Category Archives: Mindful Leader

How small moments of presence can rebuild community

In the world around us, too many people are frantically multitasking, dashing around, trying to keep up. We’re connected 24/7 on the Internet, yet have become increasingly disconnected from ourselves and one another. To flourish as individuals and a nation, … Continue reading

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Fire and Ox

Sometimes the signs of trouble are subtle, but sometimes they are perfectly clear and we still choose to ignore them. My friend’s wife was struggling with the loss of her father. A year later, they lost a child in pregnancy. … Continue reading

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Cultivating Inner Strength

The Tao Te Ching tells us: Analyzing others is knowledge, Knowing yourself is wisdom. Managing others requires skill. Mastering yourself takes inner strength. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33 Descriptions of leadership usually refer to the leader as manager, strategist, commander-in-chief, … Continue reading

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Generosity and Harm

I get the phone call and my mother’s voice sounds strained. She is trying not to get too much attention to herself, but I can tell the exhaustion is already winning. For years, she has been taking care of my … Continue reading

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Who Are You?

During my years of Zen training I learned that no matter whether you are in a good or bad situation, your true self is always free. Many wisdom traditions point to that realization—regardless of anxiety or fear, we are always … Continue reading

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The Music of Being

My little niece, Daniela, is learning how to play the cello. We are both enchanted by the instrument–this large piece of empty wood that turns vibration into melody and song. It takes skills to lightly embrace the instrument and delicately … Continue reading

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The Test

Spelling tests in grade school, then high school quizzes, midterms and finals—our early lives are filled with tests. And throughout life we have tests on many levels. This month I had to take a written test to renew my driver’s … Continue reading

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Co-Create Your Growth

Look closely. Everything that you see around was visualized in somebody else’s mind before it came to exist. Your mind, your power to imagine a better, more peaceful life for yourself and others, is a great gift of God. Whenever … Continue reading

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The Readiness is All

Near the end of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet realizes that “the readiness is all.” But often, like Hamlet, we are not ready. We draw back, unsure, lacking confidence, not ready for a new challenge, a new chapter in our lives. Years … Continue reading

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Your Neighbor’s Cat

I often return home in the evenings and she is the only one waiting for my return. My neighbor’s cat is sprawled next to my door, resting, enjoying the cool textures of the grass, uninterested in anything else but the … Continue reading

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