Perspective Creates Joy A Sixty-Word SZEN Story*: The joy was fading. She was working long hours every day and Bill was charged with taking care of the house. This meant cooking the meals too. Every night he served her dinner and cleaned up while she took her bath. He began to resent his role. How […]
The Power to Choose A Sixty-Word SZEN Story*: The name of the article that Bob was quoting from was “Truth and Consequences.” It was written by a famous self-help guru who taught his followers that success is totally possible, but it always has a price. It’s just that most people choose not to pay it.” […]
It Comes Down to You A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: “Should I jump?” Diane asked nobody in particular. The crowd outside was getting larger and their voices could be heard inside the walls of her home; a home she had lived in forever. Standing at the window she saw the people and heard their cheers, […]
Turn The Page A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: Each of the ornaments was wrapped carefully and put back into the box. The stuffed Santa that sat next to the fireplace found his way back into the attic to wait for another year to perform his magic. The singing Angels were silenced, the tree was dismantled and […]
Resolution Reboot I know you are all busy getting on with your new life in this New Year so I’ll keep it short. The equation for success first involves a look back at our personal wake. Who have we touched and who’s touched us this last year? And we need to ask if we’re a […]
Behind the Scenes A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: Alice’s husband had become increasingly despondent since the merger. He had been let go after many years of loyal service. Alice was getting worried he may not find work and that income from her small store would not suffice. It preyed on her mind, but as she opened […]
On Edge A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: “Cut!” shouted the director. “Listen Charles, you have to relax and not think about the whole scene, just this moment and your line. You know your line, right?” Charles nodded. “Then say it for us!” Charles looked around the room. People, equipment and so much tension in the air […]
Lingering Moments of Beauty A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: They were running late and Alex was still putting on make-up in the car. Ben was trying to will the car in front of them to move over. The air was tense and neither felt like talking. Panic was setting in. And then, they were there and […]
Setting Expectations We’ve all heard and probably used the concept of setting low expectations and then over achieving. The mind game here is that if we know we can accomplish X, then by setting the bar to X –whatever, we give ourselves a cushion to succeed. This works great in all kinds of ways. We […]
The Crossing A Sixty-Word SZEN Story: There is a point in the river that is only a hundred meters from the falls. It’s fast and the water is churning violently. It even seems sinister, almost eager to pull you in and gobble you up. But time was running out and she needed to cross. She […]