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Category: Thinking Clearly

Turning 32

This year was all about refinement.

  • Less stuff; more space.
  • Less clutter; more clarity.
  • Less noise; more harmony.

Even in (especially in) my writing.

The 31 year old me would have probably tried to compile 32 life lessons learned in 32 years.

But, that didn’t feel appropriate for this year.

This year has been all about saying less, while simultaneously, learning how to say more.

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes.

Sending love and light to you all.

Roots

Don’t let the wind uproot you.
Let its best attempts
To topple, twist, bend, and break
Be the exact force you need
To shimmy your roots deeper
Into the very ground
It was plotting to yank you from.

Simplify Something (Anything)

Simplifying even just one thing can have a positive impact on everything else in your life.

Why?

Because finding ways to give yourself more time, energy, and space will directly impact your overall mental state.

And when you can improve your mental state by alleviating the pressures of time, saving on the expense of energy, and opening up more space to think and be—of course everything else in your day will be positively impacted.

A great exercise: As you go about your day, ask yourself: How can I simplify this task?

And find ways that you can collect a few saved minutes here, save on some energy there, and accrue some extra space wherever possible.

What you might realize is that what you needed wasn’t more time, energy, and space after all.

What you actually needed was to just expend less.

Dodging Raindrops

The person who tries to dodge every raindrop gets hit just as many times as the person who walks calmly forward.

And so it is for the person who tries to dodge every mistake, error, issue, problem, challenge, obstacle, fault, slip-up, oversight, flaw, imperfection, adversity, responsibility…

The way I see it, the rain is inevitably going to come down over each of us. We can try to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge every drop to avoid getting wet—which will only end in vain.

Or we can feel the rain and walk calmly forward.

When ‘Being Difficult’ Is Required

I’m not one to be difficult but I’ll fight like hell to protect my mental space.

Some things are worth being difficult over and it’s important to recognize that.

When I’m reading/ writing/ or otherwise doing deep work, for example, my phone is on silent, my internet tabs are closed, and my headphones are playing white noise on full volume.

It’s incredibly difficult to get a hold of me once I’ve entered this space.

Why do I do this?

Because I can’t do deep work with constant interruptions. And if I’m going to maximize my time in a deep work state, then I need to fight the resistance that comes with these efforts to protect that space.

And fight I will.

And when it comes to your mental space—so should you.

The Circumstances Of The Greats

Let us not forget that today we are:

  • Feeling the same sun
  • Breathing the same air
  • Seeing the same sky

And are:

  • Confronting the same types of pains
  • Confined to the same 24 hours
  • And facing the same mortality

…As the greats that came before.

There is no reason why we too, cannot be great.

You Are Important

You are important.

Don’t do unimportant stuff.

When you do unimportant stuff, you are subconsciously affirming that you are unimportant.

Because only unimportant people do unimportant stuff.

Treat yourself better than that.

Step up the importance of your tasks.

Do more of the things you think are important to do.

And do less of the things you know aren’t.

Start reaffirming to yourself that you are, indeed, important and worthy of completing important tasks.

Because you are.