By Leo Babauta When we’re looking to grow, what we’re really trying to do is step into a new, expanded view of ourselves. For example, if you want to be more mindful, or live more simply, or be more compassionate with yourself or others, or be more disciplined about your meaningful work … these are […] The post Expanding Beyond Our Old Self-View appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta Most of our stresses and frustrations come from our unwillingness to let go. Hear me out: think about something you’re stressing about, or someone you’re frustrated about. What thought do you have about that person or situation that causes the frustration? It’s often an invisible thought, that we don’t realize we have, […] The post The Practice of Letting Go appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta Let’s imagine that there’s a big task you’ve been avoiding for weeks (or maybe a bunch of them!) … it just becomes this ball of dread that you don’t want to think about, but that you feel really bad that you’ve been putting off. Sound familiar? Everyone has something like this, whether […] The post Turning Towards a Task You’ve Been Avoiding for Weeks appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta I talk to dozens of people every month — Zen Habits readers, coaching clients and Fearless Living Academy members — who struggle with a feeling of overwhelm from all of the things on their plates. Overwhelm from tasks, messages, and more is completely normal. It’s based on a fear that we can’t […] The post Transforming Overwhelm into a Creative, Productive Energy appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta Amazingly, we’re headed into autumn, with summer just winding down now … the changing of seasons is always a great time for reflection. For me, I find that summer often throws of my carefully laid out routines and habits. Travel, visitors, doing more things outdoors … all of this can throw off […] The post The Season of Restarting Habits appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta A client recently asked me how to get full clarity on their purpose — they don’t feel certain, and that lack of certainty makes it hard to fully commit themselves. You might be able to relate: if you feel 100% sure that something is the right direction and is going to work out, […] The post Getting Clarity of Purpose (plus: final day for $500 retreat discount) appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of our personal progress is discouragement. Whether you’re trying to form a new habit (reading, meditation, exercise, waking early) or taking on a meaningful project, or just getting your life in order … discouragement is one of the biggest reasons you’ll get stopped. […] The post A Short Guide to Dealing with Discouragement appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta Today I’m feeling sore and tired from hard strength workouts, playing lots of basketball, and doing a hill sprint session yesterday with my son. I’ve been working out hard, and I’m really feeling it! So I’m going to take some rest and recovery time. Anyone who is into fitness knows the hidden […] The post The Surprising Value of Rest appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta When most people try to start a new habit — like exercise, meditation, waking early, journaling — they tend to try to go as hard as they can. And in doing so, they set themselves up for failure. I have a friend who wanted to start running, for example. Every time they […] The post How to Autoregulate Your Habits appeared first on zen habits ..read more

By Leo Babauta People often think, when they’re tired or don’t feel like doing a task (or a habit), that there are really only two choices: And while there isn’t anything wrong with either of these choices, I’m here to remind you that they are choices. And they’re not the only choices. What else can […] The post Forcing Yourself to Do a Task vs. Letting Yourself Off the Hook appeared first on zen habits ..read more