Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Due Diligence

Published on July 16, 2024

“You’re the first person to tell me they have another company coming to give an estimate in over two months of doing this with 70+ orders per week…”

This is what a sales associate told me after giving me a price quote for getting my garage door replaced.

He seemed surprised, as did the guy who represented a different company that came before him.

My intention is simple: to do my due diligence.

I want to hear them talk… I want to hear them comment on their company and competition… I want to see what kind of offers they have and if they’ll change anything after I tell them I have other companies coming… I want to see who I align with the most…

See, the first guy who came out was good. If I caved into my lazy nature and just went with him because it was more convenient, I’m sure I wouldn’t have regretted it.

But, the guy who came today was great. He saved me close to $600 by advising me against purchasing a new motor… something the other guy didn’t even check and just added to my quote because I said, “I guess I should because I’m getting a new door, right?”

Why share this story? To serve as a reminder to do your due diligence before making an expensive or long-term decision. When one is all you have to go off of, of course you’ll justify it. But, more gives you actual bases of comparison. And even if it doesn’t save you $600, it’ll give you a vibe that allows you to invest in the type of company (people) you’d love to see thrive.

Don’t Ignore Redundancies

Published on July 15, 2024

Whenever I feel redundancies in my writing, I take it as a sign worth looking deeper into.

Either a) Like a re-occurring dream, there’s some deeper message or meaning worth exploring that requires some extra unpacking time or b) Like a broken record, I need to put on some “new music” and get my head wrapped around or expanded by something else.

This helps guide my next actions so that I can either break the cycle or break into new territory.

If you don’t write, it might be worth considering how this relates to your thinking.

Redundancy can carry as much weight as, if not even more than, the substance of the thoughts themselves. Pay attention to what your mind repeatedly flashes as being worth your attention. Ignoring it will only continue to prompt it. Understanding it is the only way you might (finally) grow from it.

P.s. 37 Robert A. Johnson Quotes from Inner Work To Convince You Dreams Aren’t Arbitrary

Your Life’s GPS Is At The Bottom Of The Pond

Published on July 14, 2024

The problem with not looking inward and becoming aware of our thoughts is that it’s hard to adjust our life direction fluidly and in accordance with our innermost wisdom if we don’t.

And the problem with most of the thoughts we initially become aware of when we kind-of-try, is that they’re only the superficial layers. They’re the surface-of-the-pond-thoughts that are distorted by the viral videos, click-bait headlines, tabloid storylines, meaningless games, empty entertainment topics, and so on.

It’s as though our life’s GPS is at the bottom of our mind’s pond, facing upward, and we’re trying to read what it says, but we can’t see past the ripples, bubbles, and breaks in the water on the surface caused by the firehose impact of modern media.

We must sit. We must let the pond settle. We must focus our inward gaze on what’s being shown underneath. The answers are there. Our inner GPS is always working. It’s simply a matter of, can we read it? Or, maybe more appropriately, are we willing to do what’s necessary to bring it’s directions into view?

P.s. Looking for specific, actionable ideas that’ll help you understand your life’s direction? My 30-Day guide will help.

Sitting Plainly

Published on July 13, 2024

One of the most impressive things I saw this week—maybe even this month—was two of my martial arts students sitting quietly and patiently in the school’s lobby, while their younger sister took class, without a single screen, device, game, toy, meal, snack, conversation, etc., to distract them, entertain them, or consume their attention.

How rare a sight it is to see not even just kids, but adults, sitting plainly, without anything to distract or entertain them while time passes by…

…It’s no wonder it’s so common for people of all ages to have attention disorders, poor self-esteem, crippling anxiety, non-clinical depression, stunted imaginations, and/or complicated/toxic relationships.

In my experience, it all boils down to the fact that so many people have such a hard time just sitting with themselves. Even for just 10 – 20 minutes out of a day.

…For it’s the sitting with ourselves that we’re able to heal our attention addictions, focus inwardly and less outwardly, calm our minds from the overstimulation, remove the hyper-comparisonism, free our imaginations, and/or stay fully present with the people in our presence.

Try it.

Just sit with yourself for 10-20 minutes a day. Stimulation-free. Watch what happens to your mind. Let the uncomfortable cravings to re-stimulate come and go. Drift slowly away from the modern day addictions. Allow yourself to turn inward and deepen the relationship you have with yourself. Enough with the unnecessary overstimulation from the world.

P.s. This post only emerged after I sat and stared at my computer screen for 43 unstimulated minutes. Good things come to those who are patient with themselves.

CPR for Life

Published on July 12, 2024

Today I updated my certifications for CPR and using an AED.

We do CPR when a person is unconscious and not breathing so as to keep circulating blood throughout the body and oxygen moving in and out of the lungs to delay tissue death and organ failure until medical professionals can arrive.

Liken this to times in your life when you’ve felt metaphysically lost and like you metaphorically can’t breathe because of something awful that happened to you… and how sometimes, finding ways you can keep going through the motions of your regular, everyday life can be just as lifesaving.

CPR, however, isn’t something we do to ourselves—CPR is something we do to others.

The same in life.

When we see or sense that someone is metaphysically lost or are going through a really tough time… sometimes the best thing we can do is “manually” help them do the things they normally do on their own, but at that point in time and for whatever reason—can’t. Things like hang out with friends, go for walks, eat appropriate meals, exercise, have a night out, etc.

Which leads to my final point… like CPR, most anyone can do it. You just need to have a little bit of training, courage, compassion, and common sense.

Stay ready, y’all.

Somebody is going to need you one day…

The question is… will you be ready?

Don’t Think It’s Anything But Fragile

Published on July 12, 2024

With the push of a button, someone from somewhere in the world can delete my entire online legacy.

Every post I’ve ever written…

Every idea I’ve ever shared…

Every interaction I’ve ever had…

…Gone.

With the push of one singular button.

It’s amazing to me how much of my life’s work is in as fragile of a state as that.

And yet… so it is with each of our lives.

With a single wrong turn, or a brief moment of disregard, or even the smallest of accidents… everything can be taken from us.

Don’t think that everything we have in life is anything BUT fragile.

It all is. And if we remember to treat it as such, maybe we’ll be a little more careful… and present… and grateful.

For it’s the very fact that it’s fragile that makes it all worth it.

P.s. This is my post from Thursday, July 11th.

The Perfect Pace

Published on July 11, 2024

I’m feeling very overwhelmed right now.

…Not necessarily in a bad way, though.

As those of you who have gone to business conferences, inspirational seminars, and/or events featuring some of the best in the world know… it can just leave you feeling like there’s so much to do and not enough time.

…Not to mention the everyday life problems that get tacked on top of the laundry list of ideas you want to act on… like how both of my websites are down right now and there’s nothing I can do about it which is stressing me the heck out.

…And also not to mention the exhaustion that usually accompanies these long weekends of training, learning, and conversations mixed with travel, jet lag, and messed up routines.

It formulates this weird inspiration haze that makes you excited to do things, but anxious about not having the energy or time to do what you want.

What’s carrying me through, though, is the calm reminder to simply do what I can now, with what energy and time I have, while staying organized on my future to-do items, and to let go and breathe out all that is outside of my control.

…I’ve done everything I can do to get my websites back up.

…I’ve acted on the items I’ve been able to act on so far.

…I’m slowly getting back to a routine that leaves me feeling fully energized and optimized for time.

And the rest… I’ll get to when I do.

…Which is, I keep reminding myself, the perfect pace to go.

P.s. This is my post from Wednesday, July 10th.