Category: Thinking Clearly

The Perfect Pace

Published on July 11, 2024

I’m feeling very overwhelmed right now.

…Not necessarily in a bad way, though.

As those of you who have gone to business conferences, inspirational seminars, and/or events featuring some of the best in the world know… it can just leave you feeling like there’s so much to do and not enough time.

…Not to mention the everyday life problems that get tacked on top of the laundry list of ideas you want to act on… like how both of my websites are down right now and there’s nothing I can do about it which is stressing me the heck out.

…And also not to mention the exhaustion that usually accompanies these long weekends of training, learning, and conversations mixed with travel, jet lag, and messed up routines.

It formulates this weird inspiration haze that makes you excited to do things, but anxious about not having the energy or time to do what you want.

What’s carrying me through, though, is the calm reminder to simply do what I can now, with what energy and time I have, while staying organized on my future to-do items, and to let go and breathe out all that is outside of my control.

…I’ve done everything I can do to get my websites back up.

…I’ve acted on the items I’ve been able to act on so far.

…I’m slowly getting back to a routine that leaves me feeling fully energized and optimized for time.

And the rest… I’ll get to when I do.

…Which is, I keep reminding myself, the perfect pace to go.

P.s. This is my post from Wednesday, July 10th.

Getting Back Up

Published on June 30, 2024

My grandmother, 88 years old, fell down yesterday while pulling a big weed from her backyard.

It was one of those: yank, won’t budge… yank, won’t budge… yank, won’t budge… yank, pops out all at once… kind of weeds.

Being that she still lives on her own, falling down abruptly like that can lead to serious consequences… especially when falling straight onto her back and not having anything around to grab onto to help her get back up.

But, fortunately, there weren’t any serious consequences and she was able to get back up on her own.

And hearing her celebrate that victory today, of being able to get back up without anything around to grab onto, was a sobering reminder to not take that simple act for granted.

In fact, it is always a triumphant moment when we rise back up after having fallen onto our backs—be it in the morning as we rise from bed, during the day as we rise from having crashed on the couch, or in the situation where we fell or were knocked down or were depressed—finding the strength inside to get back up again is what living triumphant lives are made up of.

…May you continue to find that strength for many years to come.

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

Give More Credit To What’s Within

Published on June 27, 2024

At what point do we stop seeking answers from others and start seeking answers within ourselves?

It feels to me like most people only turn towards their inner guidance once they’ve exhausted answers from the outside world.

Which, to me, feels backwards in most cases.

If you’re dealing with a life threatening illness or building a home from scratch or fighting a legal battle, then of course, seek answers from those who are professionally suited to solve those problems.

But, when you’re dealing with inner or interpersonal problems… the best strategy might be to seek answers from within until those are exhausted and then turn to the ideas of others.

Like when it comes to health… you probably know what you need to do… get serious and exhaust all those ideas first.

Or when it comes to relationships… they can get complicated… but they can also be simplified and I bet your inner guidance might know how to do that.

Or when it comes to career… the pressure to earn coupled with the exponential number of paths can make choosing overwhelming… and consulting others can convolute it even more… but take a good look within… and it’ll quickly become more and more evident which path(s) are best suited for you.

In most cases, I don’t think we give our inner wisdom enough credit. And with that lack of faith for what’s within, we don’t give it enough time or energy. And so we rely more and more on the information that pours in through our devices… but, this noise only further disrupts the pond of our mind.

Let it settle, listen a little closer, and you’ll soon see.

Mastery Is Not An End

Published on June 25, 2024

Eight years ago, on this day, I tested for my 4th degree black belt in ITF Tae Kwon-Do—the rank of master in our martial arts system.

The title “master” can mean many different things to many different people and there were plenty of schools of thought and opinions that were passed along my way that helped me uncover my own.

To me, this step is similar to the step that’s taken when a young person graduates from school and enters “the real world;” when the child moves out of their parents’ house and learns to provide for themselves; when the sheltered homebody is sent off on a worldly adventure to learn how to make it on their own.

What I see in that title is a symbolic shift in responsibility from being a student within the school to being a student of the arts. From being a dependent on the teachers’ knowledge to being an independent seeker of knowledge. From being a disciplined practitioner to being a self-disciplined ambassador and leader.

Look at it as an ending… and you’ll quickly lose the habits and skillsets that got you there in the first place.

As it is with any skillset that’s “mastered” in life.

Mastery doesn’t represent an end to learning.

It doesn’t represent an end to training.

And it definitely doesn’t represent an end to what can be uncovered within the art(s).

Mastery, as is the case with every stage along our journey, should be looked at as yet another beginning. One that should be taken with an increased sense of responsibility, a heightened sense of pride, and a stronger than ever devotion to realizing one’s potential.

Onward.

On Keeping Your Grass Green

Published on June 21, 2024

The grass is greener on the other side—particularly when you’re comparing your grass to others’. Someone’s grass will always be greener than yours by comparison. But, if you stop comparing your grass to others, you might be able to reallocate that time to caring for your own… thus making it greener than it ever could have been before.

The grass is greener where you water it—especially when water comes in finite quantities. If you spray your water on other people’s lawns all day… don’t be surprised when your lawn is dying and yellow. Water your grass first, invest a little extra where it’s struggling, and gift the rest to others—in that order. And don’t be stingy with your water when you’re done taking care of yours… the beautiful thing about tomorrow is you’ll always get a full refill to use once again.

Finally, one more… but first, context: I uploaded a quote today to MMQ that said: “Maybe you don’t need to move abroad, dump the boyfriend or quit the job. Maybe you just need to learn to appreciate what you have. The grass is greener where you water it.” To which I’d encourage you to consider another equally important variable: The grass is greener where it’s less toxic—sometimes you do, indeed, just need to either move or get some new grass altogether… And not because you’re not thankful… but because you’re smart and know that environmental health is just as important as any other variable.

Inner Work Prompt: What would you say is the state of your “lawn.” How healthy/unhealthy is it? Why? What do you need to do (really) to make it greener?

Mistakes Aren’t Mistakes

Published on June 20, 2024

In martial arts, mistakes aren’t deviations from the training—they’re a fundamental component of it.

In other words, learning how to recover from mistakes is just as important as learning how to properly punch and kick in the first place.

The reason is because in self-defense—one of the fundamental focuses of any martial art—there are no do-overs. You don’t get to ask your attacker to stop and re-attack you because you made a mistake doing your self-defense or you weren’t ready.

The self-defense must go on. Your thinking must carry on. Your movement must flow on.

And if that’s the end goal, then that has to be the way in which we practice—because the way we practice IS the way we’re going to perform.

And so it is in life.

Mistakes aren’t deviations from the path—they’re a necessary part of the path.

They’re opportunities for us to learn how to think quickly on our feet… to look for openings in unexpected circumstances…to practice being calm and collected even when we’re flustered or confused.

We learn to roll with the punches, both in martial arts and in life, because fighting is never perfect. It’s messy, ugly, and surprising… and preparing for THAT—practicing when it IS that—is preparing for life.

Preparing for perfect is planning for fantasy. And planning for fantasy is the REAL mistake.

Success The World Actually Needs

Published on June 19, 2024

The world is saturated with people who want to be successful.

But what the world needs isn’t more people who are successful via traditional metrics (e.g. money, fame, power).

What the world needs is more people who are successful via novel and highly personal metrics.

The world doesn’t need more people maximizing their bottom lines at the expense of the environment. What we need are more people who can minimize their carbon footprint, reduce their use of plastics, and align their purchasing behavior with a life mission that’s also aligned with our most important home.

The world doesn’t need more people obsessing over likes and numbers of views on social media. What we need are more people who are obsessed with liking themselves and minimizing the number of people they compare themselves to—both on and offline.

The world doesn’t need more generally educated, non-specific college grads. What we need are more people who have come alive and are ignited with a curiosity that makes them want to learn, grow, and improve each day in spite of mistakes, failures, and hardships along the way.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with traditional metrics of success per se.

…It’s just that there’s something way more right with personally defined, soul-aligned metrics instead.

Inner Work Prompt: What’s your personally defined, soul-aligned definition of success?