So now here we are. Each of us in our own family units, our own communities, this country, and the world, together in this same wild situation. Reminded every day – every moment, in fact - how inextricably interwoven our cells and well-being and lives as beings on this planet are.

We can't tap into our most essentially creative power or the flow of abundance when we're rushing forward.

Our fullest power and potential are only available when we're firmly grounded in this present moment. 

The way these human brains of ours are wired, we try to resist pain and discomfort when we anticipate them coming our way anyway. But the more we resist anything that's a natural part of the cycle of life, the more suffering we cause ourselves.

When we perpetuate the habit of not following through on things that feel important to us or waste precious time and energy saying we're going to do something but never actually doing it, procrastination is most definitely a habit that could use some upgrading.

But sometimes when it looks like you're procrastinating, things might not be quite as black and white as they appear.

When we really do trust the process and lean into earnest inner inquiry with curiosity rather than judgment, we arrive at insights we never could have conjured up with our logical minds alone. The deepest wisdom arises from stillness, not from doing; from being, not from thinking.

The pathway to joy flows through self-responsibility.

While yes, we don’t get to control how we feel in every moment, the more we choose to take control of our capacity for conscious choice, the more joy and abundance tend to start to open up for us.

The more we strive for perfection, the less worthy we feel.

The antidote to the thankless, life-force-depleting, never-ending perfectionism cycle is simple. It's the deep-in-your-bones trust that: You are enough.

It's never too late to start cultivating a new level of kindness toward ourselves. Self-compassion practice is where we can begin.

You have to meet the universe halfway, for sure. But if you cling too tightly to what you want, you'll suffocate it.

Your dreams need air and space to come to life.

Two antidotes to suffering:

1) Keep your eyes on your own paper (or yoga mat). 2) Let yourself let go of things you can't control.

Placing rigid demands on how your desires manifest blocks the flow of abundance.

If you're pushing 100% of the time, there's no room to receive what life wants to deliver you. And who knows, maybe life has something even better than what you'd been imagining in store for you?

It's true; as your mindfulness muscle is just starting to grow, it can make you feel more in your head than ever. You're suddenly paying attention to everything, so it can feel like things are even crazier than before.

But the reality is, your mind was just as wild before. It's just that you're finally noticing it.

What if this messy, curious, confusing, exciting, terrifying, eyes open exploration is your life's purpose?

What shifts if you drop the illusion that some perfectly packaged "Here's what you're meant to do with your life" bundle with a bow will arrive at your doorstep and you accept that whatever you're exploring or struggling with right now is your life's purpose?

All we need to do to get unstuck from a sticky moment - aka a sticky thought - is to: Pause. Step back. Take an objective look at what's actually happening (not in your mind, but in reality). And get curious about what's under the microscope, with no clinging to or pushing away whatever you discover.

Comfortable tends to trump unknown, even when we're aware that the way we're operating is a) really painful and b) holding us back and slowing us down. The irony is, the investment of energy required to update our internal systems (limiting beliefs and skewed self-perceptions) is actually way less than the energy it takes to struggle through with the same old inefficiencies.

Every time you let a should trump a genuine desire, you're telling your big “S” Self — your natural core of love and kindness — to get out of the driver's seat so your little “s” self — your control-loving ego — can take the wheel.

Our beliefs create our life experience. So if how we park is how we live, what do your parking habits say about your view of life? Do you trust that there will always be something that's a good fit for you, or do you take whatever you can get for fear that might be all that's going to come your way?

Don't sweat the details at first. They'll clarify as you go. Start with just the ONE thing you know from deep in your being you want - and you see - in your ideal future day. Keep that one thing front and center in your vision; trust it and build on it.

Once we acknowledge what's really up for us in this moment, we can appropriately address it and clear it through that awareness. We keep the channels clear by staying as honestly and objectively aware as possible of what our energy and emotions are up to in the present moment.

In 2009 when I moved from San Diego back "home" to the Bay Area I was sad. In more grief than I'd ever known I could be, in fact. The move took place after the first man I'd ever really opened up to loving and being loved by died in a car accident. And I had no clue what I was going to do next. All I knew was that just "being" was the only right thing in that moment.