Here's to stillness and light in our lives

As we embark on new journeys and experiences in 2017, here are a few articles that I hope will add value.

How can we build a more joyful life? Katherine Ellen Foley kept a happiness jar for a year to get data on what really brought her joy. 

"In January of this year, I put a little vase, a stack of notecards, and a collection of colorful pens on my breakfast table. In front of the vase, I folded another notecard that reads, “KEF’s 2016 Jar of Happiness. I made a point of recording every time I felt overwhelmingly happy, confident, and at peace, and what made me feel that way—just a sentence fragment or two and the date."

Here is what she learnt: https://qz.com/859269/i-kept-a-happiness-jar-for-a-year-to-get-data-on-what-really-brings-me-joy/?utm_source=qzfb

Rachel Aviv writes about the philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s far-reaching ideas that illuminate the often ignored elements of human life—aging, inequality, emotion in the New Yorker: https://bit.ly/2ar4quF

Paul Graham, in his short essay, reflects on the shortness of life and how to make the best of it: "Life is short. Relentlessly prune bullshit, don't wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have." https://paulgraham.com/vb.html

In his University of Illinois commencement address, Jeff Huber talks about what really matters, and the need for us to 'Find a Better Way' bit.ly/23SLKY4

I will end with a quote by Lynn Thomson about birdwatching that resonates for me: 

“I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence - that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light.” 

Here's to stillness and light in our lives.