Tiny Buddha

Category: Possibilities

  • Tiny Wisdom: On Envy

    Tiny Wisdom: On Envy

    “You can’t be envious and happy at the same time.” ~Frank Tyger

    When you’re fixated on everything someone else has that you lack, it’s near impossible to notice and appreciate everything that’s working in your favor. There’s always something, even if you’re not where you’d like to be professionally, romantically, socially, or personally.

    You’ll get there–that doesn’t change that now is a perfect time to be happy.

    Envy is a disease of resentful dissatisfaction. Gratitude is not only the antidote–it’s also a choice to accept and enjoy your world as it is.

    Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

  • Tiny Wisdom: On Ends & Beginnings

    Tiny Wisdom: On Ends & Beginnings

    “Letting go isn’t the end of the world; it’s the beginning of a new life.” -Unknown

    When you’ve loved every moment of an experience, it can feel like a death to watch it fade into yesterday.

    When a relationship ends, it might feel like you’ll never love or smile again. When a job ends, you might think you’ll never feel fulfilled in your work again.

    You will. Just like every experience is impermanent, every feeling eventually fades and morphs into something else. Happiness becomes sadness becomes happiness again.

    If you’re willing to let go of yesterday and stay open to possibilities today, you just may be surprised by how much you gain after a loss.

    What new world might you be creating today?

    Photo by Gabriel Rocha

  • Tiny Wisdom: On What’s Past

    Tiny Wisdom: On What’s Past

    “Stay away from what might have been and look at what will be.” ~Marsha Petrie Sue

    Everyone has something they might do differently if they could back in time. It’s a natural consequence of learning and growing.

    The happiest people focus not on what they should have done if only they knew then, but instead on what they can do right now with the knowledge they have gained. No matter how helpless you may feel, you can do more than you think.

    Today you will make hundreds of mini-decisions that will create what will be. You’ll have people to meet, challenges to take, and opportunities to seize. You can only seize those moments with a sense of joy and possibility if you forgive yourself for the choices that have past.

    photo by natashalatrasha

  • Tiny Wisdom: On Building

    Tiny Wisdom: On Building

    “Almost everything comes from nothing.” -Henri F. Amiel

    No matter where you are now in the pursuit of your dreams, know that people who’ve done what you’d like to do started right where you stand.

    You have limitless power to create the future you visualize if you’re willing to dream, plan, and work.

    Don’t worry about what you don’t know. You’ll learn. Don’t stress about how much you’ll have to do. You can only do it one thing at a time.

    Just start where you are, take the first step, and then watch your nothing evolve.

    Photo by Josep Ma. Rosell

  • Tiny Wisdom: On Yesterday

    Tiny Wisdom: On Yesterday

    “Letting go of the past means that you can you enjoy the dream that is happening right now.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz

    If you’re lost in your head, rehashing or obsessing, you miss all the little things that make life feel full and satisfying.

    You don’t notice the small gestures that show people love you; they seem like everyday courtesies that don’t warrant consideration. You don’t acknowledge the trees and flowers that make your space beautiful; they fade into your peripheral vision like part of the furniture.

    The little things are the big things. Happiness is paying attention. Give yourself permission to let go of everything that stands in the way of life’s tiny beauties. Dwelling on the past won’t change what’s already happened. Worrying about the future won’t make it any less unpredictable.

    Let yourself enjoy today. It’s the tomorrow you dreamed about yesterday.

    Photo by gtall1

  • Tiny Wisdom: On Risks

    Tiny Wisdom: On Risks

    “It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” ~Seneca

    Taking the path of least resistance actually requires a lot of resistance. It’s human nature to want to soar! To venture out, explore the world, expand ourselves and our minds and live with passion, enthusiasm, and abandon.

    You might be doing that already, whatever that means to you. Or you may be containing yourself into a safe, predictable box, assuming everything outside it is far beyond your reach.

    It’s not—it’s not nearly as far away as you think.

    We’d be kidding ourselves if we pretended the world is without obstacles; but we’d be cheating ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge a lot of them are in our heads.

    Today, dare beyond your self-imposed limitations. It’s a lot easier to venture out of your comfort zone when you decide to stop fighting yourself.

    Photo by Wonderlane