Skip to content

Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

The Greatest Gift

Published on August 30, 2021

One of the greatest gifts you can give to another is freedom.

And I’m not talking about the kinds of gifts that are given on birthdays. I’m talking about gifts that are given with the intent of bettering another person’s life.

Freedom can be gifted to another in many forms. Some examples might include: Freedom for self-expression; freedom from obligations; freedom to explore uninterruptedly. And each is incredibly powerful.

As I return from vacation, I’m reminded of these gifts.

  • My mom gifted me the freedom from my household obligations. She cared for my dog and kept the house in order.
  • My coworkers gifted me the freedom to explore uninterruptedly. They kept the school running, serviced our students, and managed the day-to-day operations without interrupting my time away.
  • And while I was away, someone I knew made a life-changing announcement about their identity—and virtually all of the people who we’re both connected to embraced this announcement with nothing but love and encouragement. Being immersed in this type of freedom for self-expression is unbelievably empowering.

Here’s the thing: these gifts were given out of turn, without expectation of return, and with love. Which is precisely why they mean so much.

If you only give people gifts when you’re “supposed” to, so that you can get some type of return, and/or out of obligation—it might come as no surprise that that’s what’s reciprocated and for the exchange to feel lackluster and superficial.

Remember this as you think about the people you love most.

Two Kinds Of Travel

Published on August 29, 2021 
The first
Everybody knows of
Dreams of
Lusts over
Forever plans for
That reveals small pockets
During hard to find time

It’s the second
The less talked about
The less sexy
The kind that happens
From the confines of a chair
That reveals entirety
During time that's always been there

A Hard To Grasp Truth About Fitness:

Published on August 29, 2021

What some people can do to stay fit isn’t what you might have to do to stay fit.

Remember this when others are:

  • Eating what you won’t
  • Skipping workouts when you can’t
  • Drinking what you shouldn’t
  • Choosing lethargy when you couldn’t

It’s easy to want to respond with resentment, envy, jealousy, even hatred.

This does nothing, however, for your fitness or mental health.

And that which doesn’t serve you, shouldn’t be served up by you.

Harder would be to respond with curiosity, strength, willpower, even love.

Love for the challenge; love for the insight; love for the connection; love for the growth.

Those who get it easy don’t get the depth that comes from overcoming the hard.

Crazy Horse—And The Power Of Vision

Published on August 28, 2021
Image by Author

The white statue is what the sculpture will look like when it’s done.

The mountain in the distance is the progress that has been made so far.

…Over the course of 73 years.

The original sculptor has passed.

But so has his dream of carving Crazy Horse into the side of this mountain.

Many are still working to finish this colossal, unfinished sculpture. And there is no estimated completion time.

But, the idea of working towards the completion of something bigger than yourself, that quite possibly won’t be done in your lifetime, that will dwarf all other sculptures in the world…

Is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Don’t be stubborn with your dreams.

Cultivate a vision that captures the imaginations of many. That way, even if you fall short or your time expires before you’re done, your dream can carry on.

Knowledge Ungrasped

Published on August 27, 2021

The best teacher in life is experience.

…Wrong.

The best teacher in life is, and can only ever be, you.

Experience is merely newly presented knowledge. Just like a simple Google search.

And having knowledge in front of you (or at your finger tips) has no impact on the mind.

Knowledge ungrasped is the same as knowledge unknown.

The best teacher is the curious mind—the undeniable force that actively grasps the surrounding knowledge and infuses it with the mind.

Without that force, the talents of the teacher are irrelevant; experiences are irrelevant; access to the internet is irrelevant.

Because having access to knowledge was never the issue in the connection age.

It’s the lack of curiosity that only ever holds us back.

Can You Balance A Stick On Your Finger?

Published on August 25, 2021

If I wanted to balance a long stick on just one finger, I would use trial and error.

I would guess and place my finger at a center point, catch it when (if) it tipped, readjust my finger, and repeat until I had it.

If you want to maintain your emotional center, following the same, simple formula might help.

First, get a gauge on which emotional direction you’re tipping. Then, identify the emotional opposite. And, like when you’re trying to balance a long stick on your finger, adjust until you find equilibrium. Some examples:

  • When you find yourself tipping towards anger, balance yourself out with good humor.
  • When you’re tipping towards frustration, balance in sources of satisfaction.
  • When you’re feeling sad and gloomy, incorporate some sources of joy and good cheer.

But, not too much of the opposite, of course, because then you’ll tip in that direction instead.

Having too much of a good thing can cause you to emotionally lose balance all the same.

As Aristotle famously suggested, shoot for the mean between extremes.

Where you’re neither overly sensitive nor senseless, but aligned, aware, and at peace.

Update And Expand

Published on August 24, 2021

Applications will only do what they’re programmed to do.

A dictionary application that’s programmed to pull up a certain word when it’s searched for—will only do that.

And so it is with your mind.

A mindset that’s programmed to pull up a certain response when it’s presented with a certain problem—will only do that.

This is why language is essential—it is literally the means through which programs are updated. Both in applications and the mind.

HTML, for example, is a language used by developers to design how web page elements (hyperlinks, text, media, etc) are displayed on a computer browser.

Imagine if the first iteration of the language—that was developed and released in 1991—was still the language we used today?

Can you remember what web pages looked like from the 1990’s?

Well guess what? That’s what your mindset looks like when you never update your thinking language either.

Sick of thinking about a problem the same way over and over? Stop using the same language to try and solve it.

Update and expand.