Our self-worth increases proportionally to the amount of time spent doing inner work.
If we never prioritize our SELF… how can we expect to realize all that we are?
Like modern media, what garners the most attention proportionally holds the most worth.
Make YOU the channel you spend the most time on.
P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.
The inner work we choose to avoid becomes the outer suffering we can’t seem to escape.
As hard as it might seem upfront, it’s the easiest it’ll ever be to confront right then and there.
The things we carry with us only get heavier the longer we carry them.
P.s. How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water? A Short Story About Stress and Compartmentalizing.
Good questions.
…Not good question. My answer is: with good questions. Although it is a good question.
Okay moving on.
Here’s a great starting formula:
A good question + a good block of uninterrupted time + honest attempts at answering = excellent inner work.
It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.
Going on meditation retreats, taking intense treks through nature, doing intensive therapy sessions are undoubtedly powerful and worth every ounce of effort that you invest into them.
But, the barrier to actually doing those things is quite high. And anything that’s hard to do will get avoided and confronted with a proportional amount of resistance.
This is why we need to simplify our process. We need to meet ourselves where we are. We need to invest in little steps, start with small inquisitions, and explore our inner caves one piece of tunnel at a time.
Step by step, question by question, day by day is the way forward that fits into the busy person’s life. You just have to decide and commit.
Questions you might consider starting with:
P.s. Each question above was pulled from my guide: The Art of Forward (Direction > Speed). More info here.
One thing the most prolific among us do differently is they optimize for boredom.
See, in today’s world, there seems to be two default states for the modern person: busy or bored.
And those who are bored, most often, find ways they can quickly make themselves busy—typically through unimportant busywork, passive entertainment, and social media.
But, those who can reprogram their mind to see boredom as something different… something to be sought out… something to be carefully guarded… something to be planned for…
Get to spend more time in that non-busy state… undistracted and unbothered… uninfluenced and unhindered… un-marketed to and unprodded…
So they can more freely explore ideas on their own…
So they can sort through the infinite depth of what’s already there…
So they can imaginatively play as they once did when they were at their creative height(s)…
So they can become a prolific example of what it means to be an independent, uniquely capable, creatively abundant, infinitely potentialed human in a world of ever present and ever increasing carbon copies and AI regurgitations.
Those who are too busy flooding their minds with everything else never get a chance to sort through it all and actually decide.
P.s. I asked: Do you create better in tension or relaxation? I found the answers to be quite interesting…
There are days when everything just flows. When you wake up on time feeling refreshed; when your clothes fit great; when you walk more confidently, speak more clearly, find the right words more easily. Days when even your muse is feeling you and waltzes in on cue.
It’s on days like this where the very essence of life comes crashing down over otherwise untouched canvas. Days where blank pores and blinking cursors get filled with statements of unique existence. Days that leave you in awe as you look back on what feels like vanished time because of a hypnotism from a higher power.
…And then there are days when everything just doesn’t.
The key to more days like the former is to keep showing up on the days that feel like the latter. Because while waiting for the river to flow might seem like an appropriate strategy… the frequently overlooked truth is: the river never stops flowing.
Only our temporary moods and comfort-seeking egos make it seem that way in how they fog up and misguide our minds. Some of my best pieces were written on days when I “wasn’t feeling it.” Some of my favorite art was created by artists who dragged their feet. Some of the greatest insights were unveiled by those who forcefully cut their way through mental fog.
The river never stops flowing.
It’s only when we stop doing the dirty work required to access it that it “suddenly” disappears.
P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.
Anyone who says “That’s just how I am” (or something along those lines) is fixed in their ways and isn’t interested in changing.
Don’t waste any additional effort on trying to change / influence their mind if they believe their behaviors / actions are innate / unchangeable.
We all have the ability to change.
But, not until we can at least admit it to ourselves and adopt the mindset of “I’m willing to work on that.”
“Lonely” is the state of being avoidant and discontent with yourself—an indication that inner work is required.
“Alone” is the state of being present and content with yourself—a healthy indication of inner acceptance.
The transition from lonely to alone will vary in difficulty one person to the next.
But, in each case, when we start small and commit to incremental increases in things like journaling, meditating, solo walking, etc… we can slowly head in the direction of alone.
Which, is an imperative direction to head as being without people will only increase as we grow older. Better to learn the skill now and acclimate before you’re thrusted into the position, unprepared later.