Category: Essays


Facing Discomfort

“…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1789 We can add a third item to Franklin’s famous dictum: discomfort. There is no enduring escape from pain and discomfort for as long as we are alive. Accepting this, it matters how you approach activities that cause […]

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Music as mood supplement

In search of flow, a state of optimal experience, I have found one method to be consistently reliable and virtually free: music. The nature of music brings a certain rythm to our moment to moment experience, and since we can pick the music, we can choose the rythm. And yet – how intentional are we in your daily use of music to shift […]

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Your desires are not yours

You likely spend most of your waking time pursuing your desires. I don’t mean your obvious biological needs like sleep or food, but rather your goals and dreams. How often do you pause to reflect on where your desires come from? When I was 10 years old I wanted a drum set, badly. Later on […]

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HOW TO LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME

Do you spend most of your day preparing for an imagined future? So that one day you can finally start living… once you have a certain level of success, once you reach a certain goal, once your circumstances allow you to relax. For most people… that day never comes. 1 Worrying your life away “I […]

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2018 SUMMER

  Despite the two approaching typhoons, I just landed in Tokyo Narita airport. Again. Intercontinental travel is still tricky … but I get the hours needed to write you this letter. Below as always I share a mix of personal updates, learnings & creations. I wish you well! Miguel CREATIVITY: Vietnam train from Hanoi to Ninh […]

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Why I barely edit my writings

I write to think, reflect, ponder.   All in order to gain insights that will help me lead a better life. By extension, I assume there will be a fraction of Humanity that may benefit from them too – so I publish them online. This fraction may be less than one percent, but any amount over […]

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2018 Spring

Hi, Imagine staying for 2 weeks in an island doing nothing. I tried a self-retreat in the outskirts of Ubud, an artistic village in Bali, Indonesia – and failed. Below I share with you why, as well as other learnings, creations & personal news. Wishing you well, Miguel CREATIVITY: What would you do if you were given “carte […]

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You don’t want to retire

Try staying for 2 weeks in an island doing nothing. I did – and failed. At first it was glorious. Long days of reading, aimless walks and swimming pool afternoons. After a particularly demanding work project, I had scheduled time to recover. And that worked: my body, mind and soul were fully rested and restored. […]

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Set your own constraints

No limits leads to dissipation. Abundance without constrains is like a pig in a banquet. Compare an everything-goes buffet – versus a rice bowl in a temple. Freedom to do anything must be tempered with carefully chosen limits. The ideal meal, ideal exercise routine, ideal mind training practice, ideal work routine. This is the benefit […]

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Meaning does not come from reason

The scattered mind cannot find meaning, and questions everything   The flow mind makes life engaging, and meaning questions temporarily dissolve   The love no-mind makes life meaningful, and questions nothing   Therefore, when in a funk – drop into your heart      

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