Category: Living Well

Remembering What You (Really) Want

Published on April 8, 2024

A person with a lot of money, a person with a medium amount of money, and a person with a little money all laugh hysterically at a joke that’s told… is one person’s laughter more real than the others?

…I’d argue no. Laughter is laughter is laughter.

An extremely attractive person, a medium attractive person, and a not-so-attractive person all dance joyfully and uncaringly on a dance floor… is one person’s joy more real than the others?

…I’d argue no. Joy is joy is joy.

A person with a million followers, a person with 10K followers, and a person with 1 follower all feel butterflies when they see the one they love… is one person’s love more real than the others?

…I’d argue no. Love is love is love.

Once you realize what you’re really after are emotional experiences, and not so much material purchases or vanity metrics… suddenly the game you’ve been playing changes.

All of a sudden, you can change your strategy from adding zeros to your bank account to surrounding yourself with people who make you laugh hysterically; from making yourself look more attractive to making yourself look for more dancing opportunities; from getting more followers to like you to spending more time fully immersed with the one(s) you love.

Don’t get it twisted.

What you’ve been looking for has been available to you this whole time.

…We’ve simply been led to believe otherwise because it’s good for somebody else’s business.

Clogged Sinuses

Published on April 7, 2024

My sinuses have been clogged all week.

…Like clogged to the point where I swallow and my ears get plugged leaving the world noticeably muted and my only unplugging strategy being to plug my nose and blow into it really hard until they re-open.

…Sorcery, I tell you.

Maybe you’ve experienced it, too?

Couple that with the nose running like a faucet and you have yourself a pretty annoying set of symptoms.

I share this not to complain.

I share this because I just realized, at 6pm into the day, that both symptoms are gone.

Like, I haven’t blown my nose once today and I’ve swallowed all day without plugging my ears.

…And I didn’t notice even though I’ve been up since 7am.

A timely reminder, I’d say, that so much of what we have to be grateful for aren’t just the things we have… but the things we (finally) don’t.

Inner work prompt: Come up with a list of ten things you’re incredibly grateful you DON’T have today.

This Life Is Enough

Published on April 6, 2024

“Love and laughter and fear and pain are universal currencies. We just have to close our eyes and savour the taste of the drink in front of us and listen to the song as it plays. We are as completely and utterly alive as we are in any other life and have access to the same emotional spectrum. We only need to be one person. We only need to feel one existence. We don’t have to do everything in order to be everything, because we are already infinite. While we are alive we always contain a future of multifarious possibility.”
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library (Page 277)

How much unhappiness has been generated in our modern world by the constant comparisonism exacerbated by social media?

…Young kids (and adults) with nothing BUT potential and time and unique aptitudes beating themselves up… counting themselves out… sabotaging their futures because of what they see other people doing with their lives… thinking to themselves, “I wish I was them…” “I want THAT life…” “My life sucks compared to…”

When really, if we subtracted all the comparisons, turned off and forget about all the media posts, and grounded ourselves back into reality—our reality—the truth is as clear as the smile that fills a baby’s face… or the laugh your best friend makes… or the tears that stream down your lover’s face…

…The reality is “Love and laughter and fear and pain are universal currencies.” And this life, filled with all of that and more, is as enough as any other life we might be living. Happiness is happiness is happiness… we just have to open our senses (once again) to experience it.

Prove It

Published on April 4, 2024

Never let a day go by without having taken at least one step towards self-actualization and your greater goals.

One step forward, every day, should be the strategy; the mantra; the resolution.

It’s that one deliberate action taken today, done with that greater future in mind that proves you’re serious about the realization of those goals.

And it’s the consistency of choosing to do it every day that proves you’re ready to take on the full scope of what those goals will demand.

Because visions of a greater future minus seriousness only leaves a person unable (unready) to handle the demands of what that greater future will require.

…Which isn’t to say your greater future will be demanding and burdensome… it’s merely to say your greater future will demand the greatest from you / of you.

…Demanding and burdensome is what happens when you step into that vision before you’re ready and able and you’re left scrambling trying to be someone you’re not (yet) and attempting to solve problems you’re not evolved / qualified enough (yet) to solve.

But, when you are at your greatest, your life’s greatest challenges become the usual; the norm; the expectation; the task that’s equal to your ability; the challenge that’s equal to your strength.

…And what better place to be than actively solving the greatest (most exciting) problems your current self only has the ability to visualize?

P.s. Don’t have a clear picture of where you want to go in life? My guide can help. 30% off for a limited time.

What’s New?

Published on March 31, 2024

When you see people you haven’t seen in a long time, a commonly asked question is, “What’s new?”

And if you can’t think of a single thing to say…

It might be a sign that you’re too set in your ways.

Because while routine is excellent for getting tasks done consistently and efficiently…

If the byproduct of your routine extended out over a “long time” is nothing new…

You might not be aligned with a routine that’s leading to growth.

…What you might actually be aligned with is a rut that’s keeping you distracted and comfy.

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

Family Traditions

Published on March 30, 2024

For the past several years, my grandma, mom, and I would drive 6ish hours to my aunt’s house for Easter weekend.

It was a nice little family tradition that gave us long car rides to chat the deeper than usual chat and catch up with my aunt and her family who we only ever saw that weekend-ish.

We would watch movies, get live piano and violin concerts in her living room, play board games, tour the local book shops, airplay photo albums on their giant TV recapping the highlight moments of our year, take long walks, explore local parks, and of course eat fantastic meals.

Earlier this year, my aunt and her family decided to move across the country and so our little family tradition unfortunately ended.

This is a reminder that at some point, your family tradition(s) as you know it/them—will end. And to go into family tradition weekends with as much presence and warmth as you can.

This isn’t to say that they can’t/won’t change for the better… it’s merely to say don’t take them for granted. Change is always, inevitably, on the horizon.

Completion Clarity

Published on March 27, 2024

Don’t measure your motivation levels before you do the thing… your mind will be consumed and distorted with lies.

Think about all the things you say to yourself before you have to workout, or meditate, or read that book, or start that project, or do deep stretching… It’s probably something along the lines of:

“You’ve been so good lately… you deserve a day off.”
“You’re so busy today… better to skip and get back to it tomorrow.”
“You didn’t really sleep that well… today should be a rest day instead of that other day.”

It’s almost as though that little devil on your shoulder gets the megaphone and tries to spread misinformation and lies to distract or dissuade you from doing the tasks that’ll put you temporarily outside of your comfort zone.

…Contrast this with what’s going on in your head after you complete the task. It’s probably something along the lines of:

“That was so good. I deserved that.”
“So glad I didn’t skip. That was amazing.”
“I feel so much better now that I’ve got that behind me.”

…There’s a whole lot less mental chatter and whole lot more clarity.

THIS is when you should measure your motivation levels towards the thing. If you’re still resentful, upset, and/or frustrated about the self-improvement tasks after you’ve finished it, then, yes, I’d say it’s time to reflect and make some changes.

But, don’t make a decision about something that’s long-term good for you without completion clarity.