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Tag: Analogies

Mind I.D.

Published on January 20, 2023

When I see “Spam likely” pop up on my Caller I.D.—I don’t answer.

This choice saves me time/ energy/ and attention that can be invested in far more useful ways.

The real hack, though, is training your gut to start popping up “Spam Likely” in your mind’s eye for in real life and digital interactions.

  • Somebody give you a weird vibe, but you’re not quite sure why? Spam likely.
  • Somebody reach out with a request that makes you feel uncomfortable? Spam likely.
  • Somebody in the same room as you who’s triggering your nervous system? Spam likely.

Here’s the thing about spam: it’s everywhere and isn’t going anywhere.

That said, remember: how you choose to respond can quite literally make or break your days.

The Opportunity In Loss

Published on January 7, 2023

Everything we lose in life leaves with it a space.

  • Lost love
  • Lost work
  • Lost friends

…For a while, it’ll probably be an uncomfortable space.

But slowly… eventually… you’ll start to see that space as something of a blank slate.

And slowly… eventually… you’ll realize what you have inside is everything you need to paint a new (even better) masterpiece.

Stretching The Mind

Published on January 5, 2023

We don’t move toward flexibility in life—we move toward tension, brittleness, and restriction.

The more time we invest in stretching and mobility work, the more we move in the opposite direction.

The same is true with our inner states.

The default is to move toward tension, stress, and chaos.

The more time we invest in meditating, writing, and reflecting—the more we move in the opposite direction.

The other reason I love this analogy is because the same steady discomfort you feel while doing deep stretching is the same kind of steady tension you might feel in your mind while doing deep inner work.

The goal shouldn’t be to force the stretch to the point of agony or injury. The goal should be to find a place of tension that’s uncomfortable, but bearable—one that is sustainable.

Because the real benefit of stretching and inner work comes not from quick, sporadic sessions… but from steady, extended ones.

You won’t find inner peace after a few inner works sessions just like you won’t achieve a full split after a few stretching sessions.

But, with patience and a firm resolve… you just might move in that direction. And any inner peace gained, just as any flexibility gained, is always a win. This is the path.

E(motional)-Mail

Published on December 22, 2022

Emotional turbulence doesn’t usually come about all at once. It’s usually the result of an ongoing accumulation of emotional messages that get overlooked and ignored until they pile into an overwhelming mountain of unread messages—which, then, triggers inner turbulence.

…It happens when we say we don’t have time, we’re too busy, or when we keep ourselves blindly distracted. Yet, we have time to incessantly check email and swipe every notification that pops up on our phone?

Maybe, if we took some of that incessant energy that’s pointed towards “productivity” and “networking” and used it to read even just a small portion of the emotional messaging our body sends us… we’d be a helluva lot less turbulent and anxious.

And, heck, we’d probably be a helluva lot more productive and present for proper networking, too.

Matching Words To Actions (and Actions To Words)

Published on December 21, 2022

What letter grade would you give yourself for actually doing the things you say you’re going to do? A-? B? …F?

If you are failing in follow through—in matching your actions to your words—everything in your life will be affected.

Fix this by making smaller promises/ announcements/ goals and remembering not to agree to things you don’t seriously think you’ll be able to do.

Refocus your efforts from trying to capture HUGE word-to-action matchings and start accumulating mountains of small matchings instead. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days!—tell yourself that you’re going to show up to the gym for 15 of the next 30 days.

The house of trust is built one brick at a time.

The wrecking ball of mistrust slams against those bricks every time you don’t follow through on your word.

Build patiently. Commit consciously. Do everything you can to NOT slam that wrecking ball into your walls. It’s much harder to build than it is to destroy. And until we build a house of trust with ourselves, we won’t have a roof we can house our best lives in.

Your Life; Your Story

Published on December 11, 2022

You are the author, editor, and publisher of the story of your life.

UNLESS you:

  • Don’t question what you’re taught
  • Make no time for reflection / introspection
  • Look at yourself through other people’s eyes / opinions

Until you take guarding your mind seriously, others will continue writing the story of your life for you—and probably not for the better.

4k Visualizations

Published on December 2, 2022

Don’t just visualize.

Do deep visualizations.

They are not the same practice.

Until you can see in 4k clarity who you want to become, you’ll continue acting in standard definition—i.e. in the same standard manner you always have.

But with 4k clarity, you can start acting in ways your most powerful version would… because you can see, feel, and even hear everything that that version of you does—all the way down to how they move their arm from bed to alarm clock first thing in the morning.

It’s just a matter of bringing that version into focus by upgrading the TV of your mind.

Referencing a 1990’s, box and antenna, blurry-at-best definition screen won’t take you to 4k land.

4k land requires 4k vision.

It’s time to upgrade.