Things I heard others say while on vacation that bear repeating:
“Living in paradise is no paradise if you don’t have the ones you love to share it with.”
“When I’m browsing books, I open to a random page, read that page, and if it makes me want to read the next page, I buy the book.”
“Everything will be okay in the end. And if it isn’t okay… it isn’t the end.“
P.s. This was my vacation reflection from Sunday, April 23, 2023.
When you watch a really great DJ play a live set, you see a beautiful balance worth emulating.
They’ll put their headphones on and focus intensely on the next track—keenly preparing for what’s to come and how to transition most brilliantly.
And then—and this is where most of us miss—when the transition is about to happen, they take their headphones off, grab the audience by the hand, and jump, pump, and JAM OUT as they celebrate the byproduct of their work.
Focus on preparing the whole time and you miss moments worth celebrating. Jump, pump, and jam the whole time and you won’t be DJing at all—you’ll be playing someone else’s track.
Get this balance right… of putting your life energy into your work and then celebrating key moments along the way… and you’ll unlock a level of life fulfillment that’s worth raving about.
P.s. I was on vacation this past weekend which is why I haven’t published my daily writings—but that doesn’t mean I didn’t write. This was my reflection from Saturday, April 22, 2023.
Oftentimes, my best writing comes from situations when I’m not thinking about writing (or what to write) at all.
I just open myself up to new experiences, new people, new perspectives, etc… and let curiosity guide the pen across my mind.
Inner work prompt: How long have you been following the same general routine? When was the last time you were uncharacteristically spontaneous? Can you do or plan something now?
There are zero pictures of me at my worst.
Why? Because I either refused to have them taken or destroyed them.
This is not the way.
It’s important to appreciate each stage of the journey.
Even the stages when you feel awful, ugly, stupid, hopeless, and/or unloveable. Buried deep within all that heaviness is an all-powerful, infinitely-renewable energy source that can propel you forward in ways unimaginable to the person who has only been granted lightness.
Lightness is an ideal—yes.
But, heaviness is an incredible tool.
And those who arrive at lightness through heaviness—feel raw lightness in a way that others only know how to take for granted.
And lightness taken for granted isn’t lightness experienced at all.
P.s. In Meditation #4 of The Art of Forward, I share a very similar concept as the one above titled, “The Ocean of Emotion Within.” Here’s a link to that meditation for free. :)
Anecdotes for Success is a storytelling based podcast that highlights life experiences to help listeners level up and live their best lives.
In this episode, I share highlights of my story. We talk about martial arts, character development, business philosophy, teaching strategies, overcoming imposter syndrome, and more—all in about 53 minutes.
Hopefully, some of what’s shared will help you level up and/or live your life in a better way. Enjoy :)
P.s. You can listen to other podcast episodes I’ve appeared on here.