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Month: January 2024

Lighten Your Load

Published on January 31, 2024

We spend so much of our time collecting, gathering, purchasing… hoarding.

It’s no wonder life feels heavy at times.

…What might life look like if we spent more of our time donating, gifting, selling… detaching?

Lighter is a highly underrated, not talked about enough strategy for living.

What most of us are doing is rucking through life, exhausting ourselves, and rather than looking for ways to lighten our loads—we counterproductively and somewhat obsessively look for ways we can add more weight to what we’re already carrying.

…Often disguised as luxury goods, status upgrades, hyper convenience, even more comfortable, and retail therapy.

I’m convinced there’s a direct connection between the amount of stuff we have / are responsible for and the weight we feel on our shoulders.

Maybe if we shifted our focus from what we can add that’ll make our load feel lighter… to what we might remove from what we’re already carrying… we might actually get to ruck… lighter.

P.s. 12 Minimalist Quotes from Everything That Remains by The Minimalists

Your Life’s Light

Published on January 30, 2024

I found myself feeling really inspired by this apparent journal entry that I stumbled upon on Pinterest this morning:

…And not even because of anything written (although the “note to self” piece is pretty damn good)—but, because of the effort and aesthetic and how… human it is.

And the thought that immediately popped to mind when I saw it was… imagine journaling like this every day of your life…

Imagine the memories you’d have lifetime access to…

Imagine the feelings you’d be able to not only process faster, but get to revisit and reflect on…

Imagine the legacy of life you’d get to leave behind for those who come after…

The reality is… eventually… all of our memories will fade to black.

And only the ripples of our actions will survive.

A journal not only helps us understand our ripples by helping us understand ourselves (so we can deliberately create better or more aligned ripples)… but it leaves behind a small light for other people to find…

…A light into the mind, memories, and inner workings of a fellow life traveler.

…Where there otherwise would’ve only been black.

P.s. If you like picture quotes, I curate and publish fresh finds each day on MoveMe Quotes here and Pinterest here.

Fulfillment via Work

Published on January 29, 2024

I don’t think not doing work is an option.

We can only go so long satisfying short-term pleasures before we regress physiologically to the point of misery and wonder somewhat incessantly what the point of it all is.

See what work does is offer us a path towards growth and contribution. Two fundamental components of feeling fulfillment in life.

Growth because it equals life. The opposite means we’re heading for decay and death.

Contribution because we are social creatures. And doing good for others is good for us.

Now, if the work you’re doing isn’t satisfying at least one of those components, then maybe it’s time to start investing in work that does.

Which isn’t to say you should quit your work altogether and “follow your passions” per se.

It’s simply to say start investing time and energy into 1) figuring out what type of work would fulfill you and cover the costs of living and 2) building skills that make you more valuable / hirable in that space.

If you keep doing unfulfilling work and you’re making no additional investments in yourself or your future work… and your goal is to just get to a point where you don’t have to work anymore—I think you’re on a path of misery. For now and for later.

But, if you’re constantly looking for ways you can better utilize your talents, build more skills, and help more people—beyond just what you’re getting paid to do (bonus points if it’s all aligned)… I think you’re on a path of fulfillment.

P.s. Why “follow your passion” is bad advice.

Initiating Kindness

Published on January 28, 2024

It’s easy to do kindness after you’ve been acted kindly to.

But, it takes a real one to do kindness when you’ve had someone act the opposite to you.

What we need aren’t more people who can wait for kindness to happen to them so they can then pay it forward.

What we need are more people who can initiate kindness when nobody is talking about it… when only the opposite is on display… when curveballs galore are wrecking everybody’s day.

Because it’s then—precisely then—when kindness is needed most.

P.s. 101 Acts of Kindness To Help Recalibrate The World

How I Wish I Met You [Poem]

Published on January 27, 2024

How tragic
for someone
who would’ve loved
the unfiltered
uncompromised
untainted
version of you

to meet

a version
filtered, compromised, tainted
all because
you were busy
trying to fit in
trying to find courage
trying to be…

someone else.

P.s. You can read my other poems here.

Honor System

Published on January 26, 2024

When I play pickup basketball, there are no refs. Which means the rules are enforced based on the honor system and are all up for debate.

This creates a type of character reveal environment.

When you’re driving to the rim and get whacked a few times by a defender and they don’t call a foul—you remember that.

When you see clearly who the ball went out of bounds by and see them clearly argue against it—you remember that.

When you’re trying to get open for a play, but get inconspicuously held, tripped, or otherwise played dirty—you remember that.

Worth mentioning here that in some situations, it actually makes sense to foul.

The point I want to make isn’t about the fouling per se—you can strategically and respectfully foul—it’s about the character reveal.

One of the guys I play with happens to be a real estate agent.

…Who also happens to be one of the most honest, clean players on the court. Even in situations where it’s unclear who’s at fault—he’ll take blame without hesitation.

And while this might not lead to more immediate points for his team… guess what it does lead to?

Trust in who he is as a person.

And if/when I’m looking to buy a house—guess who I’m going to remember as being an honest/ clean playing guy who also happens to sell houses?

That guy.

…Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

Sometimes we fight so hard to win the immediate game that we forget about the grander game being played.

P.s. Today is the 4 year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. Remember some of his legacy here.

Stop Fighting For Access To Your Own Energy

Published on January 25, 2024

Boundaries are the walls of your cup that allow you to keep precious energy in.

No boundaries, no walls; no walls, no way to keep energy in.

…And the byproduct is energy overflowing everywhere, up and out from the source of your being, and left up for grabs to whoever is willing to take it—yourself included in that fight.

Fighting for access to your own energy is no way to live.

And if, in fact, you feel like you haven’t had much energy for life, it probably isn’t so much an energy problem as it is a boundary problem. More caffeine, for example, only adds to the overflowing-up-for-grabs-energy that enters the fighting arena.

Construct walls around your energy.

Build up the outer perimeter of your cup.

And stop leaving your life source up for grabs.

Serve yourself a fine cup of that tasty, juicy life energy first and foremost and deliberately choose who you’d like to serve the rest to, second.

This is the way.

The opposite only gives life to the ones who usually deserve it the least—the takers, the manipulators, the narcissists, etc.

Starve them of your life energy and let the source of their power slowly die.

P.s. I also published: The Ultimate Boundary Builder List – 101 Quotes On Boundaries To Take You From Zero to Boundary Hero