Henriette – Page 10 – Henriette Nolte

Where are you trying to get to?

Posted on June 30, 2023January 27, 2025 by Henriette 1 Comment

It seems like all of us, collectively and individually, are trying to get somewhere. But I don’t know if we know where or what the destination is.

The other day I saw a person overtake four or five cars because the car at the front of the line was driving very slowly. This was on a Sunday and I remember thinking, Where are you trying to get to? Truthfully, that wasn’t the only thing that went through my mind. I was the one in the oncoming lane, and so, I was also momentarily taken in by my own anger. Who knows how much time that person eventually saved by rushing, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. Does it make up for the carelessness though?

Cast Away: The journey was the destination

Posted on June 23, 2023January 29, 2024 by Henriette

Cast Away is an old movie but one of my favourites. I wanted to write a post about it because it’s one of those movies that you can return to again and again and still find something inspiring and significant. Note this post discusses the movie, so it contains spoilers.

The Difficulty With Grief

Posted on June 21, 2023February 15, 2024 by Henriette

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about grief. I wanted to write that post as a reminder to myself that there’s always a sense of relief when you’ve processed through deep grief. But working through grief is also really difficult. When you’re in it, there’s a sense of deep hopelessness that permeates every aspect of your life. From the space of being grief-stricken it doesn’t seem like anything will ever be better again.

Intelligence (IQ) is not fixed

Posted on June 19, 2023February 15, 2024 by Henriette

I’ve always felt that intelligence is not quite fixed. Yet, over the years, I’ve encountered a lot of people who believed differently. Some of them vehemently disagree with the idea that you can increase your intelligence even though neuroplasticity would indicate that there is at least some validity to becoming smarter through practice.

Recognise Rushing

Posted on June 16, 2023February 15, 2024 by Henriette

Rushing can be such a default state for me that I sometimes don’t realise that I’m in it. I still have days that I have to bring repeated awareness to my rushing. Recognising rushing does diminish the intensity of the feeling to some degree.

A Great Story Idea—A Blessing Or A Burden?

Posted on June 14, 2023April 4, 2024 by Henriette

Sometimes having a great idea for a story can be both a blessing and a burden. The blessing is that a great idea immediately sparks interest and curiosity in the reader. The burden is that it sets an expectation that has to be fulfilled. You don’t have to do as much to get a reader to start reading a story that is based on an interesting idea. The challenge will be to get them to keep reading.

Living skillfully

Posted on June 12, 2023January 29, 2024 by Henriette

I like the Buddhist idea of living skillfully. The word skillful isn’t weighed down by dogma. It doesn’t have religious baggage associated with it. Also, most people will have a general idea of what it means. A skillful cook prepares tasty food. In the mindfulness context, we are skillful when we can recognise unhelpful emotional states and disengage from it. We’re skillful when we can recognise our own endless wanting and withdraw from that. We’re skillful when we’re kind and gentle. We’re skillful when we’re free from the psychological suffering associated with excessive thinking and worrying. This idea implies that living well is a skill that we can cultivate through practice. It’s something that everyone can learn to do.

Grief

Posted on June 9, 2023January 29, 2024 by Henriette 1 Comment

Working through grief can be a very long process. This is made worse by the fact that it doesn’t feel like there’s an end to the process. When you’re deep in grief you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it doesn’t seem possible that you will ever feel better.

But one day the grief will lift. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Grief is a sacred process that can help us become more of who we truly are. We should not rush this process or wish it away. Easier said than done, true, but integration goes hand in hand with acceptance—allowing whatever is there to be felt.

Fear is a Motivator—But the Wrong Foundation

Posted on June 7, 2023February 15, 2024 by Henriette

In the past, I’ve often been motivated by fear or worry. Worry about health. Suddenly eat better for a few days. Worry about a deadline. Work to exhaustion. Worry about passing a test. Cram for hours the day before. Fear tends to get us going on some level, but it makes a terrible foundation.

The Most Important Thing

Posted on June 5, 2023January 29, 2024 by Henriette

The reason why I write about emotional processing and mindfulness on my blog is because I believe it’s one of the most important things we can invest in, for ourselves, and those around us. It’s foundational. Also related to this is trauma work. I believe trauma work is an unexploited goldmine. Not in a monetary sense necessarily—but in the sense that if we really want to see progress in our own lives and in the world around us, resolving old traumas becomes exceptionally important. All of these things: mindfulness, emotional work and trauma work goes hand in hand in my view. We need to invest time and effort into it to become more calm and centred.

Author: Henriette