Open space makes us richer in what matters. Last week I wrote about how we can make 2015 better than 2014 by setting clear intentions. That's because intentions can be supple like evergreen branches, while New Year's resolutions tend to be brittle, like kindling. My intention for 2015 was/is to be of service to two family members ...
Announcing New Threads For . . . .
"Be A Giver" t-shirt. However, this is not James. I actually haven't met this man. James, a new subscriber to Diamond-Cut Life, has won a 541 Threads t-shirt, made in the U.S. James found my blog by listening to me being interviewed on Sprocket Podcast. It's great fun for me to talk with co-hosts Brock Dittus and Aaron Flores ...
Recommended: “Glimpsing Heaven”
People who are rich in what matters usually have a spiritual side. I do. It’s a sense, joyful or at least satisfying, of being connected to something greater than ourselves. Taken a step further, this connectedness doesn't end with the death of our physical bodies. It's lodged in our souls, our consciousness that doesn't just survive after physical ...
Ten Things To Happily Surrender To, Part I
Mainstream culture whispers to us that we are always supposed to win. Or it shouts this to us, with images of material riches, youth and the high-powered careers that finance material riches and the appearance, at least, of youth. But when we're rich in what matters, we surrender more than we win. Health and vitality, connection to nature, ...
Giveaway of Gladwell’s “David And Goliath”
Mainstream culture tells us that more is better, bigger is stronger, and power prevails. But those of us who are driven by values rather than profits (that would be Diamond-Cut Life's readership) know that in many cases, the opposite is true. After a certain point, more and bigger are counterproductive. And power can only prevail in the ...
The Best Thing We Can Each Build
Since starting out in 2007, Diamond-Cut Life has periodically honed and chiseled its focus. I feel like a jeweler, happily crafting ideas into posts here in my living room, like rough geodes into jewels. Last year, I recrafted my blog's subtitle from "more joy, less stuff" to "how to be rich in what matters." In 2014, I've realized that my "who" needs sharper focus, ...
Breaking Outside The Beauty Box: Review & Giveaway of “The Beauty Experiment”
Diamond-Cut Life is about being rich in what matters, like joy, creativity, loving relationships and integrity. We can grow these things in our lives, rather than, for example, buying into media-driven ideas of how we should look, and the vast number of things we should buy in order to look that way. The Beauty Experiment by Phoebe Baker ...
Five Little-Known Tips For Disaster Preparedness
The record-breaking cold in much of the U.S. reminds me that we're all vulnerable to extreme weather and disasters, and need to be prepared for them. Climate change means more of everything: drought, destructive hurricanes, heat, cold and floods. It's broader than just global warming. It’s our internal resources -- our attitude and coping skills – that ...
Review And Giveaway of “I Am Malala”
Update: this giveaway is done, but I hope the review is still helpful to you. Malala Yousafzai is a shining example of being rich in what matters. Malala would be the young education activist who was shot in the head by the Taliban. To help spread her story, I'm doing a drawing for a free copy of "I Am Malala". ...
Fun survey; How To Make A Good Decision; and more tomorrow
It's 7 p.m. and I just got home from my mountain-climbing expedition with Colleen. It was hard, and joyful -- and -- I need to clean up and reconnect with my husband now, rather than write. Tomorrow evening I will post Top Ten Tips For Climbing A Mountain (Or Doing Any Hard Thing), including photos from my adventure. In ...
