Category: Direction Matters

I’ll sometimes stumble upon something I’ve written in the past and feel… surprised.

Sometimes at the thought (because I have since forgotten about that thought), sometimes at the way it was presented (either in a “well done” or “ew, omg” fashion), sometimes at the analogy choice/ word choice/ or storyline.

Regardless of why my past writing surprised me… it’s always a great reminder that past thoughts, ideas, efforts… fade. And new thoughts, ideas, and efforts emerge… and that we are always in a constant flux and everything (inside and out) is always changing.

Just because we wrote about something in the past or answered a question in our lives at one point before—doesn’t mean it’s answered permanently. In fact, assuming so could lead us in the wrong direction and regrettably down the wrong life path.

Looking back on your old work and at some of your past efforts might surprise you, too—and serve as a wonderful reminder that, when it comes to inner work, there are no answered questions per se, only answers in progress.

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P.s. Not so sure about your direction in life? Fear you’re heading in a direction that might end with regret? My guide can help prevent that.

Sometimes I fantasize about living another life.

And sometimes I find myself fantasizing about being in that other life, fantasizing about being back in this one.

And part of me wonders if this is just the human condition: to constantly imagine and desire all the other possibilities in lieu of the incredible opportunities that have already come together to give us the life we have today.

And part of me wonders if this will always be a mental program running in the background: dreaming, fantasizing, scheming, desiring, wishing, wondering—and if it’s something worth turning off (and practicing more present gratitude) or turning up (and letting imagination run wild to paint a masterpiece that we can ambitiously reverse engineer our way to).

And part of me wonders if, like most things in life, it’s some kind of combination of the two…

I have big plans for the future.

As do you, I’m sure.

And in the moments when I can feel myself wanting them to become a reality now—I remember that having them all come true now isn’t the point.

The point is in the figuring it out; it’s in the earning that comes from the journey; it’s in the having something big to aspire to.

Big plans are like the magnetic north of our lives.

…Arrive in a snap and we lose all sense of direction. Focus on following the pulled arrow of our compass and we get to take a series of deliberate steps forward today.

When you think about it like that—having a compass to follow or having no compass at all—suddenly, using our big plans for tomorrow as the vehicle that creates our big plans for today becomes the ideal path.

…Directionless is not a great place to be.

Onward.

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P.s. My guide is all about how direction is more important than speed in life. If you need help figuring out your direction (and calibrating your life’s compass), check it out.

Most of us allow our insecurities to taunt us and control our mind:

• “I’m not skilled enough to handle bigger job opportunities—I’ll fail and let people down.”
• “I’m not confident enough to speak in front of audiences—I’ll mess up and get laughed off stage.”
• “I’m not good-looking enough to ask that person I like out—they’ll just reject me and I’ll embarrass myself.”

Those who can make the mental switch from being taunted by their insecurities to being guided by them, however, will unlock not only a more rewarding path forward to follow, but will simultaneously eliminate “bugs” from their system that were misguiding them all along.

What does being guided by insecurities look like?

• “I’m noticing that I don’t feel skilled enough to handle bigger job opportunities—I should take more classes, courses, or get help through coaching…”
• “I can feel the fear inside me rise as I imagine giving a speech—I should start practicing public speaking more, in small ways, so I can build my confidence up for the future…”
• “Maybe my hesitation to ask the person I like out is a sign of my humility, care, and respect for them… which could very well be qualities that they end up liking very much…”

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P.s. My guide, The Art of Forward (Direction > Speed), was written to help you take a closer, more complete look at doing precisely what’s discussed above: calibrate your inner compass. More info here.

It isn’t usually until retirement that people look closely at the direction of their life…

And realize, at the sunset of their life, that they’ve gone in a wrong direction (hopefully not).

When you flip that paradigm on its head and slowly inspect your direction now… you get to make the necessary adjustments that’ll minimize (or mitigate) the regret of later.

And you’ll be able to relax as you watch your sunset marvelously paint your life’s sky.

“Don’t let me forget this moment when I’m feeling bad again.”

This was said to me by one of my employees who was feeling… great.

She had been getting good sleep, hitting the gym and training martial arts regularly, was prioritizing healthy eating without meticulously tracking calories, and was avoiding the things that made her feel bad.

But, rather than me reminder her about this moment at some point in the future when her mood inevitably came down… why not have her reminder her?

In other words, how powerful might it be to have a video of you speaking to your future self saying everything you’d want them to know from this current great standpoint?

Or future you reading a letter from past you that’s written specifically to remind you of key thoughts/ practices to maintain during the inevitable hardships?

Maybe more powerful… what if you made a video or wrote a letter to a really great future version of you from when you’re in a really hard place? A reminder to not take it for granted and to really soak it all in…

I don’t think there’s anyone more convincing on the face of the earth than us speaking directly to ourselves.

Give this exercise a shot and maybe you’ll find out for yourself.

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P.s. I finished uploaded my favorite quotes from Will by Will Smith. I captured 49 insights that moved me that I think will move you, too. Enjoy :)