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Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Simplify Something (Anything)

Published on August 19, 2021

Simplifying even just one thing can have a positive impact on everything else in your life.

Why?

Because finding ways to give yourself more time, energy, and space will directly impact your overall mental state.

And when you can improve your mental state by alleviating the pressures of time, saving on the expense of energy, and opening up more space to think and be—of course everything else in your day will be positively impacted.

A great exercise: As you go about your day, ask yourself: How can I simplify this task?

And find ways that you can collect a few saved minutes here, save on some energy there, and accrue some extra space wherever possible.

What you might realize is that what you needed wasn’t more time, energy, and space after all.

What you actually needed was to just expend less.

Feeling A Creativity Dip?

Published on August 18, 2021

Get more bored.

I find that the more I force myself into boredom, the more creative I get.

Conversely, the more distracted and entertained I am, the less creative I get.

When do I get some of my best ideas? While I’m showering, driving, walking, napping, meditating, staring at a blank screen… it’s when my mind is bored and free to wander.

And it’s not even close...

When do I rarely ever get ideas? While I’m working, watching TV, playing a game, having gossip-y type conversation, or otherwise actively engaged in some thought-provoking tasks.

You might think you’re“not the creative type” or that you“lost” your creative touch.

I’m willing to bet you haven’t and that you are—we all have creative energy inside of us.

You’re just not allowing yourself to get bored long enough.

Dodging Raindrops

Published on August 17, 2021

The person who tries to dodge every raindrop gets hit just as many times as the person who walks calmly forward.

And so it is for the person who tries to dodge every mistake, error, issue, problem, challenge, obstacle, fault, slip-up, oversight, flaw, imperfection, adversity, responsibility…

The way I see it, the rain is inevitably going to come down over each of us. We can try to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge every drop to avoid getting wet—which will only end in vain.

Or we can feel the rain and walk calmly forward.

The Deepest Form Of Loneliness

Published on August 16, 2021

The deepest form of loneliness doesn’t come from being estranged from others.

It comes from being estranged from ourself.

How do we become estranged from ourself?

The same way we might become estranged from others:

  • By not being friendly.
  • By not initiating conversation.
  • By not asking interesting questions.
  • By not surrounding ourself with people whom we might relate to.
  • By not doing what we say we’ll do or following up on things discussed.

The relationship we have with ourself is no different. We must:

  • Be kind to ourself.
  • Initiate and properly guide our inner conversations.
  • Learn how to ask better, more empowering questions.
  • Immerse ourself in environments and media that is constructive.
  • Do the things we say we’ll do and check in with ourself regularly.

When you become a kind and loving friend to yourself, how could you ever truly be lonely?

Familiar Pain

Published on August 15, 2021

Most of us will choose a familiar pain over an unknown alternative.

We gravitate towards the familiar because it gives us a false sense of safety.

And so long as we continue to cling to that false sense of safety, we shouldn’t expect to get anything different than the same old, familiar pain. Time and time again.

But, what if, what lies in the unknown isn’t greater pain, but a place where there’s better pain?

What if, it’s precisely in the unknown where the pains of growth, love, and healing lie?

What Are You Going To Do About It?

Published on August 13, 2021

The real source of your problems doesn’t come from your circumstances.

The real source of your problems comes from the person looking back at you when you look in the mirror.

See that person?

Sure, they haven’t been given the best start in life. But, neither has countless others. It can’t be changed so might as well focus on what’s important: what you’re going to do about it.

See, here’s the thing: that person in the mirror didn’t choose their starting line, but here’s what they have chosen:

  • When to start running.
  • At what pace to run.
  • How often to run vs. not run.
  • Who to run next to.
  • How seriously to take their running.
  • Where they want their finish line to be.
  • What to do when the running isn’t going well.
  • What to do when the running is going really well.
  • How often to invest in becoming a better runner.
  • Who’s brains they pick and how they apply the insight they gather.

People who blame their circumstances don’t get ahead, not because they started behind, but because they stay behind while they continue to blame, yell, and shout at their starting line.

The people who get ahead are the ones who: rather than source problems to circumstances, focus energy on solutions; rather than blame what’s out of their control, change what’s within it; rather than compare where they started, just get started!

Don’t Ignore Pain

Published on August 12, 2021

Pain is a signal.

From your body? It’s a signal that should lead to rest, rehab, reflection, recovery, TLC, behavior change, and/or the seeking of professional help.

From your emotions? It’s a signal that should lead to, well, rest, rehab, reflection, recovery, TLC, behavior change, and/or the seeking of professional help.

Pain is not a signal to speed up—it’s a signal to slow down or stop altogether.

Don’t ignore signals.