Dr. Rob’s 50 Ideas for Living Mindfully

Soul Ancestors by Magda Love (@magdaloveart). Clarkson St, Manhattan, NY (2018)

If it’s worth achieving, it’s worth facing difficulties and taking risks.
You never walk alone.
Develop some kind of spiritual practice, be it meditating, praying, journaling, being out in nature, or whatever you find meaningful beyond the daily chores of life.
Join in some group activities.
Stay in regular touch with people who matter to you, even if they do not reciprocate.
Slow down. Modern life pushes us to go too fast.
It’s never too late.
Always plan for the next step.
Don’t waste time complaining about things out there that you could never change.
Accept that you are not perfect.
Accept that everyone else is as imperfect as you are.
Being respected is more important than being liked.
Cherish the past, live in the moment, and hope for the future.
Helping others is helping yourself.
Clinging to “what ifs” can contribute to your unhappiness and well-being. Your past choices have brought you to where you are today. Your future choices lie ahead and will determine how you live your life from this day forward. This is all you have, so you might as well make the most of it.
When you know what you do not know, you are beginning to become wise.
We all have our private demons. We often deny them, which only increases their power over us.
A key to happiness is to know what we enjoy and seek to do more of it; know what drains us and do less of it.
Chronic pain is often the worst condition to live with. There are ways to lessen the pain. Learn about them.
The older we get, the more like ourselves we become.
As they say in Hamilton, find a way to “tell your story.”
“No” is a full sentence.
Be generous with your praise.
We all must find some way to connect to the earth.
Have a vision for the life you want to live from this point forward. Create that vision with your significant other.
We can only take others as far as we have taken ourselves.
It’s not the events that upset us; it’s how we think about those events.
We all shoot ourselves in the foot. Be aware of when you are about to do this.
Learn to focus on growing in the area of strengths rather than continually trying to overcome weaknesses.
Others may know us better than we know ourselves. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.
Laugh loud and often.
Be careful what you wish for. You just may get it—the whole kit and kaboodle.
Expressing your feelings does not mean dumping on others.
When stuck, do the tough things first and reward yourself with the fun things.
When stuck, set a timer for 20 minutes, work on what you’re stuck on, and don’t stop working until the timer goes off.
In relationships, trying to win all the arguments is inevitably a losing strategy.
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Learn to challenge your inner critic.
Practice gratitude for the precious gifts life provides.
To soothe the soul, get out in nature.
Random acts of kindness can bring big rewards to your life.
Try paying it forward in a fast food line.
Try imagining your place in the universe.
When you walk, feel your feet connect with the earth; when you love, feel your soul connect with humanity.
While few of us enjoy conflict or having difficult conversations, overcoming our aversions can be the key to success.
Cultivate optimism about yourself, your family, and the world. No one likes being around a consistently pessimistic person.
Responding to anger with anger only leads to more anger.
We all carry in us the legacy of our ancestors. Honor the thousands of generations that came before us and the DNA we share with them.
Therapy can help.
The Beatles are right; we get by with a little help from our friends.