was, and I defended it like a fortress. Any threat to that story felt like a threat to my existence.
Read MoreDon't Mistake the Finger for the Moon
I have been guilty of this more times than I can count. I read a book about presence and thought reading the book was the practice. I downloaded a meditation app and thought using the app was enlightenment. I joined a spiritual group and thought the group was the path.
Read MoreWhy Your Good Intentions Backfire
I used to pride myself on my good intentions. I wanted to eat healthy. Exercise more. Be a better friend. Make a positive impact. All worthy goals. All designed to make me a better person.
Read MoreThe Ordinary Moment Is the Point
I have spent years trying to be more present. Meditation apps. Breathwork. Mindfulness courses. Every self-help section has a version of this advice. And every time, I end up feeling like I am failing at being present.
Read MoreWu-Wei: Why Doing Nothing Is Harder Than It Sounds
I used to think non-doing meant being lazy. Lie on the couch, scroll your phone, let life happen. Then I read Alan Watts’s essay “Tao and Wu-Wei” and realized I had it backward.
Read MoreWhy Trying to Fix Yourself Is the Problem
I used to think self-improvement was a straight line. Read the book, follow the steps, become better. But the harder I tried, the more stuck I felt. Then I came across Alan Watts’s essay “The Paradox of Self-Denial,” and something clicked.
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