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Category: Living Well

Be Water, My Friend

Published on April 28, 2022

Understand this: we are a vessel that carries either water or gas to and from each of our daily interactions—it’s rarely anything else.

With that in mind, our mission becomes quite clear.

We must take the time needed to fill ourselves up each day until we are overflowing with “water” rather than allowing our internal chemistry to unwillingly produce and start spewing “gas.”

Then, with every “fire” we cross, we have to let what comes from inside of us dilute the harsh flames rather than further enrage their fury.

After all, do we want to be contributors to even more uncontrollable chaos in the world? Or do we want to be the facilitators of fresh air?

And to my idealist friends out there: the key isn’t to let the number of fires in the world—or their size—intimidate you to inaction.

The most grandiose plan to extinguish all fires in the world pales in comparison to the fire that’s actually put out in your own backyard.

Today, as you embark on the path of your day—be water, my friend.

And focus on the actual flames that present themselves at each step along the way.

So Good

Published on April 23, 2022

Working on your weaknesses will make you average (at best).

Working on your strengths gives you the best chance at becoming above average—maybe even excellent.

Spend little to no time working on your strengths, however, and you’ll quickly become average (or below average) and struggle to contribute to the world in powerful ways.

The trick is to align strength-building with the largest block(s) of available time you can afford each day and double/triple down on developing them compared to your weaknesses.

Because remember: your weaknesses are somebody else’s strengths. Let them own that skillset.

You focus on owning yours.

That is how you become so good that you can’t be ignored.

And that is the best aim to have in today’s hyper-competitive, hyper-connected world.

Nobody is desperately seeking to add average to their team/company/lifestyles.

It’s Time To Rebel

Published on April 20, 2022

Modern day culture isn’t set up to make people feel good about themselves.

It’s postured towards comfort, speed, and clicks.

It’s important to point out that the byproduct of such a culture isn’t meaning, inner peace, and happiness.

The byproduct is pain, busyness, and distraction.

Which is why “going with the flow,” “fitting in,” and “keeping up with the whoevers” can be so detrimental (and is to countless people in our society).

Those who surrender to the flow of the culture quite often get carried away into the sewers which are composed of garbage thoughts, shitty feelings, and crap relationships.

This is all to say: being passive in today’s culture is a shitty option. Pun definitely intended.

And worth pointing out: this means that meaning, inner peace, and happiness are each (and need to be treated as) acts of rebellion.

You need to rebel against the call to comfort and confront positive pain.

You need to rebel against the aggressive demands for speed and deliberately create more space for stillness.

You need to rebel against the urge to constantly click, follow, like, swipe, and subscribe—and spend more time exploring, experimenting, adventuring, connecting, and building.

Don’t expect society to carry you along gracefully to the most fulfilled version of your life.

It won’t.

In today’s world, living the most fulfilled version of your life is straight up, an act of rebellion.

And it’s time to start treating it as such.

Don’t Skip Leg Day

Published on April 15, 2022

Today was heavy squat day at the gym.

Family travel, however, interrupted the normal routine.

So, after driving 6 hours and settling in to my destination location—I got creative.

I ran an elevated pace mile, did 100 jump squats, and 50 lunges.

This is a good example of what “firm in resolve; flexible in approach” looks like.

Life will happen.

Find other ways to make your top priority tasks happen when it does.

Happiness Masks

Published on April 12, 2022

Superficial happiness is a smiling mask that’s put over an unhappy face.

It can be quite convincing, too.

Not because people aren’t good at distinguishing masks versus faces—but because most people are wearing masks themselves.

And calling out your mask puts into question the mask they’re wearing.

…And most of us don’t want to talk about the face that’s hidden under our masks.

It’s precisely why we put masks on in the first place.

And so we carry on smiling and nodding at other people’s masks while we discreetly hide our upset and frown through our own. And that becomes a sort of accepted and forgotten about norm.

Every now and again though, we sit down with a person and they actually take their mask off.

Not to burden us. Not to complain. Not to shower sadness on our superficial happiness.

But, to share what’s real. To express something deeper than a portrayal of happiness. To give their vulnerabilities some space to breathe out from under the tight compression of plastic pressed up against their cheeks and forehead.

And what’s interesting is that the people who tend to wear their happiness masks less, and are able to share and express what’s real to them more, are often the ones who experience deeper joy as a result.

Because the byproduct of wearing a superficial mask of happiness—isn’t happiness.

Happiness is the byproduct of connecting more deeply to (and better understanding) ourselves.

Making Beauty

Published on April 11, 2022

A beautiful home isn’t something that happens—it’s something you make happen.

A beautiful mindset isn’t something that happens—it’s something you make happen.

A beautiful life isn’t something that happens—it’s something you make happen.

If you let life happen to you, the byproduct will be a mess—for life always moves towards chaos.

Beauty is the byproduct of taking those given messes and turning them into something you can be proud of.

Lego House Or Skyscraper?

Published on April 10, 2022

Daily affirmation: “I am not building a Lego house.”

Continued: “I am building a skyscraper. I am building a towering and intricate legacy of work that deeply reflects a long-lasting and firm commitment to steel, brick, and mortar—not cheap, plastic toys.”

Repeat as needed when things get tough.