Notes on Life: Positive Thinking, Speeding, “Flow” in Meetings, Reading with My Kids

It’s great when the things I write about and my real life converge so beautifully. Today I have a guest post up on Scott Young’s blog … I recommend you go check it out, as it’s something I originally planned to run here on Zen Habits:

The Vast, Unstatable Importance of a Positive Attitude

And while writing about the importance of a positive attitude, I had a good talk with my 8-year-old daughter, Maia, about the same topic. We bought her a book she chose for herself, but after reading a chapter or so, she decided it was too hard and she didn’t like the book.

What’s in a Name? A Take on “Zen Habits” From a Zen Monk

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Laurel Vogel (Dharma name: Dai-I Kan Ji), a Zen monk (at large), a published author and blogger at Seattlecounseling.com.

My inbox this morning was acrimoniously stirred with posts on a thread from Zen Habits that again opened the controversy of Leo Babauta’s use of the word Zen in his blog title. I know why these posts happen. People are tired of seeing great pieces of art, deep and meaningful religious experiences, and unquantifiable relationships exploited for “commercial” use. Words like “Zen” and “yoga” are held up like crystals gazed into, stripped of context and meaning, and adjusted to perfectly fit the projections of as many consumers as possible. I don’t think this is how Leo is using it though, and if you can bear with me, I’ll tell you why.

Experiments in Blogging: The Open-Source Model, Write To Done, and Other Tidbits

Today I thought I’d answer a few important questions that readers have asked me in the last few months. If you’re not interested in blogging or a slightly behind-the-scenes look at Zen Habits, you can skip this post.

I’d like to start by saying I’m not a blogging expert. I’m simply a blogger who started out with no readers, a mere 18 months ago, and has steadily grown in readership as I’ve experimented in various ways, finding out what works and what doesn’t. So, as with anything I write here at Zen Habits, I will give you some insight into what I’ve learned, but don’t look at it as the final word on anything.

My Auntie Kerry Just Died … I’ll Truly Miss Her

I just got word yesterday that my Auntie Kerry died suddenly and unexpectedly. She wasn’t old by any means — certainly younger than my mom and young enough to expect many more years with her grandkids ahead of her — and her death has been a shock and a huge blow to my family.

It’s especially difficult to comprehend, because after not seeing her for years, I was able to spend some time with her recently when she came to Guam this summer for six weeks. She just left a few days ago, and almost as soon as she got home to California, she died.

Back from Thailand … And Oh, How I Missed You All!

After almost three weeks of wandering around Thailand, eating amazing food and getting some alone time with my lovely Eva, I’m back on Guam and back here at Zen Habits!

While I had an amazing time in Thailand, and truly enjoyed the break from blogging, it’s really great to be back, and I did suffer from blogging withdrawal. Having my daily discussion with all of you turns out to be addicting.