The Illusion Of Control
Being a high-achiever is a dangerous game.
Typically children of unfair circumstances, we learned to adapt our world to our needs, a valuable skill, indeed.
As we grow older, however, the consequences of not having also learned to adapt ourselves to our world become increasingly dire.
Need proof? Just look at Elon Musk.
The very thing that brings us all the "success" we relish is the same thing that brings us all of our suffering. As we realize this, we fear what happens if we stop trying so hard.
With practice, we soften, giving blossom to a much more nourishing, sustainable, wholesome form of success.
Highlights
These are some of my clients’ favorite posts over time…
Meet Andy Wolfe
You can think of me as a gentle personal trainer for your mind.
Action And Reward
It’s undeniable that there’s more to this world, this life, this existence when one closes one's eyes to meditate — we touch into that place, that stillness, that peace, that from which everything emerges.
Reframing Self-Love As Productive
Still in a place of fear, thinking about “what if” her son doesn’t write good college essays, she said “well, if I fail at something, at least I can say I worked really hard.”
I responded, well, what if that became...
“If I fail at something, at least I can say I loved myself.”
Mindfulness Resources
Consolidated list of mindfulness resources
A Lesson In Financial Integrity From A Costa Rican Cabbie
Money is at the core of so many of our choices, fears, and…breaches in integrity.
After learning some of Pascual's joys and sorrows, I felt a growing connection. I decided to broach the income topic — I asked if he'd ever found himself in a situation where he could earn money by doing something that left him feeling uneasy. A modest smile appeared on his face…
Surrender
I'm increasingly realizing that it only takes complete willingness to step into, and stay, in the void. And then just like that, once I've fully surrendered and let go of what happens next, I'm only there for a heartbeat, before I'm reborn into something, somewhere even more beautiful and magical than I could have dreamt.
Don’t Go Back To Sleep
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.
Practical Mindfulness 🙃
An everyday tip
How To Choose A Meditation Teacher
Priorizing wellness in 2024? Here are a couple tips that may help 🙏🏻.…
Waking Up Is Scary
Waking up is scary. The ego likes being in charge. As I awaken, I increasingly realize it's not. And that's hard. So, I don't force it. I practice being with the fear, as I gaze across the abyss, into the sublime. And I thank this precious armor for keeping me safe, for protecting me from what's still too magnificent for me to fully behold.
A Quick, Simple Tip For The Holidays
Here's a quick, simple tip I've been offering to clients for navigating difficult situations over the holidays. It's one of the most valuable things I've learned over the years...if you're dreading time with a difficult family member, reframe: so many amazing opportunities to practice 🙃 anywho, hope this can be helpful for you, too!
Thanissara On Going Beyond The Walls Of Mind
In our third event, we explore the Heart Sutra, and specifically investigate dissolving the seeds of violence that arise from the creation of the “other” via separative consciousness. When we let go of this over reliance on the cognitive frame, we can find deep peace. We believe this shift allows the systemic change we so desperately need in the world, today.
Newer Client Testimonial
"I've been working with Andy for about four months and would highly recommend him to other startup founders and leaders. What I've personally appreciated most is how Andy's helped me recognize the impact of my emotional state and my feelings on the work I'm trying to do and the contributions that I'm trying to make.”
Courage
There's a fine curvy line for me between courage and recklessness. What’s the difference? There’s fear with both. For me, it’s in the intent. With courage, the intent feels wholesome. There’s a trust, faith…in nature, science, someone I respect, myself, silence. There’s curiosity, openess, a desire to learn. That’s the source of its power, for sure. With recklesness, the ego is in the driver’s seat. And it almost always (eventually) drops me into an abyss, often flat on my face!
Tired Of A Busy Mind?
Trying really hard to change, like to become happy or peaceful, attaches the mind to a state, like unhappiness or chaos, and ensures the latter. All you need to do is practice noticing and allowing what feels pleasant and unpleasant. Over time, the body-heart-mind will automatically release the hot handles of the frying pans...
Thanissara On Healing Ourselves And Our World
Our second event focuses on personal and collective healing to let go of internal narratives and patterns that no longer serve so we can be clearer conduits for the intelligence of nature. Empowered to respond from a place of greater freedom, unhindered by internalized conditioning that undermines the fullness of our energy, we can more fully embody our authentic energy to meet these times.
Thanissara On Building Resilience And Making A Difference
This event is offered to company leaders to strengthen resilience and orient towards making a difference by drawing from a unique synthesis of the primary branches of Buddhism and informed by Western therapeutic processes. This approach, cultivated by Thanissara and Kittisaro, provides a context for the practice of meditation and contemplative inquiry enabling a heart-centered life of service.
Your Power To Change The World
“You may think it's not your responsibility to drive (climate) change. You may not think that you have the power to make this happen. Both of those statements are wrong.” — Simon Stiell, Head of UN Climate Change