Mindful Moments with David Larbi

Episode 60, our 6th Q&A episode! Thank you so much for all the kindness, community and feedback during these last ten episodes. It is my great joy to share my thoughts and experiences with you, and for you to share yours with me. I will be taking a short break from now but we’ll be back before you know it. Take care of yourselves, thank you for listening and thank you for being here! Hosted on...

To encourage and to be encouraged is a wonderful thing. It’s in the word itself - to hear positive affirmations from external voices en genders courage within us and helps us to keep pursuing the things that we need strength to pursue. Whenever I can, I give encouraging words when I have them. Better in someone else’s ears than in my head! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

All I have to do to be the version of myself I want to be, is pretend that I am and act like I am until I am. Logistically it’s simple but emotionally, it’s anything but. To act like the best versions of ourselves when we don’t feel like we are, brings feelings of inadequacy to the surface. We are more than adequate, and must act as such until evidence proves us correct. Fake it so you make it! Ho...

When we start something that we’re not yet good at, it’s easy to become demoralised at a time where, really, we should be giving ourselves the most leeway and having the most fun! It’s inevitable that we aren’t the finished product when we first start something new. Without our efforts now, as we are, we never will be. The value of starting is worth a thousand intentions not acted on. Enjoy the sm...

After our busiest moments and biggest achievements, there is an inevitable calming of the waters. Sometimes this calm can feel too quiet, too still, to the point of making us overthink or feel spurred to action just to fill the space. The periods of stillness where we feel not much is happening are often more valuable than we realise as they are happening. In stillness there is rest, time to proce...

It’s important to have a good balance between pushing ourselves and encouraging ourselves. I have found myself wanting in the latter, so recently I have been making it a conscious practice to express positive things about myself aloud at the end of each day, just to remind myself of all I’m doing for my present and future selves. Life is hard enough - it’s important we know how to speak kindly to...

Sometimes when I have one too many difficult days in a row (or just one difficult day full stop!), my circumstances seem all-encompassing - that is when I need to zoom out and see that in the bigger picture, this moment is temporary. Sometimes I have so much to do in the grand scheme of things that I feel stuck, frozen - that is when I need to zoom in to the moment at hand and see that all I ever...

The difficult thing about doing our best, other than how demanding it can be, is navigating how different our ‘best’ can look at any given time. To be able to look at ourselves, see our efforts and know we’ve given everything we can to the things we know are important, is no small feat. To do so consistently is something to be extremely proud of - I hope you are. Even if we fall short sometimes, i...

When I was young I was always told, ‘if you’re going to do something, do it properly’. A phrase which once felt burdensome, is now a huge liberator in my life. Not only does it remind me to choose my responsibilities with care, it helps me to always give my best even when it feels difficult to do so, because the effort I put into things is always important - even more so when I don’t feel like it....

Fall asleep to the description of falling asleep in the back of a car, with accompanying gentle ambient sounds. I hope this brings you peace and calm. (Story begins at 05:15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are times in life when we need to push ourselves to do the things we want to do or become the things we want to be. How do we do this, navigate the inevitable discomfort, in a way that’s still kind and healthy for ourselves? For me, the distinction is in being strict with myself rather than being hard on myself - pushing myself in moments to overcome momentary discomfort in service of a grea...

Episode 50! Half a century of episodes! Thank you for every second of the time you’ve spent here with me. Thank you for your encouragement, support, understanding and feedback at every stage of this creative journey. I love making these episodes and will keep doing so as long as they are wanted. Happy listening, and here’s to 50 episodes of Mindful Moments! Reading List: https://www.instagram.com/...

Life isn’t perfect - a fact I accept in theory. In practise, however, I’m quick to be hard on myself when I feel like I’m not meeting my own standards in every area of my life all at once. What’s most important during times like this, is understanding that I can’t always apply 100% to everything at the same time. It’s okay to simply stay within touching distance of my ideal level so when I have ca...

Change is not easy - to make, or to maintain. Knowing this, it’s important that we make changes with patience and care for ourselves. Doing so means we will gain all the benefits of that change, with the reassurance that we have are well equipped to make those changes stick! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we enter a space of feeling better after a long time of feeling down, it can take effort to stay there - an effort that can feel unfamiliar and difficult, especially if we’ve grown used to feeling down. In the same way as any new skill, practicing the things that make us feel better is something that takes time and effort. Give yourself time and patience, but don’t stop in your efforts to fee...

Sometimes, when doing the things I have to do, I feel like I have no choice. Feeling that way makes me feel resentful and powerless, so I try to remind myself that though I may not like my options sometimes, I always have some kind of choice. If I’m not happy in a situation and feel like the options I have aren’t good ones, all I can do is make the choices that I feel will give me better options a...

I have written my first book! I wasn’t able to talk about it during the process of writing, so this episode has been a long time coming. From writing the proposal to finishing the book itself, I wanted to share the whole journey with you. My book is called ‘Frequently Happy’ and you can find it wherever you buy your books - you could even type ‘David Larbi Frequently Happy’ into any search engine...

I’ve been struggling a little bit recently. Nothing dramatic, no cause for concern, just one of those periods where everything feels a bit much and I feel myself coming up frustratingly short in areas I’ve worked hard at being better in. It’s important during times like these to remember that the lessons I’ve learnt and strength I’ve built hasn’t gone anywhere - I just need to be good to myself un...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes it can be easier to sit in the safety blanket of a perfect idea and let the intrinsic pleasure of imagination keep us warm. It takes work and courage to bring ideas to life in their fullness, but that’s an effort worth making. Ideas become even richer when we bring them to life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back! I took an unscheduled and unexpected break from the podcast for health reasons, but I feel rested, recovered and very, very happy to be back with you. During the past few months I’ve really had to rely on my support network and rely on some of the things I find most challenging - vocalising my needs and asking for help. This year has been a lesson in letting myself rely on people and...

Another Q&A Episode, as is tradition every tenth episode! As ever, I chose the questions that I feel best positioned to answer according to life right now - I hope my answers are well-received and of value. As ever, thank you for being here and thank you for listening. Here’s to the next ten episodes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to tackling tasks I know will likely bring discomfort, I can find it difficult to get out of my head and into gear. Sometimes, though, that’s all that’s left to do. We can only think so much before doing, and sometimes difficulty is far greater in the hypothesis than in reality. It’s up to me to act, then deal with any difficulties as they arise rather than letting hypothetical diffi...

When encountering familiar difficulties which we’ve overcome before, it can feel frustrating that we’re finding the same things difficult once more. It causes me to question my own growth and progress. Some things, however, are simply difficult in nature. To struggle with the same things does not mean we haven’t grown, it’s simply indicative of life’s changing nature. We can find the same things d...

Sometimes, good things come to an end. Things being fleeting can make them precious; good things don’t have to last forever for them to have the impact they need to. They still resonate into the future, and are always worth experiencing even if they don’t last as long as we hoped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.