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The full collection of explorations.

No Refunds; No Exchanges; No Do-Overs

Published on February 3, 2023

Dear busy person,

You won’t get this day back again. Ever. How you choose to busily spend your time today will be forever stamped inside the legacy of your life. No refunds; no exchanges; no do-overs. That said, did any hesitations come up? Second thoughts? Did any of the tasks you’ve devoted precious time to in the day ahead come into question? Give yourself some space and time to notice—really notice. Because those who do—and make the proper adjustments along the way—get more out of life. This one and only life we each have to live. Days spent with no regrets are what lead to a life spent with no regrets—my hope is that you start taking it to heart, today.

Sincerely,

Your inner work person

Discipline Leads To Self-Discipline

Published on February 2, 2023

Having a hard time building self-discipline?

Commit to building discipline first.

Join a class, enroll in a course, get a coach, etc., where you’re simply told what to do and you can focus on getting really damn good at doing what you’re told—regardless of how much you don’t want to do whatever that is (in a constructive, healthy, held-accountable way).

Do your research, of course, and don’t settle until you come to an arrangement that’s aligned with your personality type and preferences; one that’s with a person or a group you respect.

Once you do (and this is the key), make the conscious choice to replace the words that come from your ego with the words that come from this new source. In other words, don’t let your inner voice talk you out of doing what you’re told to do.

Because it’s that inner voice—your ego—that’s precisely the problem.

The path is this: discipline leads to self-discipline which leads to habits.

Flex the “do-it-even-when-you-don’t-want-to-do-it” muscle enough and eventually, it’ll be strong enough for you to flex on your own. Flex it on your own enough and eventually, it’ll become an automatic type of response that your ego slowly stops fighting you over.

This is the way.

P.s. Not sure where to start? Try enrolling in a local martial arts class. The discipline I build in martial arts became the foundation for all of the “automatic” type habits I have in my life.

The Analog Strategy

Published on February 1, 2023

One of the downfalls of digital: it’s easy to hide and ignore…

Those habit tracker apps? Can easily get lost in the million other notifications coming at you from your phone.

And the same is true for whatever else you might be trying to productively get done via screen.

A physical calendar on your fridge that has BIG “X’s” on it for days you successfully completed your task?

…Is much harder to ignore, swipe-hide, or pretend not to see.

Digital is great. But, sometimes, analog is better. Worth considering.

P.s. Something like this. With big “X’s” on it for every day you complete the task. Placed strategically where the task is supposed to happen each day. For me? By my bed. So that every day I get out of bed before a certain time, I can “X” that puppy and get a streak going.

A Flip Of The Switch

Published on January 31, 2023

I started meditating a whole lot more once I stopped trying to do it perfectly.

What I realized is that a quiet corner, meditation pillow, and chunk of uninterrupted time aren’t required.

What’s required is an intention. Period.

Now, I meditate while walking, driving, waiting in lines, you name it…

What the intention does is declare to your mind that you’re now entering a different way of being. Without it, your mind will unconsciously continue to rambunctiously act non-meditatively—as it always does.

It’s like flipping a mind switch.

Once that switch is turned on and the light of your consciousness turns inward, you can begin to notice the urges that come up (that try to break you away from your meditation/presence), and focus on returning to your practice for as long as you may.

And suddenly, once you realize that a flip of the switch is all that’s required, meditation goes from another task you try to stressfully add to your already busy day—to an easily-intertwined-throughout-your-whole-day kind of task.

There are so many applications for this strategy in life.

P.s. When I do sit down to meditate, I use brain.fm to filter out invasive external noises. I’m a raving fan and currently on a 20-week use streak.

Rare Character Titles

Published on January 30, 2023
  • Wise
  • Loyal
  • Humble
  • Generous
  • Admirable
  • Respectful
  • Dependable

…Aren’t character traits you can give yourself.

They can only ever be gifted to you by others—regardless of how much you believe it, say it, or fight for it (them).

Some things can only ever be proven through action.

Side note: there is an argument to be made for the situation when you’re surrounded by people who simply don’t give gifts of any kind. People who are so consumed in their own worlds that they don’t have the capacity or capability to gift these rare character titles to others. And if that’s the case, remember, getting the rare character titles gifted to you isn’t the point. The point is to embody the rare character traits because of the innate goodness that doing so provides in value for you and your life. Getting the title should never be the expectation; only the rare, unexpected (and greatly appreciated) gift.

…If you want to get the rare character title of appreciative, that is.

P.s. January 26th was the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. I wrote a piece honoring his legacy here.

Mental Sweat Required

Published on January 29, 2023

You become what you study; study what you want to become.

You become who you speak with; speak with who you want to become.

You become what you think carefully about; think carefully about what (and who) you want to become.*

*Thinking carefully implies deliberate conscious effort, not what happens unconsciously throughout the day. We’re talking about the kind of thinking that happens when you ask and mentally sweat over tough questions. Questions that challenge your limiting beliefs, comfort zones, life path, ingrained habits, close relationships, identity, vision, beliefs, and so on. Yes, this is the kind of thinking that shapes who you will ultimately become.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

The Walk From Lonely To Alone

Published on January 28, 2023

“Lonely” is the state of being avoidant and discontent with yourself—an indication that inner work is required.

“Alone” is the state of being present and content with yourself—a healthy indication of inner acceptance.

The transition from lonely to alone will vary in difficulty one person to the next.

But, in each case, when we start small and commit to incremental increases in things like journaling, meditating, solo walking, etc… we can slowly head in the direction of alone.

Which, is an imperative direction to head as being without people will only increase as we grow older. Better to learn the skill now and acclimate before you’re thrusted into the position, unprepared later.