Category: Transforming Pain

In A Bad Mood

Published on July 26, 2023

Instead of saying “I’m in a bad mood,” consider saying, “I have some emotions I’m working through.”

We are never just one emotion; never just one mood at any given point in time.

We are all of the moods all of the time.

It just so happens that, like the dancing tide that rises and falls as the moon closes in and retreats from the earth, so too do our various moods rise and fall as various life events (past, present, and future) close in and retreat from our conscious and unconscious mind.

Sometimes it’s obvious why we’re experiencing “bad mood” emotions.

…And sometimes it definitely isn’t.

The key is in not identifying with any one particular emotion so as not to allow it to drown out all of the other emotions.

When we say “I am…” we are referencing all of ourselves. When we say “I have some emotions I’m working through…” we are referencing part of ourselves. And we’re giving space for the other parts (emotions) to rise and fall on their own accord—while simultaneously not flooding the “bad mood” emotions throughout the entirety of our body.

When we give all of our emotions the space they need to rise and fall without clasping or repulsing… we, like the tide to the earth, allow our bodies to breathe: to rise and to fall; to take in and to let out; to welcome and to bid farewell to… the entirety of what makes us human.

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

Alone… Together

Published on July 16, 2023

I meditated with a group for the first time today.

We met at a local park, sat in the grass, did 15 minutes of quiet sitting, 15 minutes of quiet walking or continued sitting (most kept sitting), and finished with another 15 minutes of quiet sitting.

Then, after everybody came out of their practice, the group spent 15 minutes discussing a topic.

Before we began, I asked one gentlemen what brought him to the group and he said he had a hard time meditating alone.

Which struck me because what is a meditation group, but a group of people who are practicing being alone… together?

There’s that element of connection during the discussion portion, but for 45 minutes, it’s just you. And if being with you is hard for you, for any duration of time, it’s as good an indicator as any that inner work is needed.

I don’t say this from a place of judgment, but from a place of compassion.

Because of all the company you keep in your life, there should be no better company than the company you keep with yourself. And the more you improve the company you keep with yourself, ironically, the better the rest of the company you keep will become, too.

Some questions to reflect on: (1) Have you ever considered practicing being alone? (2) Have you ever considered practicing being alone, in a group? (3) What, if anything, is coming up that’s preventing you from starting a practice like this?

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

What’s The Point?

Published on July 6, 2023

There are hundreds, thousands even, of written pieces of content that I could easily repurpose and share as my daily blog. Pieces that you probably wouldn’t even recognize as being repurposed that would share some of my past ideas that I’m (1) proud of, (2) are just collecting dust, and (3) could very likely be helpful to you.

But, that’s not the point.

The point is to reflect daily on what’s happening inside my mind. To think about what I’m currently thinking; what I’m currently feeling; what direction I’m currently heading—and if I’m content with that direction or if I need to make adjustments.

The point is the practice.

Not the educating/ entertaining/ “edu-taining” an audience. Once you do a thing for the sake of the thing, you no longer care about metrics, content strategies, or marketing plans. You’re free to embark on a journey that’s specifically for you, by you. And you, too, should have a practice in your life that’s done purely for the sake of the thing—one that’s insulated from outside manipulation.

When everything is measured, tracked, and influenced by the rest of the world—suddenly, work never stops. Because as soon as you make a thing about the others, it’s work. Keep that thing to yourself, however, and make the practice sacred and suddenly… work is forgotten.

…And your work will be better because of it.

P.s. My guide that helps you calibrate your life’s direction is currently on sale. Use code ‘SUMMER10’ to save $10 at checkout.

Creative Juicing

Published on June 26, 2023

There’s only so much creative juice available to us each day.

If we align our time/energy/effort properly, we can maximize the juice we’re able to squeeze. But, if we don’t take care of ourselves, carelessly wash away our most valuable hours, and/or succumb to passive entertainment… we miss our opportunity to squeeze creative juice at all.

…And what a shame to be given a ripe fruit and not get even one taste of its juice.

Set aside some proper time to squeeze, however, and you’ll reap the rewards. The first big squeeze, done at your peak time, will yield the greatest results. Wait for a while longer inside the day and you’ll get a second shot at the same, once squeezed fruit—it doesn’t replenish. And so it is for each attempt inside the day after that.

After the first two or three major squeezes, the additional squeezes won’t yield very good results. You’re better off releasing the fruit, resting, and allowing your creative juices to replenish. This is why working when you’re exhausted can feel like such a waste of energy/effort—you’re squeezing from an exhausted fruit.

And this is why, the people who are able to squeeze the most creative juice from life don’t do so in short stints of time. They routinely get their two to three big squeezes from the fruit that’s replenished each day and do so over an extended period of time. And if you want to squeeze the most creative juice from this life, that’s what you should plan for, too.

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

Inspiration On The Other Side

Published on June 23, 2023

I don’t judge days by the amount of inspiration I’m feeling; I judge days by the amount of opportunity I’m given.

And each day, I’m granted 86,400 moments—86,400 opportunities to engage with and experience life.

Wait for inspiration to strike inside your moments—and you’ll be waiting around for much, if not all, of your 86,400 moments. Quite possibly more as days turn into weeks or months…

Start striking regardless of how you feel and what you might find is inspiration on the other side. On the side that appears mundane, average, ordinary, normal, expected…

For what is it that starts a fire? Is it a lightning strike? Yes—occasionally. Is it some tinder, kindling, firewood, and a match? Yes—much more consistently and reliably.

And what’s surrounding you right now? Lightning strikes? …Maybe if you’re in a creative phase or riding some high powered muse momentum. Is it some tinder, kindling, and firewood—aka blank papers/canvas, keyboards/pens, computers/connections? I’d say yes—undoubtedly.

Everything you need is already available to you.

All you have to do is categorize, organize, and light the damn match.

Believe it.

P.s. I ran out of words yesterday, so to catch up, I’m thankful for The Almonds Guy and today, funnily enough, I’m thankful for inspiration lightning strikes. Because while building fires manually works—inspiration strikes are exciting as hell and I gotta give them a shout out for being so.

Inner Work Pays

Published on June 6, 2023

I have no idea how many people actually read these daily posts.

This would distract me from the purpose of the practice.

Which, isn’t to say I wouldn’t like it if more people read my daily posts.

It’s to say that the audience is secondary.

Writing for the sake of writing—for my own reflective purposes and personal development—is primary.

The second I start writing for the audience first, it’s no longer inner work—the task suddenly becomes outer work.

And while it’s true that outer work can pay in attention and dollars… it’s the inner work that pays in fulfillment and clarity.

Remember this as you practice your craft. If it suddenly feels like it’s becoming laborious and forced—it’s because you’re creating with the wrong people in mind.

Create with only one person in mind—yourself—and watch as the weight dissolves off your shoulders and your muse begins to visit more freely once again.

Becoming Interested In Nothing

Published on May 30, 2023

It’s worse to take an interest in irrelevant things than to do nothing at all.

What might be some examples of irrelevant things?

Most news
Most social media
Celebrity dating life
Your ex’s daily life
Angry strangers

At least when we do nothing at all we get to sort through and settle what’s already on our mind, allow our imagination and creative sides to flex, and do some of the inner work that leads to greater feelings of contentment and fulfillment.

What I see, however, is most people living as if doing nothing is some kind of bad thing. As if it’s some sort of signal that we have nothing better to do. But, don’t get it twisted, doing things that are irrelevant to our path forward (what’s going to help us grow and improve) isn’t better—it’s the opposite.

Investing attention into irrelevant things is investing into distractions. Distractions which take our attention away from what is relevant to our path forward—ourselves. Which, surprisingly enough, is easiest to explore when we do more of the very thing we may have been subconsciously trying to avoid this whole time: nothing at all.

P.s. Does the thought of doing nothing freak you out? My guide can help with that.