I think of you sometimes And sometimes I smile And sometimes I fall Sometimes I channel it And sometimes I withdrawal Better—I suppose Than not having anything To move or respond to at all.
I help busy people do inner work.
The full collection of explorations.
I think of you sometimes And sometimes I smile And sometimes I fall Sometimes I channel it And sometimes I withdrawal Better—I suppose Than not having anything To move or respond to at all.
If you burned away everything you knew about yourself… what would remain?
This was one of the most remarkable questions I was asked while at Burning Man.
Worth reiterating: if everything I knew about myself…
…was burned away—what would I have left inside?
Before you read my answer, I encourage you to pause here and think about how you would answer this question…
Go ahead, I’ll still be here when you’re done…
The answer I came up with (which didn’t come quickly or easily) was everything I had when I was born:
Which made me think: a lot of what we carry with us in identity/ experience/ education is worth burning.
Not everything, of course, because there is a lot in identity/ experience/ and education that we carry that’s worth protecting.
But, there’s a lot that extinguishes our curiosity; deadens our liveliness; contaminates our innocence; removes our immediacy; and kills our compassion.
And that, is where the real inner work begins.
Not in trying to add to what’s already inside… but in working to subtract—to burn away—everything that’s corrupting what’s already there.
How would you answer this question? I’d love to hear. Simply send a reply :)
If you can’t:
…You aren’t free.
No matter what your work title, bank account, or social media feed might otherwise suggest.
From Sunday (8/28/22) to Sunday (9/4/22), I’ll be off grid.
That means, you won’t get daily emails from me until I get back on the grid on Monday (9/5/22).
Rest assured, I’ll still be writing daily—it’ll just take on a more primitive form (that’s right folks… pen and paper).
And when I get back, I’ll share what words made it to paper during what I’m expecting to be a wild, curious, mysterious, serendipitous, and nothing-short-of-inspirational week.
Don’t know what Burning Man is? I can barely explain it. But, this video does a pretty solid job.
Thank you to each of you for your ongoing support. I look forward to reconnecting when I get back. ♥
P.s. If you’re feeling generous, you can send a little love via coffee here. This trip will definitely require copious amounts of caffeine. Cheers :)
A belief I’ve recently identified that’s limiting me:
My brain: “11pm/12pm bed time… same thing”
Also my brain: “If I could just wake up at 7am instead of 8am, my day would go 100% smoother.”
Point being, if I can keep the importance of an hour in my mind at night—then I get to take back a crucial hour of my day in the morning.
…Because according to my body, 8 hours of sleep is non-negotiable.
And by 11pm at night, there’s really nothing I’m going to do that won’t be done better at 7am the next day.
Worth reflecting on for yourself: what’s a belief you’re holding on to that’s limiting you?
P.s. I’ll be going to Burning Man this week! If you enjoy these daily posts, you can send a little love via coffee here. I could definitely use the caffeine for this partially-insane experience. ;)