“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.” ~ Bruce Lee
Everything we think, say, and do shapes who we become, how we’re seen, and how we feel. Equally impactful is… what we don’t do. At the deepest level, we all want the same things: health, peace, success, happiness. The path to those desires isn’t complicated. The wisdom is already inside us.
Not long ago, on a hike with a close friend, I felt this truth again. We were being physically active, breathing fresh air, drinking fresh water, eating the tree-hugger’s diet of fruits and nuts, surrounded by nature, and feeling gratitude. That simple, blissful moment grounded me. The noise of life faded, and I was left with the only emotion left. I was happy.
The simplicity of that moment reminded me of something my brother once shared from one of his students at Santa Rita Jail: “Do good things. Don’t do bad things.” Simple. True. Hard to live.
Consider health. The rules haven’t changed: Eat real food, exercise every day, sleep at least eight hours, manage your stress in healthy, effective ways. Yet we chase life-hacks and shortcuts. We spend more time searching for the magic pill instead of practicing what we already know works!
Peace is no different. It isn’t hidden in some faraway place. It lives in stillness, and if we can’t find stillness…we need to make it! Sometimes the most powerful act is to do nothing at all. Try this. It feels SO weird, but it shouldn’t: Sit outside. No phone. No music. No agenda. Just sit. Why is it so hard? Or try walking: Walk without a purpose or destination. Breathe. Be. As the Buddha said: “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
And success? It’s not a mystery. We’ve just been taught a definition of success that’s not in alignment with what works. Do what you love. Spend less than you earn. Find joy in creating, not consuming. Invest in what lasts, not in what fades. Make a contribution.
Health. Peace. Success. None of these paths are hidden. The real question is: why do so few of us live them?
Happiness doesn’t demand reinvention. It asks for remembrance. Remember what matters. Live what you already know. Speak kindly to yourself. Do good things. Avoid the bad ones. And most of all, honor the simple truths that have always been there.
The Dalai Lama says, “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” See? Even he believes me: Love is a verb ; )
Harvesting Insights 