The faculty of a person that enables them to be conscious and aware of themselves, and others is known as mind. The possession of mind is a sign of living being. Non-living things like stones, chairs, etc., cannot be conscious and aware of themselves.

Growth is inevitable part of life; all living beings are subject to grow. There is no regression for any living being that are born; it is always growing forward. As a human being, our body continues to grow with the passage of time, but at the inner level we all have to define the direction of our growth. Life in itself has no meaning until you give them the one and it is your inner growth that gives life the direction and something to look forward in future.

We know that self-awareness is important, but how do you develop it? And, what’s the use?

Springtime feels magical. Wet earth, an awakening. Blustery winds make quick work of drying up soccer fields, knee-high in winters debris. Glorious sunshine filters through rough branches just beginning to bud. An explosion of blossoms permeates the town with the fragrance of new love and new life and call us to leave the confines of our winter slumber to trust and venture out into the open once more.

If you meet the darkest moment of life, move valiantly through it with courage and never retreat, for you shall be greeted with light after the darkest of moments.

Being “comfortable” in the middle is somewhat of a fairy tale, at least that’s what my own experience has shown.  What does that actually mean?  I struggled for years (more like decades) with this concept.  Living in the proverbial “middle”.  Thriving in the space that is neither too far left or right.  Often for many moments my efforts felt like failing in the middle.

Look, life’s not always pretty. And we tend to overemphasize the bad times. When we experience a setback or negativity, we blow it up in our minds. “This is the worst thing ever.” Think about it. Is it really? Or is there a way you can improve your life situation? Because that’s how I like to look at it.

I have a very defined focus on productivity. It has been this way most of my life and over time I have developed a few theories as to why. The reason I study productivity is that I’m a person with unproductive habits. I sleep too much. I talk too much. I read too much. I listen to music all day. I watch movies. I buy gadgets that consume way too much of my time and lead me down my own rabbit holes.

There once was a king who decided to do a little experiment. He had a giant boulder put right in the middle of the street.

A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again.

When walking through an elephant camp, a man noticed that the elephants were only secured with a small rope that was tied around one ankle. He wondered why the elephants didn’t break free from the rope, as the elephants were certainly strong enough to do so.

A philosophy professor once stood up before his class with a large empty mayonnaise jar. He filled the jar to the top with large rocks and asked his students if the jar was full.

During the gold rush, a man who had been mining in Colorado for several months tossed in the towel and quit his pursuit, as he hadn’t struck gold yet and the work was becoming tiresome.

Look, life’s not always pretty. And we tend to overemphasize the bad times. When we experience a setback or negativity, we blow it up in our minds. “This is the worst thing ever.” Think about it. Is it really? Or is there a way you can improve your life situation? Because that’s how I like to look at it.

How does one live well? It’s a question that our fellow human beings have been pondering for centuries. Out of that simple question, many philosophies and religions have been born. But no philosophy does a better job of explaining the ideas for living well in a practical way than Stoicism. The Emperor-Philosopher Marcus Aurelius, once the most powerful man on earth, was also a practitioner of Stoicism.

Socrates, considered as one of the founders of Western philosophy, was once named the wisest man on earth by the Oracle of Delphi. When Socrates heard that the oracle had made such a comment, he believed that the statement was wrong.Socrates said: “I know one thing: that I know nothing.”

Somewhere in the storage world or interpretations someone decided that “pride” was a bad thing. The Buddha however did not teach that. He in fact taught that if one works hard towards a task or goal they should indeed be happy and proud of their efforts regardless of the outcomes. The key here is that we must “work” for those things that make us proud or happy.

Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. — Wu Li

12 tips for understanding and being happier