The Astonishing Light of Your Own Being

Send us Fan MailLife has a way of getting lifely — and this episode was born right in the middle of mine. In Episode 208, I get personal about a season that brought me to stillness, to my car, to my breath — and ultimately, to a word that changed everything for me this year. If you have ever found yourself waiting for the perfect moment to start again, or wondering if the hard thing you are going through has any light in it at all, this episode is for you. Come as you are. Start where you are. That is always enough.From a beloved novel to a spontaneous act of love from my son, from peer-reviewed science to a 14th century poet — I weave together the stories, the research, and the reminders that the light within you has never gone out. It may be quiet. It may be flickering. But it is there, and it has been there your whole life. I hope this episode helps you see it.Quote of the week: "I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being." — Hafiz of ShirazFina's 2025 Reading ListThe 48 Laws of Power — Robert GreeneThe Prince — Niccolò MachiavelliThe Art of War — Sun TzuQuotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung — Mao ZedongRight Thing Right Now — Ryan HolidayAwaken the Giant Within — Tony RobbinsThe Big Leap — Gay HendricksEmotional Intelligence — Bradberry & GreavesA Return to Love — Marianne WilliamsonNo Mud No Lotus — Thich Nhat HanhTao Te Ching — Translated by Stephen MitchellMindful Investor — Maria GonzalezEducated — Tara WestoverSlaughterhouse-Five — Kurt Vonnegut1929 — Andrew Ross SorkinBooks ReferencedDoerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner, 2014.Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press, 1959.Greene, Robert. The 48 Laws of Power. Viking Press, 1998.Holiday, Ryan. The Obstacle Is the Way. Portfolio/Penguin, 2014.Hanh, Thich Nhat. Mud and Lotus. Parallax Press.Westover, Tara. Educated. Random House, 2018.Peer-Reviewed ResearchCunha, L.F., et al. "Positive Psychology and Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 10, March 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00584Martínez-Martí, M.L., et al. "The Effects of Gratitude Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10393216/Lundman, B., et al. "Inner Strength — A Systematic Review of Qualitative Empirical Studies." PubMed Central,1990–2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12375945/Holmedal Byrne & Gustafsson. "Resilience Theory: Core Concepts and Research Insights." Cited in Positive Psychology, 2024. https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-theory/PoetryHafiz of Shiraz. "I Wish I Could Show You." 14th century. English translation widely attributed to Daniel Ladinsky, The Gift, Penguin Compass, 1999.MediaAll the Light We Cannot See. Netflix series, 2023. Directed by Shawn Levy. Based on the novel by Anthony Doerr.Let’s go, let’s get it done.Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org