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Well-Being

Spirituality as a Method for Well-Being

Spirituality & Well-Being: It Might Be For You Spirituality is an essential component of overall well-being. Achieving flow in this variable means having a sense of grounding, purpose, and connectedness. It provides you with a source of faith and strength in times of trial. There are concrete benefits of a spiritual path or spiritual side,…

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Physical Habits to Well-Being

Guide to Improving Daily Flow 1) Introduction: Why Physical Habits and Daily Flow are Important Developing physical habits is the foundation for all of the work we do and sets up a routine for flow. The physical habits section has one major goal: Structure your habits so they are supporting you throughout your day and…

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Building Mental Muscle, Skills, and Awareness

1) Introduction: Develop the Mental Muscle UWB strengthens the “mental muscle” so that your brain supports you to lead a balanced life. We want you to achieve a daily flow in your mental well-being and create a healthy mind through our framework.  The concept of Flow first appeared in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book called Flow. He…

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Maintaining Your Well-Being While Considering Financial Stability

Well-being and Financial Stability We spend much of our lives working and making money so make no doubt, it affects our well-being substantially. At UWB we put these together because you have to work to make money, right? So a career and finances are inextricably linked. We break this section into three parts: Financial needs…

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Introductory Guide to Emotional Equilibrium

Guide to Emotional Equilibrium 1) Introduction: Achieve Emotional Equilibrium It’s not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters. — Epictetus In emotional well-being, our goal is to help you achieve a sense of baseline equilibrium through all life’s ups and downs and learn how to react to external events that…

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Introductory Guide to Ultimate Well-Being

Ultimate Well-Being Ultimate Well-Being gives you a framework to learn how to control your well-being. There is so much information out there and it’s difficult to parse through it all. So we help you to figure out what is best for you to live your best life. 1) An Introduction to UWB We believe you…

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National Service: Instilling Pride, Purpose and Proficiency

National Service: Cultivating Unity, Meaning, and Skills I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the concept of national service. I realized that national service was a great way to cultivate unity and belonging (pride), finding a sense of meaning (purpose), and getting trained in useful skills (proficiency.)  The rifts that have formed…

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Introducing National Service as a Way to Give Back & Unify

Kermit Jones

National Service – Giving Back and Unifying Now more than ever, cultivating a sense of unity, pride and empowerment is of vital importance. Citizens are calling for national service programs, and in CA-03, we know they stand to benefit us too. They can provide skills-training, new experiences mid career, and a way to give back…

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Trust Your Gut

mark twain gut

Trust Your Gut How do you make decisions? I bet you don’t trust your gut. As highly educated homo sapiens, we are taught to analyze every detail that comes our way. Evolution taught us to overthink relationships, decisions, and ideas as much as the next over-educated person. Do you know what an MBA, CFA, and economics degree taught me?…

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THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS ON VALENTINE’S DAY

valentine's day

THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS ON VALENTINE’S DAY Valentine’s day should be about giving, not receiving; furthermore giving meaningful things not material Valentine’s day is over, I know. But, next year maybe think about how you will change the narrative. On a scale of 1 to 10 that asks about your happiness on valentine’s day, with…

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Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self

Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self (Check in with yourself) Ice Cube sang it and now we should follow his concept to check-in with yourself to measure your well-being. I actually met Ice Cube in an elevator at the Four Season Hotel in Palo Alto.  “You better check yo self before you wreck…

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Don’t Set Goals in 2021

Don’t Set Goals in 2021 Control what you can control; focus on your efforts, not the outcomes. Ultimate Well-Being Program reframes your mind to get excited, be thankful, and recognize accomplishments. I had an interview in late 2019, I really wanted that job, I thought. The recruiter asked me, “Where do you want to be…

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Top 10 Ways for Daily Self-Care

Top 10 Ways for Daily Self-Care Practicing daily self-care is different for everyone-––as it should be. There are simple things we can do to enhance our day to day. Learn more about how we do this at Ultimate Well-Being. Too often, though, harmful practices are labelled as self-care in the name of relaxation or productivity.…

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Mental Well-Being Session 1 Review

Mental Well-Being Session 1 Shakespeare said about the inner mind, “It’s a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That’s your racket. That’s mental well-being. Let’s begin by establishing some aspects of mental well-being. Prep email: Get a paper/pen. Bring a tennis racket/badminton racket.  Moderator: This is an important section—there…

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Common MisThinkings

Further there are many ‘thinking errors’ or common misthinkings defined by cognitive behavioral therapy as defined in the book ‘Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple’. Here is a list of common misthinkings: Type Description Example Black and white Seeing things in extreme If I do badly on this exam, I’m an idiot Shoulding Way we want…

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Fuel For Ultimate Well-Being

Fuel for Ultimate Well-Being Ultimate well-being relies on the food you eat throughout the day. I’ll be honest. I am terrible at living; you know, the day-to-day. That’s because I spent almost my entire life travelling, working like a fiend, and eating out with people. Then the pandemic hit and SMACK! I had to go…

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Physical Meeting 1 Notes: Achieve Daily Flow

Session #1: Achieve Daily Flow Understanding how discipline creates good habits that improve well-being Physical well-being fundamentally is about the discipline in developing good life habits.  To achieve daily flow, you need balance and you need the right mindset which can only be formed by you and how you go about the day and your…

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Oneness: Creating a Better World in 2021

  Understand Oneness and the pragmatic benefits of spirituality. Ultimate Well-Being shows us that spirituality is a necessary variable in optimizing your well-being. It’s also essential to build a better world in 2021. Clarence and Kurt working on this one. The UWB team often focuses on the pragmatic benefits of spirituality. Oneness is no exception.…

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Try Zen Sports

Try Zen Sports Zen Sports combine your full physical, mental, and emotional energy into a sport. Sick of going to the gym? Feel like it’s a job? Don’t have enough time to meditate, workout, and socialize? So find a Zen sport and do it with friends. When you combine your full physical, mental, and emotional…

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Ways To Meditate Without Just Sitting There

Eight Ways To Meditate Without Just Sitting There There are many ways to get the benefits of meditation through other activities. We’ve all heard the buzz about meditation. Celebrities endorse it. Scientific studies proclaim its benefits. Society no longer considers meditation as a religious activity. But despite being eager to reap the rewards of meditation,…

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10 Types of Meditation – And Who They Might Be Good For

10 different types of meditation and who they might be good for

10 Types of Meditation – And Who They Might Be Good For Meditation practice helps you stay strong in the face of negativity and uncertainty. It keeps you calm, rational and grounded under stressful conditions, and improves quality of life in the good times too. Here are 10 different types of meditation to try out…

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Know Thyself to Know What You Want

know thyself graphic

Know Thyself to Know What You Want It’s vital to learn about yourself in a changing world. Knowing thyself allows you to adapt to your strengths. There are many ways to learn about yourself including personality tests, family/friend feedback, journaling/writing, and meditation. Know thyself. This ancient Greek aphorism, originally attributed to Socrates, is said to…

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Ultimate Well-Being Success Stories Wall

Want to read about our ultimate well-being success stories? Here a few: Ravi Vemulapalli – VP of Operations; Austin, Texas Whenever there is turmoil or a big change, you need to recenter yourself. UWB is the method for learning to re-center your inner self. Things may look fine, but you could be driving yourself into…

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Different Types of Conversations: Casual, Intentful, and Difficult

Different Types of Conversations: Casual, Intentful, and Difficult Conversations Learn how to have different types of conversations that can affect your well-being. Earlier we reflected on our social life and who we spent time with. The strength of your relationships relies on the ability to communicate. So that means it affects your well-being. Isn’t that…

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Breaking Out the Career Funk

career funk

Breaking Out the Career Funk I hear a lot of people in the professional world say, “I’m in a career funk.” When you ask them why, they have no answer. What was once excitement is now apathy and a new challenge is now mundane, this is the “career funk.” This not-at-all bad. In fact, we…

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Take Back Control of Your Attention

Take back control of your attention

Take Back Control of Your Attention Make No Mistake, The Biggest Battle in America is for Your Attention The news media wants your attention. Facebook/IG/Snap/TikTok/LinkedIn want your attention. I want your attention! You get so used to being distracted that you can’t even focus on those around you. Do you find yourself struggling with time…

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The Power of Mindfulness and Types of Meditation

The Power of Mindfulness and different types of meditation

The Power of Mindfulness and Types of Meditation Learn about the power of mindfulness, and the different types of mediation in order to increase your mental well-being The ability of our minds to do what we want them to do, and not do what we don’t want them to do, is maddeningly elusive. Anyone who…

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What is Conditioning?

What is Conditioning?

What is Conditioning? Learn about conditioning and how it impacts your mental well-being. From the moment we are born, conditioning begins. We constantly have experiences that give rise to thoughts, feelings and emotions. Based on these we form conscious ideas, and subconscious or even unconscious mental patterns, which in turn drive our behavior. At any…

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Politics and Happiness: Don’t Let Politics Derail Your Happiness

your happiness, friends hanging out

Don’t Let Politics Derail Your Happiness The intersection of politics and happiness can affect your well-being. Don’t let it. You’re enjoying some much-needed social interaction after a long quarantine. Everything’s going great until somebody brings up politics—blame or praise of a certain elected official, perhaps, or a brazen view on sensitive issues.  Suddenly your blood…

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Learn about Sleep Hygiene for Your Physical Well-Being

Learn about Sleep Hygiene for Your Physical Well-Being Do you really know if you are sleeping well? What are your nighttime habits? The practice of sleep hygiene means setting up the optimal conditions for your head to hit the pillow and go straight out, rather than tossing, turning, and stressing through the night.  The first…

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Learn about Chronic Illness and Physical Well-Being

chronic illness, woman in bed sick

Learn About Chronic Illness and Physical Well-Being Illness in any form has profound impact on physical well-being. How do we deal with this? Chronic illness is subtly yet profoundly devastating. It wreaks havoc on a person’s body, mind, livelihood, relationships and happiness. In particular, diseases not able to be properly diagnosed, treated or cured by…

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Learn about Body Image and Physical Well-Being

body image, women doing yoga

Learn about Body Image and Physical Well-Being Body image is how you view and perceive your physical self, but it is just that—an image, a snapshot that only offers one perspective. Where one person sees beauty, another may see ugliness or nothing special at all. That is perception at work. Sadly, our body image is…

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Top 10 Jedi Mind Tricks For Mental Well-Being

Jedi Mind Tricks, tranquil woman doing yoga in the park

Top 10 Jedi Mind Tricks For Mental Well-Being Use Jedi Mind Tricks to eliminate negative thoughts. From positive psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy, we’ve devised these quick tips for you. Do you ever have a negative thought that you cannot eradicate? Does too much work cause an overhang of stress? Do you get set off…

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Physical Well-Being: Adjustment & Action

physical well-being, women warming up to run

Physical Well-Being: Adjustment & Action As we progress through successive stages, you will begin to take charge of your physical well-being and use it as a tool to boost Ultimate Well-being. Now we will employ key practices like IF/Then, Habit Stacking, Pomodoro Technique and more. Adjustment You are putting in a lot of hard work…

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Physical Well-Being: Awareness,Understanding & Acceptance

physical well-being, picture of ocean and mountains

Physical Well-Being: Awareness, Understanding & Acceptance Physical well-being encompasses the body or wellness, life, and work. Now that sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? It’s something you already do but most of it, you don’t think about it. One of the key facets of UWB is developing awareness and taking a chaotic, confused life and…

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The Science of Spirituality and Spiritual Well-Being

Hand reaching out to the sky, symbolizing spirituality and spiritual well-being

The Science of Spirituality KDAlive preaches spirituality as a core tenet of Ultimate Well-Being. “How can I believe something I can’t prove? you ask yourself. “How can I quell my fears and anxieties?” You are up late at night. You can’t sleep with life’s big questions floating through your head. Unlike measuring nutrition or tracking…

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The Pursuit of Happiness, Together

The Pursuit of Happiness The pursuit of happiness, together, for yourself and those around you, is what America’s independence means to me. The pursuit of happiness isn’t created in solitude; it’s created together. That should be the basis for our communities. It also impacts the social component of your Ultimate Well-Being. Many think that his/her…

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Emplasticity: Layers of Empathy

Photograph of collection of photographs, snippets of life.

Emplasticity: Three Layers of Empathy Empathy, we’ve all heard, “Put yourself in another’s shoes.” But do we ever really do this? I know I haven’t. For many years I was a tourist, just looking out the window as the car drives by impoverished places, taking pictures of the situation only to go back to the…

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Silicon Valley Can Re-Make the American Workplace

Silicon Valley can re-make the American Workplace

Silicon Valley Can Re-Make the American Workplace. By opening up micro offices, Silicon Valley can re-make the USA more culturally integrated and bridge the tech divide. WFH won’t work. The Silicon Valley can re-make the American workplace by bringing high-quality, high-tech jobs to the places that have historically lacked them, tap and develop new talent…

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Black Lives Matter (BLM), Racism, and Ultimate Well-Being

Black Lives Matter (BLM)

Black Lives Matter (BLM), Racism, and Ultimate Well-Being Recognize and unlearn the racism that lies within you and Black Lives Matter (BLM) “We are living in a racism pandemic.”  Sandra L. Shullman, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association We cannot talk about well-being without addressing Black Lives Matter (BLM). The events of the past…

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Speak with Wisdom and Intent

Speak with Wisdom and Intent Communication is essential. I recently went to a workshop in Spirit Rock that helped me articulate myself with sageness and purpose. This knowledge emerged from the spiritual writer Donald Rothberg who taught me the value of communication with intent. Communication can affect your well-being, but did anyone ever tell you how…

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Isolation Guide #6: Spirituality to Feed the Soul

 Isolation Guide #6: Spirituality to Feed the Soul  “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” ––Rumi In a technologically advanced world, it’s considered standard that we turn to science and empirical data to feed the soul. This is also particularly true in Western cultures and societies. Science can solve many problems and…

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Isolation Guide #5: Connected “Alone Together”

Isolation Guide #5: Social UWB and Connected “Alone Together” Learn to live alone together and create a better world “There is an underlying force in the workings of human relationships that can make or break our destiny as humans, even at work. If we don’t build work relationships with intention and care, it’s only a…

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Isolation Guide #4: Career and Financial Stability

Isolation Guide #4: Career and Financial Stability Create financial stability in time of crisis like Coronavirus Work on this: Define financial stability  Have set work hours – and stick to them. Use “down time” to reflect on and map out your career/financial goals and intentions. Find your flow in work. Learn something new. Ask for…

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Isolation Guide #3 — Mental Mayhem to Mind Control

Isolation Guide #3 — Mental Mayhem to Mind Control Much of your UWB ultimate well-being can be controlled by your mind. Your mind is either your best friend or your worst enemy. Before you continue, pick which one you want it to be. Assuming you want it to be your friend, it’s time to train…

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Need Supplies (PPE) or Donate / Give Supplies (PPE)

Help Public Service and Healthcare Workers Now! Are you a healthcare worker who needs supplies (PPE)? Here is an update. We have found several suppliers and raised $5700 to date. We need to continue raising more money to fund the purchases.The Gofund me link is here. We are working with the following organizations: Pueblo Health…

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Isolation Guide #2: Elevate the Emotional State

Isolation Guide #2: Elevate the Emotional State of Well-being Here at KDAlive, we aren’t experts, we are well-being generalists. Our goal is to take a large amount of information, synthesize it and distribute it to you in a digestible format. Last week we covered how to take care of your physical health as part of…

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Isolation Guide #1: Physical Best Practices

Isolation Guide #1: Focus on Physical Aspects of Ultimate Well-Being (UWB) Win the mornings Maintain your environment/Prioritize Hygiene/ Know what to eat Physical breaks and short workouts Track your mood Challenge Yourself: Replace unhealthy indulgences Sleep well and track your cycles Feeling lost, lonely, or out-of-focus with your activities? Change your habits and patterns now.…

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How to Cope with Anxiety from the Unknown

How to Cope with Anxiety from the Unknown Learn how to deal with anxiety caused by COVID-19 Accept the new reality and then make adjustments Start tracking mood behavior with Ultimate Well Being Learn to just live and enjoy; if you are struggling with anxiety read the book, “When Panic Attacks” Nature, fruits, and self…

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If You are So Smart, Why aren’t You Happy?

If You are So Smart, Why aren’t You Happy? Meet Raj Raghunathan who has studied happiness for two decades at the University of Texas, Austin. See our video chat here. https://youtu.be/pzhAAilHDF0 I was recently in Costa Rica – right when COVID19 hit in Central America – at the University of Peace Centre funded by the…

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Learn the Power of Improvisation

Learn the Power of Improvisation I took an Improvisation class at Stanford University to learn how to better communicate with friends, family, and colleagues.  I learned a few things: a framework of communication, how to tell a story, and fully be in the moment Overview: Take a framework of how to discuss things into every…

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Learn from Oprah Winfrey: Be the Highest and Truest Form of Yourself

Oprah Winfrey Wellness Tour

Learn from Oprah Winfrey: Be the Highest and Truest Form of Yourself Learn from Oprah Winfrey and her formula for wellness Key Take-Aways to learn from Oprah Winfrey: Oprah’s wellness formula is mind + body + spirit. Mind = Emotions, learning and work Body = Nutrition and movement Spirit = purpose and relationships Focus on…

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Connecting Authentically with Great Conversations

Connecting Authentically with Great Conversations Learn how to connect quickly and have meaningful conversations Do you know how to have engaging conversations that lead to meaningful interactions, even with a stranger?  Hi, I’m Clarence! I’m one of the new contributors to KDAlive. Recently I went to a workshop called the Art of Charm. The AoC is…

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The Future of Work is Remote

The Future of Work is Remote No need to monkey around a cube any longer; technological advancement and institutional encouragement forces a false choice to fade away. If you have dreamed of sailing away to a faraway island where the cocktails flow freely and the seaside villas are cheaper than your fifth-floor walk-up, but hesitate…

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How to Break Into Technology

How to Break Into Technology It’s possible to have no college degrees and break-in “Fake it until you make it” Learn some hard skills that are easily hireable Don’t: Compare, Envy, be careful not to be something else someone wants/needs Tell people what they want to hear We are well into the digital age, and…

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How to Give Feedback Like a Buddha

How to Give Feedback Like a Buddha Essential ways to give feedback to a friend, colleague, or family member. The Zen Center in San Francisco offers skills-based classes in communication and personal development. I highly recommend these.  Develop confidence through an understanding of giving and receiving feedback through a Buddhist lens. “Learn to take the…

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Let’s Take Back Christmas In America

Let’s Change What Christmas Means In America Christmas does anything but make people happy and feel connected Until we change Christmas in America, let’s wish each other Merry Chinamas! If you agree with this article, please share it with 3 people.  “Get in the Christmas spirit!” People say this to me all the time. To…

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Want to Make a Career Change – Use Zen to Help You

Want to Make a Career Change – Use Zen to Help You Follow the plan below to guide you through a career transition. So you need a change, a shift in your career but you don’t know where to start? It’s hard. Stopping what you’ve been doing for years. I went to a class at…

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3 Day Vipassana Review in Canada

3-Day Vipassana Retreat in Canada Sometimes, one needs a retreat to reset Most Meaningful Experience: Getting back into the process I just finished a 3-day vipassana retreat at a nursing home turned Vipassana center in Youngstown, Canada. My original vipassana post is here. This place is a very modern facility, unusual for a vipassana center,…

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What I Learned from Deepak Chopra: Take It Easy

What I Learned from Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra just released his new book, MetaHuman. Chopra challenges the mystery of being human. If you haven’t picked it up yet, go check it out. I attended his book launch and talk and learned all sorts of tips for better living – the trivialness of life, the release…

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Confronting Evil and Cleansing the Soul in Bhutan

Confronting Evil and Cleansing the Soul in Bhutan Learn how the Bhutanese purify their soul through a variety of rituals   Most Meaningful Experience: Visiting the Tiger’s Nest was awe-inspiring Top tips –  Visit the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, which was spectacular both inside and out –  Try to see an archery match to experience Bhutan’s national…

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Discover the Multi-Pronged Wellness Approach of Wim Hof, the Iceman

  Discover the Multi-Pronged Wellness Approach of Wim Hof, Iceman Breathe, Cold, and Fasting is the way to reduce stress and stay mindful Key takeaways from my Iceman retreat: Intermittent fasting helps with mental clarity, fat burning, and hormonal health. Deep breathing can help to oxygenate your body and warm it up, enhancing your performance…

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10 Things I Learned from the WimHoff Method

Top 10 Things I Learned from WimHof Breathe, Cold, and Fasting is the way to reduce stress and stay mindful Know as the “Iceman”, Wim Hof is spreading his methodology of breathing, cold, and focus around the world. Here are 10 things I learned from a weekend retreat. More in depth here. https://kdalive.com/discovering-the-multi-pronged-wellness-approach-of-wim-hof-the-iceman/ 1. Meditation…

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Bhutan and Gross National Happiness in Action

    Bhutan and Gross National Happiness Learn about how the Bhutanese government measures progress through Gross National Happiness (GNH) The real reason I wanted to go to Bhutan was to investigate the “Land of Happiness” after reading about the government policies that try to maximize this for their people. I thought this was intriguing…

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10 things I Learned at the Science of Happiness Retreat

Going forward, I’ll be writing more about Well-Being and the intersection of well-being and travel. At the start of May, I spent a long weekend at Multiversity 1440 the Science of Happiness gathering, which was being held in partnership with 1440 Multiversity at UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. They have a beautiful college campus…

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What I learned at Burning Man + 2 Dope Videos

Top 10 things I learned at Burning Man (with 2 Dope Videos) One piece of advice I got before I left for Burning Man was: “You can get what you want out of it, so decide what you want before you go.” But I didn’t really know what I could get out of it until…

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Top 10 Vipassana Takeaways & Original Vipassana

Top 10 Vipassana Takeaways Sometimes, one needs a retreat to reset Please see the original vipassana here! Vipassana: If You Meet the Buddha, Kill Him How You react to external stimuli is the most important thing in life Bringing yourself back to breathe and in the moment. Anxiety is self-induced, wants to create anxieties. Thinking…

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Living Life on Purpose Workshop

Living your Life on Purpose A good workshop to get focused on what’s important to you  Living Life on Purpose is a workshop hosted by Tina Desalvo’s organization Soul Purpose. It is about taking responsibility for your purpose. It’s an execution of the true genius/calling – the very thing each individual on the planet is…

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Transformation at the Hoffman Institute & Process

Transformation at the Hoffman Institute & Process The Hoffman Process is a week-long residential and personal growth retreat that helps participants identify negative behaviors, moods, and ways of thinking that developed unconsciously and were conditioned in childhood. The transformation at the Hoffman Institute is a paradigm shift. My career and relationship coach, Tessa advised me…

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An Ode to Thinking and Throwing

Japanese Baseball Hats

There seems to be an inextricable meditative link between throwing and thinking. This afternoon, Stephen Lee and I tossed a nerf football outside the Scribd office and I felt a cool breeze over my new haircut along with a new and completely untainted flow of thought. Just 2 hours before, we were in heated strategic…

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