Walking into Target today, I had a thought that I’d try to commit as many random acts of kindness as I could.
…Boy did that change the shopping experience from what it could’ve been/usually is.
P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.
I kind of beat myself up today after spending an hour and a half watching reels after a long work week.
Then I remembered how I’ve essentially eliminated binge-reel-watching altogether for every other day of my week—for over a month now.
And I reminded myself that, like with food, it’s okay to have a cheat day. The goal isn’t perfection… it’s healthy.
And one cheat day doesn’t offset six healthy days. In fact, it helps keep the mind balanced… sane… satiated.
And so, like with cheat days, maybe you can try aiming for a six-to-one ratio with mindless media.
…It’s the daily cheats that turn into habits that turn into huge time sucks and mind melting that really cause the big problems.
But, one cheat per week keeps time in your pocket, discipline built, and mental resources available for higher level priorities.
…Without sucking the joy and pleasure that comes from the occasional binge.
Being the manager of a business, a big part of what I do is sales.
Fortunately for me, I’m wholeheartedly in love with what I sell.
Also fortunately for me, I’ve been able to learn from great salesmen who are also wholeheartedly in love with what they sell.
Many years ago, however, when I was first moving into sales from a teaching role, I made the mistake of thinking salesmen had to look a certain way, talk a certain way, and had to have a certain personality flair about them that was… in my mind… largely innate.
And in my mind, if my identity didn’t match that identity type… I couldn’t do it. After all, they were great, they looked the part, they were able to walk that innate walk… Who was I in comparison? …And it was that self-limiting belief that made me lack major confidence.
But, after enough training, trial-and-error, and growth… I slowly started to settle into my own style. I took what I liked from the greats, discarded what I didn’t, added my own unique takes, mixed in thoughts from other greats, and eventually landed on a style that I’m super comfortable and confident with.
This is the learning curve when it comes to developing any new skill.
As I reflect on this, the big takeaway for me is to avoid at all costs trying to copy and paste exactly what you see in another. This will only drain precious life energy that you could otherwise be using to invest in the real game-changing task: making the thing your own.
We compare ourselves with others so we can figure out where we are and where we want to be.
We see somebody:
While this isn’t inherently bad (having role models is great), there’s more to comparison than is often discussed. Here are three reminders:
1) Context impossible. As much as you might think you know about a person (that might make them a “suitable” person to be compared to) there’s still an ocean of context that even they don’t fully understand—which makes their journey and yours forever un-duplicatable.
2) It creates a discontent gap. The further ahead the person you compare yourself to, the longer you’ll have to travel to get to where you decided you want to be—which ultimately results in discontent for the duration of that journey… as opposed to following a content curiosity that stems from deep within your own being.
3) It disregards the direction that comes from your inner compass. The more you try to look, act, and talk like others—the less you’ll end up looking, acting, and talking like yourself. To spend time with yourself—reflecting, journaling, learning, questioning, experimenting—is to invest life energy into yourself that eventually translates into “identity confidence.” This is how you further embrace the unique person that you are in a way that comparison only drains.
P.s. I created a 30 Day Guide that will help you tune into your inner compass and build unshakable confidence in your life’s direction. More here.
We spend so much of our time collecting, gathering, purchasing… hoarding.
It’s no wonder life feels heavy at times.
…What might life look like if we spent more of our time donating, gifting, selling… detaching?
Lighter is a highly underrated, not talked about enough strategy for living.
What most of us are doing is rucking through life, exhausting ourselves, and rather than looking for ways to lighten our loads—we counterproductively and somewhat obsessively look for ways we can add more weight to what we’re already carrying.
…Often disguised as luxury goods, status upgrades, hyper convenience, even more comfortable, and retail therapy.
I’m convinced there’s a direct connection between the amount of stuff we have / are responsible for and the weight we feel on our shoulders.
Maybe if we shifted our focus from what we can add that’ll make our load feel lighter… to what we might remove from what we’re already carrying… we might actually get to ruck… lighter.
P.s. 12 Minimalist Quotes from Everything That Remains by The Minimalists
I found myself feeling really inspired by this apparent journal entry that I stumbled upon on Pinterest this morning:
…And not even because of anything written (although the “note to self” piece is pretty damn good)—but, because of the effort and aesthetic and how… human it is.
And the thought that immediately popped to mind when I saw it was… imagine journaling like this every day of your life…
Imagine the memories you’d have lifetime access to…
Imagine the feelings you’d be able to not only process faster, but get to revisit and reflect on…
Imagine the legacy of life you’d get to leave behind for those who come after…
The reality is… eventually… all of our memories will fade to black.
And only the ripples of our actions will survive.
A journal not only helps us understand our ripples by helping us understand ourselves (so we can deliberately create better or more aligned ripples)… but it leaves behind a small light for other people to find…
…A light into the mind, memories, and inner workings of a fellow life traveler.
…Where there otherwise would’ve only been black.
P.s. If you like picture quotes, I curate and publish fresh finds each day on MoveMe Quotes here and Pinterest here.
I don’t think not doing work is an option.
We can only go so long satisfying short-term pleasures before we regress physiologically to the point of misery and wonder somewhat incessantly what the point of it all is.
See what work does is offer us a path towards growth and contribution. Two fundamental components of feeling fulfillment in life.
Growth because it equals life. The opposite means we’re heading for decay and death.
Contribution because we are social creatures. And doing good for others is good for us.
Now, if the work you’re doing isn’t satisfying at least one of those components, then maybe it’s time to start investing in work that does.
Which isn’t to say you should quit your work altogether and “follow your passions” per se.
It’s simply to say start investing time and energy into 1) figuring out what type of work would fulfill you and cover the costs of living and 2) building skills that make you more valuable / hirable in that space.
If you keep doing unfulfilling work and you’re making no additional investments in yourself or your future work… and your goal is to just get to a point where you don’t have to work anymore—I think you’re on a path of misery. For now and for later.
But, if you’re constantly looking for ways you can better utilize your talents, build more skills, and help more people—beyond just what you’re getting paid to do (bonus points if it’s all aligned)… I think you’re on a path of fulfillment.