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And now for a benediction of hope
New behaviors can feel weird at first. It’s like hiking a trail that has no defined path, tons of stray branches, sharp rocks and spider webs that stick to your face. Blech. But the beautiful thing about nature is, it doesn’t need a reminder to never give up. Look around. Nature is engaged in an infinite process of creation. It doesn’t need our help, only our patience and trust. …
Like a steamroller crunching over a dead animal along the road
The job market tricks us through technology. Like when we’re unemployed and we apply for a hundred positions in a single day. Our brain tells us that we have executed a task that should produce a result. But in reality, it only took forty minutes of our time. And we never even had to leave the house to do it. It’s not like we hit the streets briefcase in…
His idiosyncrasies are important to nobody
Were you born with a strong desire to asset your individuality? Is it your nature to rebel against the mindless, mainstream conventionality? Do you give your mind license to daydream in some unorthodox directions? Are you someone who is oppositional in nature and moved by chasing freedom? And do you develop hives when your ability to manifest your individuality is thwarted and frustrated by the constraints of society? Welcome…
We respect the journey that we are on
Ries coined his infamous definition of an entrepreneur in beautifully broad terms. He described it as: Anyone who creates something of value for people, under conditions of extreme uncertainty. You don’t have to be a scooter riding, cappuccino drinking, hoodie wearing, french bulldog owning tech bro to be an entrepreneur, or even think like one. Each one of us can cultivate a greater comfort level with uncertainty. Because the reality is,…
Time does march on, and we are part of the parade
The madness of the creative process is, your entire sense of time gets warped. Because while you’re making something, it takes up your whole life and body and mind. But then, when you finally put that thing out into the world, it feels so small. It gets compared to every other thing that’s ever been made. And it lives as just one little tile in an infinite mosaic. Not…
If you have meat in your belly, you intend to do something
One of the arguments against taking medication is, patients might become dependent on it as their sole source of healing. To the point that those medications may divert them from seeking out other solutions. Interestingly, my experience was the opposite. When my gastroenterologist first prescribed medication for my chronic stomach pain, he reminded me that the pharmacological path wasn’t a panacea, but it was a good place to start. …
Only now are we gathering apples from the tree he planted
The beautiful thing about trees is, they trust without question that their leaves will regrow. That’s why they gently let them go when the season comes to an end. Their faith in the wind, the soil, the roots, the sun, the rains, and of course, the passage of time, is what allows future blossoms to come. Human beings could learn a thing or two from the trees. Because for…
Only then can we drop through to a more authentic self
A boundary is any limit that promotes integrity. It’s an indicator of what we decide is acceptable and what is not, and what allows us to make meaning in accordance with our cherished life values. The secret is knowing that there are two types. Internal and external. The former are physical boundaries that we set. They allow us to monitor and regulate the quantity and quality of other people’s…
Drastically decreasing the pressure we put on ourselves
Maisel’s provocative book about living the musician’s life dedicates an entire chapter to performance anxiety. But not the kind where we get paralyzed by stage fright five minutes before curtain. Rather, it’s about the tendency to turn virtually any offstage situation or interaction into a performance, just by inadvertently labeling it as such. From a psychological perspective, here’s how this process works, according to the doctor’s research. Artists possess…
Days with a flurry of rushing and noise
It can be difficult to see past the downpour of negative thoughts in the world. Especially when our egos tell us to hold onto the protection of cynicism, claiming we are entitled to feel so negative. But if we truly want to give ourselves the opportunity to experience serenity, we must replace negative thoughts with affirmative actions. We must sidestep negative energy rather than empowering it. Here are a…
