Deepak Wellbeing: Choices and Yin/Yang in 2012.

Sit down for a few minutes and reassess some of the important choices you’ve made over the years. Take a piece of paper and make two columns labeled “Good Choice” and “Bad Choice.”

Once you have your list, think of at least one good thing that came out of the bad choice and one bad thing that came out of the good choices.

This is an exercise in breaking down labels, getting more in touch with how flexible reality really is. No single decision you ever made has led in a straight line to where you find yourself now. Your life is a product of your awareness. Every choice follows from that, and so does every step of growth.

Adapted from The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 2004).

Around You: More Yang than Yin in Your Office?

A balance of yin and yang is essential for a productive office environment. When you contemplate the yin and yang in your office, you will find that most offices have a lot more yang than yin energy. Feng shui practitioners would argue that a better balance of yin and yang makes the office run more smoothly.

Yin office energy is found in fabrics, wooden furniture, textures, art, creativity, conceptual thinking, and a quiet atmosphere. Yang office energy includes electronic equipment, straight lines, reflective surfaces, aggressive business models (such as promotion and sales), deadlines, metal, and a busy atmosphere.

An office with too much yin could be unproductive while an office with too much yang energy could be stressful.

Adapted from Home Enlightenment, by Annie B. Bond (Rodale Press, 2007).