Jason Silva’s Shots of Awe – Existential Bummer

Posted on January 11, 2015 by nomadoftheuniverse

This video might just make and define your day, week or even a year.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
… Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Source

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31 day happiness programme/ challenge to beat the January blues

Posted on January 11, 2015 by nomadoftheuniverse

You don’t necessarily need to start on Jan 1, it’s never too late to start being happier. The UK ‘happiness experts’, as Daily Mail calls them, Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker helped compile this programme/ challenge. My top 4 must be the knickers upgrade, disagreeing with the negative inner voice, the 4 minute rule (being your best self for the first 4 minutes of doing anything) and setting yourself a HUGG (Huge Unbelievably Great Goal). Brilliant idea and brilliant checklist/ challenge/ programme. Hope this helps you survive January 🙂 Andys’ book The Art of Being Brilliant goes straight to my wishlist.

 

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Happy New Year! Fly into fireworks #magic

Posted on January 2, 2015 by nomadoftheuniverse

Fireworks are magic. My new year eve was warm and magic, I hope yours was too! In my home town (Almaty) new year eve is celebrated with the fireworks- not the public ones but the ones done by many people after the clock strikes midnight. Many, many people buy fireworks in advance and then keep firing them from their balconies and yards for a good half hour or more. This is what makes it magical for me- how everyone unites in celebration. Fireworks make me happy. How about flying into them with a drone and seeing them from a completely new angle? I can see myself coming to this video again and again. Enjoy!

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No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.

Posted on December 16, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.

— Positively Positive

My office Christmas party is today. I spent a couple of weeks thinking about what I will wear, how I will look, looking for the right dress… You know the drill.

And then I stopped because I did not want to waste time on this anymore. So I just put on old jeans, an old blouse and a tux jacket that I never wore. I spent the time I freed submitting my script to a screenwriting competition.

In pre-Christmas rush remember what’s important…

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Different good, different bad — you are perfect

Posted on December 7, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse
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I often find myself in situations where I propose “crazy” ideas, or people listen to what I say and go ‘ok…’ or my point of view is seen as too extreme. I usually feel guilt and regret afterwards — what’s wrong with me, why can I not just be silent or say and do things that are more practical, more ‘normal’, more what people expect. After seeing this poster (thanks, Escape the City), I decided — no more guilt or regret for being different. As long as I am not mediocre. Stay how you are. Because you are perfect.

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“The only way to get to happiness…”

Posted on November 24, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

Your happiness is buried underneath your ego, desires, fears and insecurities. The only way to get to happiness is by facing and overcoming those pesky little buggers.. and it’s oh-so-worth it!

— Timber Hawkeye, Buddhist Boot Camp

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“Everything is a happening, and all you do is watching it.” Guided meditation with Alan Watts.

Posted on November 9, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

I’ve discovered Alan Watts recently through LinkedIn out of all places. I follow Bruce Kasanoff’s mindfulness challenge, and one of his followers mentioned this meditation, which was so profound, it took me several weeks to find a moment of 100% focus to listen to it and absorb it fully. No regrets.

If you are new to meditation, if you are searching for inner peace or just have 15 min to spare, watch this beautiful guided meditation video. His take on thoughts as noise and a quote in the headline of this post is what I take out of it. Enjoy.

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Jason Silva brings awe to London and causes a ‘mindgasm’

Posted on November 2, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

For the last couple of weeks, Jason Silva has been exploding my brain, or as he would say, was the cause of multiple mindgasms 🙂  I had a chance to meet him in London where he did a talk at BAFTA recently (video below). He is as amazing in real life as he is on video.

The first video of Jason, the tech philosopher and futurist, that I’ve seen was the one above. I never before realised that this was indeed the driving force of many of my life decisions. Becoming aware of it helped me change my outlook on many things.

Continue reading →
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Random Acts of Kindness

Posted on October 18, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

Inspired by Timber Hawkeye’s Buddhist Boot Camp, I’ve been doing more RAKs (random acts of kindness) lately. Small things, like letting someone get on the train before you, helping ladies with prams, giving up a seat for an elderly passenger.

At work, I went above and beyond helping younger members of my team grow while dealing with the big changes in the company. At home, I am working on being kinder to my family —Timber gives fantastic advice on this — treat every person you meet as if they are Buddha. Or as if they are to die today. Thinking this way reframes your perspective. 

As I approach 40s, I deal with more death around me. Lovely elderly neighbour died a couple of weeks ago. Several friends or people I know have now either successfully overcome or succumbed to cancer. RAKs are even more important when dealing with someone in a serious life situation such as cancer. I’ve had to choose a gift for a friend who survived breast cancer recently. I gave her a pot of little lively purple violets which she loved. So glad she is much better now!

Pay it forward, nomads. Be kind.

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The biggest secret to happiness is to stay present, live in the now

Posted on October 12, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

Recently I have come to realise that the biggest source of happiness is how we treat the present and whether we live in the now. I’ve seen Matt Killingsworth’s talk and it made me revisit what I read in Eckhart Tolle’s New Earth about the present.

Continue reading →
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The School of Life is now on Youtube and they are tackling some serious issues

Posted on September 14, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

Yay, the School of Life and the amazing Alain de Botton are now on Youtube! Among the first uploaded videos my favourites are Why we go off sex and How to save love with pessimism. Philosophy gone mainstream? Enjoy!

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“Stumbling on Happiness” by Dan Gilbert

Posted on September 8, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

I am reading this new book on happiness and absolutely loving it. It’s written in a way that makes you giggle through it, from the first page, yet it makes a serious and big point. It talks about happiness, our perception of it, how our brains work etc.

A book on how to be happy in everyday life? I will share my impression and key take aways once I am done. You can also watch Dan Gilbert’s TED talk above.

Keep busy, stay happy!

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Art therapy — photographic art of Steve McCurry

Posted on August 31, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse
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I believe into the therapeutic power of art. Beautiful art can make one happy. I’ve recently discovered Steve McCurry at Beethles + Huxley gallery. You can view his works online here. My favourite is this one, called SHAOLIN MONKS TRAINING, ZHENGZHOU, CHINA, 2004.

 

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This video will change how you think about stress… and maybe even save your life

Posted on August 23, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

In studying the science of happiness, it’s interesting how sometimes you get a new perspective on the same thing or several different perspectives come into one and reveal something new. I’ve recently blogged on how thinking about stress symptoms as signs of courage, of readiness to tackle a challenge can help change one’s perspective on stress. I also blogged about ways to overcome stress in conflict situations, such as ‘pay forward’ by committing a random act of kindness. Then I’ve seen this video (above) today, which brought all of these perspectives together, and in addition, revealed a new outlook on oxytocin and its role in stress management. Change perspective. Pay forward. Connect. If you are stressed or ever were stressed, this is a must see.

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Inspiration for happy life — 30 things I’ve learned by Nick Crocker

Posted on July 27, 2014 by nomadoftheuniverse

Sometimes it’s useful to read posts like this one. Nothing in it is new, but it’s a list of principles of someone who lives a happy life (or strives to) and hence it’s helpful. Any checklist for happy life, any inspiration or new angle on old knowledge is always useful. See if you can find anything that resonates with you. My top 5 are below: Continue reading →

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