The full collection of explorations.
It isn’t usually until retirement that people look closely at the direction of their life…
And realize, at the sunset of their life, that they’ve gone in a wrong direction (hopefully not).
When you flip that paradigm on its head and slowly inspect your direction now… you get to make the necessary adjustments that’ll minimize (or mitigate) the regret of later.
And you’ll be able to relax as you watch your sunset marvelously paint your life’s sky.
One of the best feelings in the world is the one that immediately follows a 100%, fully committed effort.
I can’t think of a single time when I’ve regretted doing my absolute best.
But, I can think of countless times when I’ve regretted holding back.
One thing the most prolific among us do differently is they optimize for boredom.
See, in today’s world, there seems to be two default states for the modern person: busy or bored.
And those who are bored, most often, find ways they can quickly make themselves busy—typically through unimportant busywork, passive entertainment, and social media.
But, those who can reprogram their mind to see boredom as something different… something to be sought out… something to be carefully guarded… something to be planned for…
Get to spend more time in that non-busy state… undistracted and unbothered… uninfluenced and unhindered… un-marketed to and unprodded…
So they can more freely explore ideas on their own…
So they can sort through the infinite depth of what’s already there…
So they can imaginatively play as they once did when they were at their creative height(s)…
So they can become a prolific example of what it means to be an independent, uniquely capable, creatively abundant, infinitely potentialed human in a world of ever present and ever increasing carbon copies and AI regurgitations.
Those who are too busy flooding their minds with everything else never get a chance to sort through it all and actually decide.
P.s. I asked: Do you create better in tension or relaxation? I found the answers to be quite interesting…
“Don’t let me forget this moment when I’m feeling bad again.”
This was said to me by one of my employees who was feeling… great.
She had been getting good sleep, hitting the gym and training martial arts regularly, was prioritizing healthy eating without meticulously tracking calories, and was avoiding the things that made her feel bad.
But, rather than me reminder her about this moment at some point in the future when her mood inevitably came down… why not have her reminder her?
In other words, how powerful might it be to have a video of you speaking to your future self saying everything you’d want them to know from this current great standpoint?
Or future you reading a letter from past you that’s written specifically to remind you of key thoughts/ practices to maintain during the inevitable hardships?
Maybe more powerful… what if you made a video or wrote a letter to a really great future version of you from when you’re in a really hard place? A reminder to not take it for granted and to really soak it all in…
I don’t think there’s anyone more convincing on the face of the earth than us speaking directly to ourselves.
Give this exercise a shot and maybe you’ll find out for yourself.
P.s. I finished uploaded my favorite quotes from Will by Will Smith. I captured 49 insights that moved me that I think will move you, too. Enjoy :)
It’s easy to get lost in the busyness of the day.
Setting a timer on your phone to ring when you’re supposed to be doing a high-priority task—and making the title of the timer a reminder of the “why” that stands behind the task—can help you cut through the noise and refocus your energy, in the moment, on what’s important.
Better that than laying your head down on the pillow at the end of the day, only to realize that it was all a blur and you were barely conscious for anything that happened since you left the pillow earlier that morning. Why rush so quickly through this already short enough life?!
Imagine waking up to a timer in the morning that said: “If I died yesterday, this would be the greatest gift imaginable.” Maybe that would reframe how you went about your day. Because here’s the thing: some did die yesterday. And here you are.
Why not do everything you could to fully embrace the moments bundled inside this gift you’ve been fortunate enough to receive?
P.s. Here are 25 way daily writing improved my life.
When we are born, we are radiating packages of energy. Overflowing from every pore the very essence of life into all that comes near. As we grow, however, we come into contact with energy that’s dull, faded, confused. And in more cases than not—it slowly takes an effect. We slowly start to refuse our bodily energy. We slowly fold closed our open minds. We slowly restrict our pores and suppress our infinitely-sourced energy.
…Until eventually, we embody an energy that’s dull, faded, and confused ourselves.
The easiest way to reverse this process is to spend more time with those who are still radiating packages of energy. The effect can be instantaneous—it’s really an incredibly thing to see. Serious folks who never so much as smile start quacking like a duck; cranky, self-conscious teenagers playing peek-a-boo and poke-the-belly with cartoon toys; the angriest, most short-tempered relatives hitting high-pitch notes you didn’t know they were even capable of hitting—all from simply seeing a newborn.
I see this as a sign of hope.
One that says, nothing is permanently lost; you’re not “too far gone;” you’re not “unable to change”—you’re just under some deep layers of crap energy and crap behavior. If only you’ll start digging yourself out and letting that inextinguishable life energy flow freely once again, maybe you’ll start radiating and positively affecting all whom you come into contact with how you once did—all those years ago when we didn’t know a single thing, yet knew a truth so profound that even the most close-minded, stubborn around you fell victim to your shine.
There are days when everything just flows. When you wake up on time feeling refreshed; when your clothes fit great; when you walk more confidently, speak more clearly, find the right words more easily. Days when even your muse is feeling you and waltzes in on cue.
It’s on days like this where the very essence of life comes crashing down over otherwise untouched canvas. Days where blank pores and blinking cursors get filled with statements of unique existence. Days that leave you in awe as you look back on what feels like vanished time because of a hypnotism from a higher power.
…And then there are days when everything just doesn’t.
The key to more days like the former is to keep showing up on the days that feel like the latter. Because while waiting for the river to flow might seem like an appropriate strategy… the frequently overlooked truth is: the river never stops flowing.
Only our temporary moods and comfort-seeking egos make it seem that way in how they fog up and misguide our minds. Some of my best pieces were written on days when I “wasn’t feeling it.” Some of my favorite art was created by artists who dragged their feet. Some of the greatest insights were unveiled by those who forcefully cut their way through mental fog.
The river never stops flowing.
It’s only when we stop doing the dirty work required to access it that it “suddenly” disappears.
P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.