My Curious Mind Podcast: Recent Episodes
I have always been curious!
Curiosity! Eclectic mix of inquiry into world news, practical self-development and ZEN philosophy.
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Allen is a former military officer and humanitarian worker who has been witness to significant emotional events domestically and abroad. He has dealt with his own experiences of post-traumatic stress (PTS) through the application of NLP.
This is inspiring story, all the best Geoffrey
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I was asked recently, "What is Practical ZEN"? What motivates you?
Why do you think practical Zen is a powerful tool for people in their daily life?
I answer these questions in the podcast.
Zen study helps individuals develop mindfulness and an awareness of the present moment, leading to a greater sense of peace, clarity, and inner calm.
Through meditation, self-reflection, and other practices, Zen helps individuals become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and gain a better understanding of themselves and their place in the world. This increased understanding and awareness can improve decision making, reduce stress and anxiety, and foster greater personal growth and fulfillment.
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So it was with quite a surprise that I, like many, were shocked at Jacinda Ardan's resignation on January 22 as Prime Minister of New Zealand. It was a short speech and it was felt real, it felt authentic. I'm out of gas, I don't have any gas left in the tank. And yet here was a female leader who done great things for New Zealand, raised its awareness, responded to COVID well, and a mass shooting made a huge difference. What was the deeper reason?
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What are your habits?
What do you do automatically when you first get up in the morning?
How about when you are getting ready to go to work?
How are you when your routine is upset?
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Most people drop their "New Year Resolution" within 30 to 90 days! It is is easy to be tempted to write a new year resolution! Most don’t work! We have a family tradition where review the year (2022) on what we liked and did not like! And what worked, what did not work and what we want to repeat? Or never do again.
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So, what is goodwill? Imagine a piece of fabric covering the world that represents good will. In some place’s it is evident that goodwill exists.
That spontaneous help during hard times. There is a universal Christmas spirit that permeates all the others, that not even the hardest-nosed cynic complaining about commercialization can dampen.
In some parts of the world, it is evident that goodwill is becoming unraveled, in Africa, Russia, Middle East, Ukraine, and often in our own backyard.
Where conflict exists and all its results are evident. So then, how can I make a difference in this world? How can I help create goodwill and increase its' effect?
What if that was possible, goodwill all year, every single day?
For me, strengthening the fabric of goodwill is expressed in the simple act of building a company and workshops that strengthen the individual. The individual represents a single strand in the overall fabric. As each person is strengthened to express more of whom they are, we all are strengthened. It is important for freedom expression to continue, for when it is suppressed goodwill and understanding seems to disappear.
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YOUR Sticky Xmas Brain
In the UK there is served a “Christmas" dessert called sticky toffee pudding often with hot yellow custard.
Your brain simmers with activity. Different groups of neurons (nerve cells), responsible for different thoughts or perceptions, drift in and out of action.
Memory is the reactivation of a specific group of neurons, formed from persistent changes in the strength of connections between neurons. But what allows a specific combination of neurons to be reactivated over any other combination of neurons?
Each time the memory is reactivate it is added to or overlayed with the ’new’ experience or memory it does not take long for the memory to become “sticky’
Happiness
Let go of your expectations.
Live in the moment,
Don’t avoid negative emotions
Cultivate your relationships
Authenticity
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Expectations - we all expect when we turn on a light - that light floods the room. None of this is true for the people of Ukraine...
We had a wind storm in Victoria November 4th. Strong winds and heavy rain left about 330,000 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island and the mainland without power on Friday night. As of 10:30 p.m. Friday, 200,000 people were without power.
We relaxed and enjoyed an evening without power. But I realized we expect that the - banks are open - the power works - the buses run on time - the emergency room is open. That we will wake up tomorrow.
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The Empty Cup: The usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness. — Bruce Lee
There was a Japanese Zen master named Nan-in who lived during the Meiji era . During his days as a teacher, he was visited by a university professor curious about Zen.
Being polite, Nan-in served the professor a cup of tea.
As he poured, the professor’s cup became full, but Nan-in kept on pouring. As the professor watched the cup overflow, he could no longer contain himself and said, “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
Nan-in turned to the professor and said, “Like the cup, you are too full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
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While the causes of the Brexit vote were complex, the causes of the catastrophic handling of the Brexit process might be familiar to anyone versed in imperial and post-imperial history.
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My Curious Mind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to My Curious Mind at mycuriousmind.substack.com/subscribe
My Curious Mind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to My Curious Mind at mycuriousmind.substack.com/subscribe