Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

There’s No Avoiding Dues

Published on July 21, 2024

A guy I was playing basketball with today tore his achilles and has an expected recover time of 6+ months.

In the aftermath, it reminded me of how crucially important it is to have a flexible, limber body.

And because of my increasing interest and time investment in playing ball, I kind of fell out of doing deep stretching on one of the days I used to stretch religiously. And I’ve slowly started to feel the effects of that decision.

No injuries (knock on wood), but just a more noticeable tightness.

And this isn’t a good trajectory.

Today’s reminder is simple: invest in flexibility.

Even though it can feel like eating raw broccoli, it’s precisely that raw broccoli that’s going to keep you out of the hospital one day.

Invest a little bit every day, on your time… or be forced to invest a boat-load of time on your body’s time (when it gives out)—which is never convenient.

The choice in how and when you pay your dues—either a little bit daily or all at once—is yours… but remember: there’s no avoiding dues.

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

Minimize Dopamine Smacks

Published on July 20, 2024

I’m getting better at controlling my downtime.

I know its value and know it’s what my mind needs after intense days/weeks of work, but I don’t want it to zap away an entire half day’s worth of time anymore.

Which, when I would browse all the different social media channels, is exactly what would happen. Not only would it zap away huge chunks of my day, but it would add zero to minimal value to my life and would more often than not put me into a bad mood / state of mind.

So, slowly, I’ve logged out and stopped using most social media apps altogether.

And slowly, what I’ve been intentionally turning to is more long-form content on YouTube.

This gives me control because I can be so much more deliberate in how I invest my attention whereas when I’m scrolling through short-form feeds, I get fire-hosed with dopamine smacks that I seem to only want to get more and more and more of—endlessly.

Long form, however, allows me to be more deliberate, to keep a better grasp in how much time I’m spending, and to focus on content that allows me to relax while simultaneously adding some actual value to my life.

…Worth considering as social media, in my opinion, only continues to trend from bad to worse.

Your 1-Minute Priority Check…!

Published on July 19, 2024

A simple way to cut through the noise of your life and get a clear signal on what your top priority focus should be.

Ready?

Here it is: You are granted one wish from a magic genie—but it has a condition attached to it… it can’t be for anything tangible—including money.

In other words, you can’t wish for lottery money, mansions, luxury lifestyles, or Lamborghinis.

But, you can wish for deeper connections, a better love life, more courage, peace of mind, restored health, more specific knowledge, a group of raving fans, sharper or more diverse skillsets, etc.

And don’t give yourself too much time to think about it… because the wish is valid for only ten seconds after you finish reading this post…!

So, what’ll it be…?!

10…

9…

8…

7…

P.s. …THAT, my friend, is where your focus should be.

Channel Your Inner Frank the Tank Today

Published on July 18, 2024

Once you have a thought that aligns with your comfort-zone-seeking-self… your ego will immediately go to work justifying it.

“I should skip exercise today.”

…To which your ego will delightingly reinforce like a hormone-raging, insecure-trying-to-look-cool, rebellious-against-all-things-good-for-you teenager—and start peer pressuring that thought into existence.

“For sure, you have a headache… better to skip today.”

“Oh, absolutely… don’t want to aggravate that tweak in your shoulder.”

“Definitely… you have so much other work you could get done instead.”

And so forth.

The real pros at self-discipline know this and are excellent at nipping initial comfort-zone-seeking-self-thoughts in the bud.

“I should skip exercise today.”

…To which you have to channel the infinite wisdom of your deeper self and start rebutting that idea like Will Ferrell—a.k.a. Frank the Tank—when he was pitted against Democratic strategist James Carville for the debate event that would save the brothers’ fraternity in the movie Old School.

“Headache? It’ll be good to do what you can so the rest of the body is cared for. Heck, circulation and sweat might even be good for the headache.”

“Shoulder tweak? There are hundreds of other muscles that could be worked on in its place. It’d be foolish to let one tweak stop you from keeping the hundreds of other muscles healthy and well.”

“Other work? What could be more important than taking care of the one true home we’ll ever really get to live in? Nothing, that’s what. Priorities were set; promises were made; word is law; no skipping today.”

Bottom line? Channel your inner Frank the Tank debating skills today and get it done.

Comfort Zone Homies

Published on July 17, 2024

…Another time when due diligence is critical is when considering who to spend time with.

If you kind of lazily decide that whoever shows up first and just keeps showing up is good enough and you’re not going to do anything else about it on your part, then that’s about what you’ll get…

Keep your mind open, keep taking initiative to meet new folks, and be willing to step outside of your comfortable circle of connections, and you’ll get to make higher quality decisions because you’ll have a broader selection to choose from—leading you to make connections with those who are more likely great for you.

…Which, to be clear, isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with hanging out with comfort zone homies. They undoubtedly serve an invaluable role.

Rather, I’m sure you’ve heard the expression that we become a byproduct of the five people we spend the most time with. This is merely a prompt to think about who those five people are for you right now. And think about how you might spend more time with people who are going to pull you forward towards that better place—whatever that is for you.

…Do your due diligence.

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

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