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Category: Living Well

Escaping Work Shouldn’t Be Your Life Goal

Published on May 10, 2025

The goal is to build something that doesn’t need escaping from.

…Because escaping only lasts so long before your innate desire to build something arises again.

And not because we humans love to work—because we don’t.

But because we human crave fulfillment—and what’s worse than work is feeling like you’re living an empty type of existence.

So, back to work we go… because fulfillment is something building provides. Here’s how:

Building is growth—what else is building, but combining a bunch of lesser parts into some type of a greater whole?

Building is contribution—the value that’s added from this lesser parts combination becomes a creation that at the very least, serves you, which helps you to then serve others.

Building is connection/love—connecting parts, connecting minds, connecting resources, connecting ideas, connecting hearts…

Building is significance—whether it’s solely yours to build or you’re a part of a team that’s building somebody else’s dream… you get to leave your fingerprints on something that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

Building is certainty—it allows you to plan, dream, draw, shape, and mold something that starts out abstract and slowly becomes a tangible part of reality.

Building is uncertainty—and then, of course, things never go perfectly according to plan, so you get to adjust, pivot, problem-solve, fire fight, and learn by doing in an unpredictable way.

The real question you need to be grappling with isn’t—how can I escape from this work.

The real question you need to be grappling with is—how can I better incorporate each of these above elements into the work I’m choosing to do?

How Much Do You Study For Life?

Published on May 8, 2025

The good thing about studying is you know how to answer related questions when they arrive…

…Don’t study, and you won’t know the answers.

This makes perfect sense in regards to tests and exams at school… or presentations given at work… but what about how it relates to life?

Why do we place such an emphasis on math… but not financial literacy?

Why do we place such an emphasis on science… but not human relationships?

Why do we place such an emphasis on history… but not mental health and healing past trauma?

Why do we place such an emphasis on sports… but not healthy living or habit building?

Why do we place such an emphasis on art… but not creative self-expression or alchemizing pain?

There are things I just don’t think I’ll ever understand when it comes to how we prioritize certain taught topics over others…

But, one thing I do understand… is that in this world we live in… most of the topics we’re going to get quizzed on by life… are topics we’re going to have to study for on our own.

We’re going to need to read interesting books… seek out life experienced people… have tough conversations… replay, reflect on, and unpack raw experience moments… and, of course, do deliberate and consistent inner work.

Don’t be surprised when life throws you some questions you don’t know the answer to when you haven’t studied.

Remember… school teaches you how to play the game of getting good letter grades.

You need to teach yourself how to play the game of living your best life.

You Are A Piano

Published on May 7, 2025

Imagine being a piano your whole life and only randomly poking and prodding keys from time to time.

Imagine being a piano your whole life, filled with every string and key of potential to play the most beautiful of songs any of our ears have ever heard… and only making noise.

Imagine being a piano your whole life and never playing or creating a single song…

You are a piano.

And what most people do is poke and prod and make a bunch of noise. They watch tv, scroll social media, rage bait, rabbit-hole click, suppress emotions, use divisive language, pick fights, litter their waste, complain about their problems, binge eat, cheat, point fingers, and do drugs and drink alcohol to make it all feel temporarily better.

You might as well just throw the piano into the garbage at this rate.

But, if you zoom out for a second and quiet the noise of your mind…

What you might hear… very faintly and as quiet as can be… is a melody…

…Resonating from deep within—where your song potential sits patiently.

And all you have to do is continue to clear the mind and concentrate on the sound to bring the volume up slowly.

And eventually… your song and various melodies will take priority over the noise… it’ll become the new priority of your time and energy… and what you’ll soon see…

Is that you are, indeed, a piano.

And that your life’s task… is to play your song and melody.

P.s. I finished uploading quotes from A Psalm For The Wild Built to MMQ. You can read my favorites here.

Unconditional Good And Right

Published on May 5, 2025

Wanna know what’s more impressive than people showing up to the gym motivated to workout?

…People who show up who aren’t.

Wanna know what’s more impressive than people who do creative work when they’re inspired and excited?

…People who do that kind of work when they’re not.

Wanna know what’s more impressive than people who share successes, victories, and highlights?

…People who share failures, struggles, and lowlights (in a non-nagging, constructive light).

Wanna know what’s more impressive than the significant other who does cute things on birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries?

…The significant other who does cute things when it’s not.

Wanna know what’s more impressive than people who do community service and act in kindness to fulfill a requirement at their school or work?

…People who do that when it’s not.

Want to impress yourself and others more?

Do more of the things you know are good and right.

…When there’s not a condition behind it of any kind.

Invest More Into Building Soft Skills

Published on April 25, 2025

I can teach you martial arts… but I can’t teach you passion.

I can teach you how to teach… but I can’t teach you humor, warmth, and initiative.

I can teach you what to say when you make a call… but I can’t teach you to care about the person on the other line.

Sure, I might be able to say a few things about passion, humor, warmth, initiative, and care… but the thing about each of those is that they aren’t learned from the outside-in… they’re learned from the inside-out.

Meaning, you have to learn for yourself what ignites your passion, what tickles your humor, what warms your compassionate side, what makes you want to go above and beyond, and what makes you actually give a damn about the work you’re doing…

Because what it is for me isn’t the same as what it’ll be for you.

Martial arts? A block is a block and a strike is a strike—for both me and you.

Teaching? Pedagogy is pedagogy and subject matter is subject matter—for both me and you.

Following scripts? Reading from scripts is reading from scripts—for both me and you.

Learning hard skills is black-and-white. And the thing about black-and-white skills is that it’s black-and-white for everybody.

But soft skills? Soft skills are a giant gray spectrum. And what can really make you stand out in today’s overpopulated, hyper competitive, AI evolving world… is a higher landing on that giant gray spectrum.

…Invest more into building soft skills.

On Being Surrounded By Great Oaks vs Buried Seeds

Published on April 23, 2025

Most people are so busy with their own lives that they have no time to imagine the immense potential in others.

And so they simply live their busy life and wait for others to realize their own potential before they notice, hire, invest in, honor, or reward.

And sure, nobody should be more concerned with realizing another’s potential than their own.

But…

And this is a big but…

If you can zoom out from the busy madness of your own life and… notice, hire, invest in, honor, and reward the untapped, unrealized, unharnessed potential in those around you…?

…Not only will you create a sunlight on the buried seed of a plant effect—

…But you’ll start to see the quality and strength of the plants—people—increase around you.

Why? …Because plants (and people) grow only with and towards the sunlight.

…Having a hard time seeing the seeds around you? Of course you are—they’re buried.

Do what the sun does and shine down indiscriminately.

Double down on the ones that respond and peak through.

…Soon you’ll be surrounded by great oaks instead of buried seeds.

Don’t Let “Supposed To” Rob You Of Serendipity

Published on April 22, 2025

I’m learning to be more fluid… more flexible in my approach… more comfortable in the present… even when it overlaps with something I was “supposed” to do.

Because what I’m learning is that what I’m “supposed” to do—at least from an evolved perspective—is be where I am… in whatever form and shape that takes… as fluidly and as comfortably as possible.

Which is why it’s so important to be intentional and deliberate with planning and premeditating. It’s the person who isn’t aligned… isn’t where they’re supposed to be or doing what they’re supposed to be doing… who tightens up… becomes rigid… and crashes, bangs, and ricochets from one task, off the next, and into the one after that.

They aren’t able to be present because they’re never allowing themselves to be where they are. And the way that happens is by not figuring out where that is ahead of time. Which is one fault.

But a second fault, that’s just as important to consider, and is maybe more to my point, is they haven’t done enough reflection or inner work to recognize when moments of serendipity should supersede “supposed to” moments.

…Because there are definitely some moments that are made easier when they’re planned, deliberate, and thought of ahead of time… but there are also unexpected, surprising, serendipitous moments that come up throughout our day that deserve our undivided attention and full presence.

…Today’s message is just that: don’t let your “supposed to” tasks rob you of serendipity—which should always be experienced undivided and in full.