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Category: Living Well

Misfit Inspiration

Published on March 14, 2024

When I finally agreed to play basketball with a new group of guys—I was nervous.

I hadn’t ever played basketball on a team and had no formal training or experience. I rarely watched games or any kind of tutorial video.

All I had was what I learned playing pick-up ball in driveways and parks at various times throughout my life and a pretty solid fitness baseline.

What I saw when I first showed up was a group of guys who were organized and experienced. They were calling picks and plays and communicating things that sounded like a different language to me—and they were all good.

But, of everybody on the court playing, one guy stood out to me.

He was shorter, didn’t have the cleanest technique, and wasn’t the most talented—but he played like he belonged. And later, I came to find out he was one of the group organizers who had been playing for years and years with this squad.

Of everybody on that court, he was the one who inspired me the most. Not the most skilled player; not the best shooter; and not the player who could dunk—but, the player who I could relate to the most.

This was a really important lesson for me. You don’t have to be the best in the game to inspire and you don’t have to be the most talented to play. And even if you don’t look the part—it’s acting the part that makes all the difference.

So to the people out there who are doing things despite mismatching societal norms—thank you. Y’all are far more inspiring than you might ever know.

Dude Smiling [Poem]

Published on March 12, 2024

I saw a stranger walking today
Happy as could be
No company
No AirPods
No screens
Just walking rocking that kind of smile
That makes you turn to philosophy

I stopped at a red light
And thought about what it could possibly be
I know I’m not supposed to
But you know what always helps me?
Writing thinking down
Seeing sparked synapsis—bodily electricity
Decoded into text—something black and white
Or 1’s and 0’s if typed into a machine

Could it be excitement?
Could it be love?
Could it be a happenstance memory?
…Now I’m wondering what that smile meant to me.
When’s the last time I rocked a smile like that?
When’s the last time I overflowed
With excitement, love, or a piece of happy history?

Dude’s got me firing, decoding, creating…
And he didn’t even see me
Don’t ever tell me
You don’t matter
You’re unworthy
That you don’t make a difference to us—to me
When a smile from a stranger
Seen for .5 seconds approximately
Can spark electricity into a poem

One that became a gift for you—from me

P.s. You can read my other poems here.

Meaning via Excited-Mixed-With-Nervous

Published on March 11, 2024

Somebody was sharing today how they were feeling about becoming a parent via adoption.

The synopsis was excited at the prospect, but nervous at the thought of messing it up.

And what occurred to me was how great of a guide that excited/nervous mix is for uncovering meaning in life.

Excited alone isn’t as accurate because it could come from something inconsequential or that’s well within your comfort zone like playing a video game, shopping a sale, or going to bed early.

Nervous alone isn’t as accurate either because it could come from self-sabotaging thoughts or something too far outside of your comfort zone that makes you not do anything at all.

But, the things that you’re excited-mixed-with-nervous about? Those are the things that indicate you’re heading outside of your comfort zone (nervous) in a way that deep down you know you can handle (excited).

When I think about the things that have provided the most meaning for me in my life, this excited/nervous mix was almost always present.

…I think about times when I spoke publicly, taught classes, published vulnerable pieces of work, asked and went out on dates, performed in martial arts competitions, rose into new leadership positions, navigated important/tough conversation landscapes, stood up for what I believed in, started a new business venture and so on.

…Think about the most meaningful moments in your life and I bet you’ll see a similar pattern.

And if you do, remember this moving forward. Excited-only could mean well within your comfort zone. Nervous-only could mean too far outside of it. But, that excited/nervous mix could indicate that you’re on a path that’s just right and you should lean in.

Doing Business Minus Business

Published on March 5, 2024

Dear busy person,

For the love of whatever you believe in, please drop your modern day desire to make pooping productive. You don’t need to read emails. You don’t need to engage with a certain number of social posts. You don’t need to write up replies, brainstorm ideas, or review your schedules/ to-do lists. You don’t need to do anything—except your business. And you know what business I mean… I want you to do your business minus any trace or thought of work related business. If there’s any time in your day that you should keep sacred and to yourself… that should be right at the top. The business of every day life is already hectic, busy, and nonstop enough as is—no need to exacerbate it. Give yourself pockets of grace. Give yourself time to unwind. Give yourself some space to pause. The rest of your day will be better because of it.

~ Your Inner Work Person

P.s. You can read my other letters to you, here.

We’re Auditioning Every Day

Published on March 4, 2024

What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t remember what your résumé said.

As an employer who hires almost exclusively from within my organization… my prospects for hire are auditioning every day.

…In the way they walk, talk, act, and interact with others.

Which isn’t all that different from how it works everywhere in life.

Granted, most organizations hire people they’ve never met before—but, what is it they’re looking for? Your hard skills for the job, obviously, but also… the way you walk, talk, act, and interact with others.

Which usually requires references to speak on your behalf or knowing somebody in the organization who can vouch for you.

In other words, we’re auditioning every day. And not just for our current job(s), but for our future job(s).

The way you walk, talk, act, and interact with others today will determine who you get to walk, talk, act, and interact with tomorrow.

And if you can make it your problem today to upgrade that walk, talk, act, and interaction—just watch how the problems you get to solve upgrade in your life in some future tomorrow, too.

Caring Enough To Do Our Part

Published on March 3, 2024

Today, for lunch, I ate at a local Mexican restaurant.

I ordered a bowl that I told them I was going to eat there.

And yet, they covered my bowl with a plastic lid… they put my dressing in a plastic to-go cup… they put my meal in a plastic to-go bag (my table was 10 feet away)… and the forks were all single wrapped in plastic on the side…

…And nobody blinked.

…Not even one second thought.

So I took my food to a table… took off the lid… poured on my dressing… unwrapped my fork… and sat there and just looked at all of the wasted plastic that I was going to have to needlessly throw away…

Next time… I’m going out of my way to request no lid. I’m going to ask for the dressing to be put right on top. I’m going to ask they don’t put it in a bag—a tray will do just fine. And I’m going to see if I can bring my travel reusable silverware.

Obviously, not wasting plastic isn’t in any of the employees’ job description. But, maybe it should be in our job description as humans living on this earth.

Because plastic is a problem—a major problem.

…And everybody is pointing at big companies and government officials to solve the problem.

But, if we can’t care enough to do our part in our day-to-day… don’t you think it’s pretty hypocritical of us to think “they” should not only do theirs—but enough to cover ours, too?

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

Do-Gooders

Published on March 1, 2024

Today my friend told me about this support group text that his friend started.

The friend would simply pick a person and send to the group, “Hey guys, let’s all support Mike today.”

And Mike would then become the focus of that group’s gratitude, encouragement, and support. Be it through messages, phone calls, random acts of kindness, gifts, stories, or whatever. All random name selection and came with no catch—it was simply about creating a small group of do-gooders.

And I just thought this was the greatest little big idea that I simply had to share.

Imagine how great that would feel to be the picked person for that day…

Imagine how great it would feel to be the person making others feel great for the day…

Imagine creating your own little group of do-gooders in your own family/ friend/ community group and how great it might feel to run it for a year…

Imagine starting it tonight…