The picture you paint in your mind as you read the words I arrange is the art we create together
I help busy people do inner work.
Month: August 2021
The first Everybody knows of Dreams of Lusts over Forever plans for That reveals small pockets During hard to find time It’s the second The less talked about The less sexy The kind that happens From the confines of a chair That reveals entirety During time that's always been there
What some people can do to stay fit isn’t what you might have to do to stay fit.
Remember this when others are:
- Eating what you won’t
- Skipping workouts when you can’t
- Drinking what you shouldn’t
- Choosing lethargy when you couldn’t
It’s easy to want to respond with resentment, envy, jealousy, even hatred.
This does nothing, however, for your fitness or mental health.
And that which doesn’t serve you, shouldn’t be served up by you.
Harder would be to respond with curiosity, strength, willpower, even love.
Love for the challenge; love for the insight; love for the connection; love for the growth.
Those who get it easy don’t get the depth that comes from overcoming the hard.
The white statue is what the sculpture will look like when it’s done.
The mountain in the distance is the progress that has been made so far.
…Over the course of 73 years.
The original sculptor has passed.
But so has his dream of carving Crazy Horse into the side of this mountain.
Many are still working to finish this colossal, unfinished sculpture. And there is no estimated completion time.
But, the idea of working towards the completion of something bigger than yourself, that quite possibly won’t be done in your lifetime, that will dwarf all other sculptures in the world…
Is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Don’t be stubborn with your dreams.
Cultivate a vision that captures the imaginations of many. That way, even if you fall short or your time expires before you’re done, your dream can carry on.
The best teacher in life is experience.
…Wrong.
The best teacher in life is, and can only ever be, you.
Experience is merely newly presented knowledge. Just like a simple Google search.
And having knowledge in front of you (or at your finger tips) has no impact on the mind.
Knowledge ungrasped is the same as knowledge unknown.
The best teacher is the curious mind—the undeniable force that actively grasps the surrounding knowledge and infuses it with the mind.
Without that force, the talents of the teacher are irrelevant; experiences are irrelevant; access to the internet is irrelevant.
Because having access to knowledge was never the issue in the connection age.
It’s the lack of curiosity that only ever holds us back.
If I wanted to balance a long stick on just one finger, I would use trial and error.
I would guess and place my finger at a center point, catch it when (if) it tipped, readjust my finger, and repeat until I had it.
If you want to maintain your emotional center, following the same, simple formula might help.
First, get a gauge on which emotional direction you’re tipping. Then, identify the emotional opposite. And, like when you’re trying to balance a long stick on your finger, adjust until you find equilibrium. Some examples:
- When you find yourself tipping towards anger, balance yourself out with good humor.
- When you’re tipping towards frustration, balance in sources of satisfaction.
- When you’re feeling sad and gloomy, incorporate some sources of joy and good cheer.
But, not too much of the opposite, of course, because then you’ll tip in that direction instead.
Having too much of a good thing can cause you to emotionally lose balance all the same.
As Aristotle famously suggested, shoot for the mean between extremes.
Where you’re neither overly sensitive nor senseless, but aligned, aware, and at peace.