Find my updated reflections on Substack and a slew of personal essays & reflections dating back to 2010 on my personal blog.
“Right Speech – Three Questions”
Several years ago, a student in one of my kindness classes shared her understanding of the Buddhist protocol known as “Right Speech.”
“Patterns of Nature”
The intention in taking time to consider these opportunities later is to help you become more aware of them as they are happening.
“People Feel at Home”
One way to gain equilibrium in our lives is to match the words we say with the thoughts we feel.
“Do Something Kind For a Friend”
Use your inner wisdom to determine what would be truly kind, making sure that what you choose to do resonates within you.
“Connecting Elders & Youth”
What a wonderful thing it is to connect elders in a community to youth. I greatly appreciate what my friend has to say here, and hope her wisdom can inspire others.
“Speaking of Hope, Positivity & Creativity”
I hope you all are feeling healthy and doing your part to bring positivity to the spaces you inhabit. Every positive action contributes to the uplifting energy we all need, now more than ever.
“Thrive Through Exploring”
My graduate work is specific to human development and my personal interest is specific to what helps people thrive.
“On Anger & Self-Acceptance”
In an anger drill you are training your brain when you’re not angry, which is when it’s most receptive to learning, of course, to know how to not make behavior mistakes when you are angry.
“It’s Butterfly Awareness”
Like the butterfly effect, one small, kind act sets off a series of positive events. With this in mind, complete very, very small kind actions that do not require a lot of you. Think of these actions as being minor tune-ups on the engine of the universe.
“Be Awed By Life”
Allow yourself to be filled with awe and wonder, even at the simplest of things. In fact, be filled with awe and wonder at the MOST simplest of things.
“On Kindness”
Practically, kindness is a self-contained act in which the action or thought involved brings its own reward. There is no expectation for reciprocity; in fact, sometimes we worry that receiving something in response to a kind act diminishes our kindness.
“Treat Everyone with Compassion”
Taking this story to heart creates a new awareness for me. I have significant responsibility, as do we all, to treat ALL people with compassion, understanding, and empathy.
“An Exercise On Sharing”
Like the children’s song “Magic Penny” that says when you give away love you end up having more, use this exercise to see how true sharing actually increases the amount of what’s most important.
“Our Souls Don’t Keep Time”
In each moment I am planting a tree. I may not ever sit directly under it to enjoy its shade, but someone else will.
“Attend to Wonder”
Attending to wonder opens us to the marvels taking place around us all the time, thereby triggering a wider awareness of positive events. You’ll feel purposeful, connected, and engaged.
“Feel Grateful For the Little Things”
We think, especially when we’re young, that happiness comes from “big” things. We realize as we age that small pleasures are what provide longstanding happiness.
“Go On, Make the World a Kinder Place”
As you gain practice in completing acts of ordinary kindness, you may be surprised to see how many opportunities are being offered to us as humans to be kind and thoughtful.
“Compassion, Our Default Mode”
When we slow down, when we see others as fundamentally wanting the same things as we do, and when we approach a difference of opinion with curiosity, our heart rates and blood pressures go down, and our immune systems are activated.
“Four Simple Steps to Express Gratitude”
Slowing down to mindfully acknowledge and recognize our interconnectedness is a great way to understand that we aren’t isolated, that we are all playing on the same team.
“This Story Takes My Breath Away”
When we are in the same place we are conspiring, breathing together. But it’s even more than that. We are sharing air, me breathing in some of what you’ve exhaled and you breathing in some of what I’ve exhaled.
“An Early Teaching Lesson”
Guy encouraged me not to judge Luis solely on his classroom behavior. He knew Luis’s greatest strengths, his leadership and athletic skill, were most on display outside.
“Reduce Isolation”
When you work to reduce the isolation of another, you actually reduce your own isolation, as well.
“Mulling the Concepts of Mystery and Mastery”
When children feel the mystery inherent in everything, they will naturally want to achieve mastery. But to insist on mastery (and high stakes tests are this kind of insistence) means students will be robbed of mystery.
“Everyone Can Play”
What behavior can you begin or enhance that helps you adopt this attitude, creates a world in which everyone can play? A behavior that honors and celebrates our interconnectedness?
“Practice Patience”
There is a tradition in which people believe that when they go too fast, they cause their souls to be left behind. Believing this, they will sometimes purposefully stop in order to allow their souls to catch up.
“Be The Daylight”
I encourage you to provide for another something you yourself wish to experience. For example, if you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.
“Four Steps to Finding Happiness & Purpose”
Following these four steps, you’ll find you’re actually living the life you want to live now and not waiting for that future achievement to be reached.
Andy Smallman 