a daily blog on well-being and how to feel better by Mark Barger Elliott…

Our 4th insight from Lao Tzu invites to reflect on how and what we measure in life – fulfillment, happiness, money.  Then he guides us to consider perhaps nothing is lacking within that measurement. That in fact, what surrounds us this moment is more than enough. Tzu writes: “If you look to others for fulfillment,…

A 3rd insight from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching on how to live well equates earning respect with feeling content with yourself and who you are. To seek to compare and to compete with others, Tzu observes, usually has the opposite result. He writes: “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare…

Yesterday we began a short series on 7 insights from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching on how to live life well. The second insight is this: “Rushing into action, you fail. Trying to grasp things, you lose them. Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe.” This insight invites us to attend…

There are a few books that I reread every year as they provide perspectives on how to live one’s life. One is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. The other is Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, written over 2,500 years ago. The title – Tao Te Ching – can be translated literally as “way, powerful, classic.” The title…

I continue to marvel at the transformation of Kamala Harris from the candidate we saw in the 2020 primary to the candidate for president in 2024. From her radiant smile to confident speaking style, it is clear that she has grown over these past four years. One of my favorite insights comes from UCLA basketball…

Before Kamala Harris’ speech last night I happened upon the movie Matrix: Resurrections. A conversation occurs between a character called Bugs and a younger Morpheus where the now famous red or blue pill option is presented. Then this line was said, “The choice is an illusion, you know what to do.” Inside every choice is…