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Author: Nick Gaswirth

Greatest hits

442 posts published since 2012. Here are the top 12 most visited:

  1. 12 questions to turn small talk into real talk
  2. 5 rules of hustling
  3. What brings people together?
  4. A coffee riddle
  5. The quiet room
  6. 19 things you can do instead of grad school
  7. 10 questions to ask at a dinner party (instead of “What do you do?”)
  8. The people in your life will make or break you
  9. 7 perks of growing up
  10. Stop trying to find your purpose
  11. 7 sins of crowdfunding
  12. No one has it figured out

Thank you for reading, for asking questions, for exploring, and for committing to make the world a kinder, more generous place.

A different lens

So much of life and the way in which we interpret day-to-day interactions is a matter of perspective. Sometimes the best choice we can make is to take a step back and consider our current situation from a different lens.

How can you shift perspective?

Awareness

Set aside time each week to take stock and reflect on the changes you want to make and the goals you have yet to achieve. When we focus on overarching themes, challenges and daily decisions are set into their rightful place.

Evaluation

Where are you headed and are you walking in the right direction? Are you getting the results you want?

Honesty

Chores, calendar schedules, and to-do lists are great productivity tools, but they can just as easily serve as energy leaks, distracting from your most important goals.

Intention

Remind yourself what really matters. Change perspective when necessary. A different lens might help.

Be the observer

What do you see?

Opportunity or obstacle?

Loneliness or space to create?

Connection or obligation?

Necessity or investment?

Inconvenience or growth?

Pain or lesson?

Those who are against you or those who push you to do better?

The difference between success and defeat is often a matter of perspective. Track your thoughts. Record the way you see the world. It may be time for a change.

In search of health and wellbeing

An ayurvedic center in Nepal offers month-long programs for people who have fallen out of good health. Practitioners target various elements in the body believing that once balance is restored, a calmer, more peaceful state of living will be experienced. Diet, yoga, cleansing and various ayurvedic practices are incorporated into treatment plans, and participants are discouraged from engaging in unnecessary work. A strict schedule, waking at 6:00AM and sleeping by 10PM, is followed, and clients follow recommendations to detoxify and restore the body.

The center is simply decorated. Glass bottles of herbs and oils rest on a bright windowsill.

“What happens when clients leave?” I asked the owner.

“One of two things,” he replied, “They return to same challenges with new perspective, better equipped to make non-reactive decisions. Or they make significant changes after realizing their situations no longer serve them.”

I don’t think you need to spend a month in a health center to make adjustments in your life, but you do need to take an honest look at your lifestyle and what best serves you.

We all have habits we complete on autopilot. Inviting mindfulness to our days and daily activities can help us assess what changes need to be made and whether we are on the right path to health and wellbeing.