the tad principle (archives)

The T.A.D. Principle: Meditation explained in 60 seconds. (meditationSHIFT)

2014-07-03T07:24:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that this blog is archived, and we make new posts weekly on the current tad blog that is part of our website. See the link below for an index of all posts.

And, "Meditation explained in 60 seconds." was the most popular page on our site last month. It is actually closer to 40 seconds, so take a (quick) look!

Meditation explained in 60 seconds.

Index of current blog post on the tad blog.

New content on the tad blog!

2014-04-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

We now publish new content on our website blog.

This blog is an archive of activity from previous years.

To see new content, visit meditationSHIFT and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click the link for "the tad blog" - once you reach the blog, you can find an index of posts on the right sidebar.

We are also on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

tad - new website and design

2013-11-18T09:26:00.003-06:00

We've updated the tad website, and will begin publishing original content on the integrated blog. Come check us out and subscribe to receive blog posts and updates via email.

"Like" tad on Facebook.

what is t.a.d.?

Mindfulness series

2012-10-13T11:18:00.001-05:00

We did a series of Facebook posts on mindfulness, culminating with some basic instructions for a simple mindfulness exercise. Below are the links to all of the posts. "Like" the page if you find the content useful, and please feel free to share.

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Suffering and compulsive thinking

That voice in your head

Basic mindfulness instructions

Wrapping up

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what is t.a.d.?

New release - "tad - happiness revealed"

2012-08-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

We are pleased to announce the release of "tad - happiness revealed."

"tad - happiness revealed" replaces "The T.A.D. Principle", which was introduced in 2003 and became an award-winning work that helped countless people affect change for almost a decade. It will help you understand how your mind works, and how true, lasting happiness can be revealed. "tad" is structured around three core insights, five supporting insights, and over a dozen practical exercises including mindfulness practice. Together, the information presents a program that will help you understand and shed the delusions that keep you locked in a life of peaks and valleys, chasing happiness but only finding fleeting moments of fulfillment.

Visit the website for more information (and, if you purchased "The T.A.D. Principle" in the past, contact us to find out how to get the new version free of charge).

Along with this new release, we are moving posting from this blog to Facebook. This blog has been a great vehicle to communicate with readers since 2006, and we plan to leave it up for reference. Facebook will allow us to reach more people, and to expand the content from motivational quotes to short essays consistent with the information in "tad" and additional works coming out later in 2012. If you have enjoyed the blog for the past six years, we guarantee you will love us on Facebook - and, we promise not to overwhelm your "News Feed" and only provide information that will further your enlightenment!

Click here to follow us on Facebook

what is t.a.d.?

Join us on Facebook

2012-08-14T13:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a recent post from our Facebook page - we hope you will "Like" the page and follow us for more of the same!

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We are conditioned to label everything, including each other. And once you label someone – they are a “certain” religion, color, political party, sexual preference, etc. – it is easy to construct an identity for them based on what you associate with that particular label.

It is easy to rationalize bad behavior when it is directed towards a label instead of a person. It is easy to tell jokes about a label, to treat a label unfairly, to take away rights and oppress labels – to hate and accept (or propagate) violence towards labels.

Become aware of this conditioning in your life, and work to reverse the process. You are not separate and distinct from everyone else, no matter how much your ego tries to convince you that you are.

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"When this happens, I will be happy."
"When I accomplish that, I will be happy."

What is "this" and "that"? A new relationship? A new job? A house? Paying off your credit cards? Losing some weight?

Happiness exists in the present moment. If you don't realize this simple fact, you will always have a "this" and "that" between you and happiness. You will always have the hope of happiness in the future, but that future will never arrive because there will always be another "this" and "that" waiting.

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what is t.a.d.?

"Like" us on Facebook

2012-07-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some recent posts from our Facebook page - we hope you will "Like" the page and follow us for more of the same!

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A short story and a question.

The story:

A young son was building a wall for a structure on his family's property. It consisted of over a thousand bricks, but the first row had four crooked bricks that could not be fixed because the bricks above were already set.

Every day the young son would look at the wall, frustrated and unhappy because he always focused on the four crooked bricks. He became so frustrated and unhappy, that he contemplated tearing down the wall so he could rebuild it - thus, in his mind, making it perfect.

One day his father approached and complimented him on what a wonderful job he had done, and how beautiful the wall was. The son, instead of being grateful, responded "Beautiful? Look at those four bricks - they are so crooked they ruin the wall."

The father considered this, and said "I see the four crooked bricks. But I also see another thousand perfect bricks, and the wall is beautiful."

The son became aware that he was so focused on the crooked bricks, and his desire to make everything "perfect", that he didn't see the beauty of the wall he had built.

The question (actually, it's three questions):

Where is your focus, what are you judging, and how is it affecting your happiness?

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Have you ever stopped to admire a flower? There are several lessons you can learn from it – first, be present (covered in Thursday’s post). Second, drop your expectations. Does the flower stop blooming if no one notices? No, it expects nothing in return. Likewise, you should “do” without expectation of anything in return. Be compassionate. Help others. Show gratitude. How others respond, or don't respond, should not affect the nature of your actions. You should not need anyone to notice or thank you for what you do, and if you have expectations that they should, your actions aren’t selfless.

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Thought for the weekend:

"An athlete may run ten thousand miles in order to prepare for one hundred yards. Quantity gives experience." - Ray Bradbury

This quote is powerful, but even more so if you apply it to personal growth as opposed to your career, a hobby, or a sport/activity. How much time do you really spend on yourself? Compare that to the time you spend on things like television, movies, hobbies, sports, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of those activities if you enjoy them, but don't let them be a distraction from life. Spend time on "you" - self-introspection, understanding, growth of positive attributes like gratitude and compassion, developing the ability to see the similarities in your fellow man as opposed to the differences.

In 20 years you won't remember many of the distractions you get lost in day-to-day; there will just be a sense of "where did the time go?" But, you WILL remember and reap the benefits of persistent "practice" when it comes to your own growth and development.

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what is t.a.d.?

2012-06-01T06:21:00.002-05:00

"He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened."

- Lao Tzu

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-30T07:14:00.000-05:00

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

- Guillaume Apollinaire

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-28T20:33:00.001-05:00

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-24T07:07:00.000-05:00

"There is no nobility in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."

- Ernest Hemingway

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-21T08:55:00.002-05:00

"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent."

- Isaac Newton

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination."

- Carl Rogers

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

Mid-week thoughts on taking risks in life.

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-14T07:44:00.000-05:00

When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story

- Jeff Bezos

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-11T07:39:00.000-05:00

"Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them."

- Paramahansa Yogananda

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

“They say things happen for a reason...you don't do them, they won't. ”

Donavon Frankenreiter

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

"Man sows a thought and reaps an action. He sows an action and reaps a habit. He sows a habit and reaps a character. He sows a character and reaps a destiny."

- Sri Swami Sivananda

what is t.a.d.?

2012-05-03T07:51:00.000-05:00

note - if you find the image hard to read, here is a link to a bigger version.

Fun and insight for a Thursday! 25 Dr. Seuss quotes that can change your life.

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

"There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing."

- Denis Waitley

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-27T07:46:00.001-05:00

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place ? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know."

- Rene Daumal

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-25T14:51:00.001-05:00

"Never stop because you are afraid - you are never so likely to be wrong."

- Fridtjof Nansen

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-23T07:48:00.000-05:00

"There is no limit to what a man can achieve as long as he doesn't care who get's the credit"

- Bob Woodruff

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-20T07:24:00.000-05:00

‎"Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure."

- Benjamin Disraeli

what is t.a.d.?

2012-04-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

"You must work and do good, not be lazy and gamble, if you wish to earn happiness. Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction."

- Anne Frank

what is t.a.d.?