AKA flowing, balanced, temperate, moderate, calm

  • Presence = Attention + Balance
  • Love is attention. Where you place your awareness reveals what you value.
  • Flow state = Happiness. Deep, undistracted engagement in meaningful action (“in the zone”) creates joy and satisfaction. Achieved by doing an action that is engaging (you enjoy it) and challenging
  • Balance pain and pleasure to live a good life.
  • Temperance = Disciplined Love. It’s not abstaining from stuff just for the sake of restraint or denial, discipline means fully committing to what you love so much, that you stop chasing every impulse that doesn’t serve your love.
  • Moderation is clarity. Knowing “the right amount” leads to self-control, balance, and calm—not repression, but right proportion. Moderation in all things balances with going all-in on what you truly love.
  • Wholehearted presence. Being emotionally all-in opens space for humor, surprise, and connection. Presence is the best gift you can give someone.

References

  • How to Sit by Thich Nhat Hanh.
  • How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh. Presence is the best gift you can give to another being.
  • The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, nonfiction book.
  • Flow my Mihail Cziszentmihail, the concept of peak performance when you are totally “locked in”, “dialed”, “in the zone”, which makes us happy.
  • Brene Brown talks about wholehearted living as an antidote to shame.

“Life is not a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” -Frank Herbert, Dune

“Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.” -Motto from Friday Night Lights