Skip to content

Category: Thinking Clearly

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Published on June 1, 2024

One of my students asked me the other day, “I practice so hard… why do I still make mistakes?”

And I said, “Easy. Because you’re human.”

The outcome of practicing hard isn’t perfect.

…Expecting this of ourselves is to overlook our nature as imperfect creatures.

The outcome of practicing hard is better… and better is the most we should ever ask of ourselves as we continue our quests not towards perfect… but towards understanding… towards confidence… towards art… towards mastery… towards self-actualization… towards legacy… towards expressing what it means to uniquely human—uniquely us.

Subconscious Sighs Of Relief

Published on May 27, 2024

Landscaping this weekend made me appreciate, once again, the impact physical environment can have on our mental headspace.

There are things I would see daily that, in retrospect, would cause me daily irritation. Things like overgrown weeds, sunken landscaping bricks, and grass creeping onto concrete. It wasn’t an irritation I would really notice consciously though—this was the retrospective realization—it was something that kind of irritated me in the background of my mind as I continued with other thoughts.

…And I think the same thing happens in reverse when these things are cleaned up and have a nice aesthetic. It’s almost as though I can feel a background sigh of relief that calms me as I soak it all in while I continue with other thoughts. I’m sure this is why meditation centers, spiritual facilities, and religious organizations place such a high emphasis on the physical environment aesthetics…

It’s a subconscious means of communication that lets you breathe a sigh of relief as you process your conscious thoughts.

…And until we visit those types of places, maybe we can take our own physical environments a little more seriously, eh?

Won—Not Done

Published on May 24, 2024

It’ll never be all done all at once—there will always be something that needs to be worked on.

I’m reflecting on this as I take this weekend to catch up on all of my indoor and outdoor chores. There are so many things that need to be completed that by the time I’m done with the last item, the first item would need to be done again—and so the circle goes.

This is why it’s healthy to adopt a mindset of, “Won—not done.”

“Done” is a forever fleeting finish line that’ll only frustrate and upset you whenever you try to attain it.

But, “won” is always do-able.

Start by asking yourself: What are the most important tasks to complete that’ll give me a “win” for the day? And then repeat tomorrow.

Collecting “Ws” works a lot better for productivity and mental health than feeling like all you ever do is fall short.

So, You Want Peace of Mind?

Published on May 10, 2024

…Start by giving your mind some peace.

Turn off the screens. Mute the notifications. Go to where it isn’t so… people-y.

Peace of mind starts with awareness of mind. With looking at what’s happening up there. With sorting and sifting and allowing and settling.

If you’re serious about wanting peace of mind… You have to prove it.

…And be present with your mind—distraction free—for dedicated blocks of time every day. Starting with a block that’s manageable according to your current lifestyle that grows over time.

Otherwise, don’t be surprised if your mind continues to be a reflection of the (non-peaceful) environment you continue to expose it to.

What Do You Think?

Published on May 9, 2024

To be thoughtful, you have to give yourself space to think.

…And not just think your way through a hectic day.

I mean, space to actually think… space to let your mind filter and sift… space to let your subconscious mind chime in… space where you can finally stop the barrage of incoming stimuli and can take a look at what’s already within.

Without a space like this, it’s incredibly hard to be thoughtful… to think more than one step ahead… to zoom out from the microscope of the day and look at your life trajectories in a more strategic way… to process all of the bite sized information and form authentic opinions.

And to be thoughtful in a world filled with people who are “too busy” to think… or maybe “too busy” to figure out how to make space to think… or maybe too brainwashed or addicted to even recognize they don’t have time to genuinely think…

…Is precisely what I think, we need.

“We Don’t Quit.”

Published on May 4, 2024

“That’s alright, we don’t quit.”

I said playfully as she looked at me for a signal on how she should feel about missing her shot.

“We take that ball and we put it right back up again.”

And so she refocused on the basketball rim, scrunched her little body down like a spring, and shot the ball back up with all her might.

Missing again, she looked at me again for a signal on how she should feel.

Without even the slightest hesitation I repeated exactly the same line.

And without any further hesitation, she refocused, scrunched back down, and shot it back up.

And this continued again and again and again until around shot number 16 when she finally made it.

And what I loved the most about this experience today wasn’t just the playful acceptance of failure as being a part of the process towards success… nor was it the fact that she made one of her first ever basketball shots on a regulation rim at seven years old (and one of those outdoor double rims at that)… but it was what her little four year old brother did after watching the whole thing unfold.

He ran up and asked if he could try—and of course we let him.

And after missing his first shot… rather than cry or get mad or give up… completely unprompted he said: “That’s alright, we don’t quit.”

…And playfully asked if he could take another shot.

Driving Forward Your Life

Published on April 22, 2024

When driving, how much time do you spend looking in the rear view mirror?

…Maybe 1% of the time?

And how much time do you spend planning out your route in advance?

…Again, maybe 1% of the time it takes you to complete the actual drive?

I think these are good proportions to apply to driving forward your life as well.

I don’t think there’s ever a time we drive our car without looking in the rear view mirror or planning out our route in advance in some respect.

Just as I don’t think there should ever be a day when we drive forward our life without looking at our past or planning out our future route in some respect.

Of the 16 hours you spend awake driving your life forward (assuming eight hours of sleep), this means ~ 10 minutes each day should be spent reviewing the past and 10 minutes should be spent planning out the future (16 hours x 60 minutes = 960 total awake minutes x .01 = 9.6 minutes).

If you can remember to spent even just 5 minutes per day looking back and 5 minutes per day looking forward, I’d say your journey forward will remarkably improve.

…Probably in at least as much as the introduction of the rear view mirror and GPS remarkably improved driving cars.

Imagine that…

P.s. Need help planning out your life’s route? My guide (now 30% off) can help. Details here.