Wholesome Wednesdays (WW): Bringing you curated positive content on Wednesdays to uplift your hump day.
Be humble. Don’t claim credit. Heard this at work or during projects? How often do we undermine ourselves at work and amongst friends? Here are two stories today to help you take credit when it is due and how to remove hesistance
1. I don’t deserve it, other people do much more.
2. Interrupting your what ifs
I don’t deserve it, other people do much more.
Cr: Unsplash
What’s going on here & Why we like it
Ajahn Brahm, a famous Buddhist monk, shares his personal experience of refuting praise as a norm and his further reflections on it. We have time-stamped the segment on this talk for those busy folks! In Asian societies, taking credit can be frowned upon and we sometimes feel devalued. Ajahn Brahm reminds us to celebrate our wins and have a little fun
“I was saying no. I don’t deserve it, other people do much more than me….I realised I deserved that and that changed me. I started to realise how often we refuse praise and how wonderful it is when we accept praise”
Wise Steps
Taking in praise enables us to strive harder and be worthy of future praises. Take in the little wins of life that makes you smile!
Mel Robbins, a famous podcaster, shares how we can overcome resistance and a ruminating mind that keeps playing through our what-ifs. We like it because we are often paralysed by the prospect of failures and do not see the possibilities. Comfort can become a place that holds us back from reaching out towards a brighter and happier life.
“What if it all works out? What if this turns out to be the hardest thing I do but the best decision I’ve made.”
Wise Steps
When was the last time you placed a bet on yourself and not what others said? Try Mel’s technique of replacing the critic within with something more supportive.
Wholesome Wednesdays (WW): Bringing you curated positive content on Wednesdays to uplift your hump day.
Today, we look at two stories with the theme of endings. One talks about how we might inevitably kill our self-confidence. The other talks about our unwillingness to face the uncertainty of death.
1. Here’s how we unwittingly devalue our accomplishments
2. The dying fish fighting over water and the lessons we can learn
Here’s how we unwittingly devalue our accomplishments
Unsplash
What’s going on here
Liz and Mollie, a famous Instagram page for doodles, shares a poignant image of how we shatter our confidence just by simply scrolling through social media. The caption provides greater reflection for those of us who consume social media before we get out of bed in the morning.
Why we like it
This post reminds us of how we can do a disservice to ourselves by scrolling through social media. We often try to use social media to distract us from boredom…only to find ourselves feeling guilty for not moving fast enough/being good enough/being smart enough. This image is an easy reminder to not over-scroll on Instagram.
“If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling and self-loathing, remember that we usually only get to see people’s highlight reels.”
Wise Steps
Set an Instagram timer using its settings to make you pause through your scrolling. This prevents you from going into a loop of self-loathing.
The dying fish fighting over water and the lessons we can learn
Unsplash
What’s going on here
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, a monk famous for translating loads of suttas into English & his uber-low voice, talks about how the impermanence of life can really motivate us to be better people. You could die today, are you ready to go? This 12 mins talk reminds us that if we don’t pull our act together, no one is gonna do it for us.
Why we like it
Venerable Thanissaro challenged us to look at our minds right now, and see if we are like fish fighting in a pond that is being drained of water. His calm narration would lure you back to reality and see what is truly important. This talk reminds us of how things are uncertain and how we can’t control our bodies & health.
“The world is drying up and the fishes are beating each other for whatever water is left.”
Wise Steps
Contemplating the impermanence of life can ground us in the present moment and guide us to prioritise the things that matter most in life. There is work to be done and we can’t be complacent.
Wholesome Wednesdays (WW): Bringing you curated positive content on Wednesdays to uplift your hump day.
We often talk about finding love. However, it is rare to talk about how we can maintain love. With Valentine’s Day just flying pass us, how do we maintain relationships? (Clue: It has nothing to do with creating catchy couple hashtags). Here are two stories we have got for you today!
1. How to not screw up your relationship with poor communication
2. Overthinking? This horse’s advice might help you
How to not screw up your relationship with poor communication
Unsplash: Poor Communication
What’s going on here
Nawal, an Instagrammer who talks about neurology, shares four ways we can screw up our relationships by communicating wrongly. Avoid the four horsemen: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. Use the antidotes she recommends!
Why we like it
Nawal places the 4 things to avoid in a relationship in a very accessible manner with the solutions to them. We all have tendencies to fall into one of these traps especially when talking about difficult topics in a relationship/friendship. Don’t kick the can down the road and engage mindfully and holistically!
“When the conflict becomes too much to handle, people might fade out of the conversation by turning away, staying quiet, replying with one word, or completely ignoring the partner. This is ineffective because it’s an evasive response where no problems are solved.”
Wise Steps
Be very mindful of any of these horsemen in your relationships. Capture them before they capture you
2. Overthinking? This horse’s advice might help you
Unsplash
What’s going on here
A Grenfell Firefighter shares how he overcomes overthinking by borrowing a quote from The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse. He shares how that quote helps us to shift from a huge far-away goal towards our next step.
Why we like it
“Think long term!” can sometimes be jarring advice as we navigate an uncertain world. This Tiktok video helps us to prioritise what matters now and reduce the overthinkers in us.
“We look at how long a journey it is and feel overwhelmed. Instead of thinking of that. Just go right, I am not going to worry about that because that will come”
Wise Steps
Sometimes we tend to tie our self worth to huge outcomes, crippling us from taking the first step. Maybe just start by taking the steps ahead of us!
Wholesome Wednesdays (WW): Bringing you curated positive content on Wednesdays to uplift your hump day.
Famous Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who taught Dhamma to many in Europe/USA, has passed. We share one snippet story in his exemplary life. Here is one of his many quotes that he shared towards the end of his life:
“Please do not build a stupa for me. Please do not put my ashes in a vase, lock me inside and limit who I am. I know this will be difficult for some of you. If you must build a stupa though, please make sure that you put a sign on it that says, ‘I am not in here.’ In addition, you can also put another sign that says, ‘I am not out there either,’ and a third sign that says, ‘If I am anywhere, it is in your mindful breathing and in your peaceful steps.”‘
Life is fleeting, may we strive on with diligence!
—-
2 stories for you today!
1.Two religious people meet from different spiritual paths…what happens next?
2.How we grow our empathy at work and at home?
A famous pastor & monk meet. Here’s what happened next.
Geneva, May 1967
What’s going on here
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen monk, recollects his meeting with Martin Luther King (MLK) and how Thich Nhat Hanh was inspired by the meeting. They eventually signed a statement to recognise the need for peace in Vietnam.
Why we like it
Holy people from other paths can inspire us only if we are open to seeing their goodness. While both are from vastly different spiritual traditions, they connected deeply to the goodness of humanity. This short article summarises why MLK was inspiring and how these two men found similarities between them.
Our enemy is not outside of us. Our true enemy is the anger, hatred, and discrimination that is found in the hearts and minds of man.
Wise Steps
We can always choose to see ‘us’ in ‘others’. Opening up our receptiveness to other beliefs can open us up to different sources of inspiration
Side note: We also watched one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s films, read the review here!
Empathy is more than ‘active listening’. Here is what it is and is not.
Unsplash
What’s going on here
@gwenlynewrites , an Instagram writer, shares 3 lessons on empathy she learned from work-life. She shares how we can integrate empathy into all our conversations and become better people!
Why we like it
It is a short but powerful carousel post on what empathy is and isn’t. We particularly like how some of the preconceived ideas of empathy were debunked by the author such as active listening and ‘putting yourself in someone’s shoe’
“Empathy isn’t just active listening. Empathy is also about appreciation”
Wise Steps
Don’t just active listen and paraphrase what the speaker says. Appreciate them for their courage to share. Don’t assume their situation, be ready to listen and not advise.
