Over the past 10 years, I have read over 100 self-help books.
99% of them repackaged the same ideas with a little twist.
Here's 8 that will change your life 🧵👇
"What’s happening outside Portland’s ICE facility isn’t just comedy, it’s cultural jiu-jitsu. It’s turning power’s own imagery back on itself, exposing how ridiculous tyranny looks under a disco ball."
Getting up this morning was hard.
My mind invented all sorts of worries and problems.
But I refused to get out of bed until I was in a positive state of mind.
This took me almost 30 minutes.
But I know that years of worry and anxiety have pushed my mind to incline towards darkness.
So I must choose light.
And I must make that choice
Every. Single. Day.
The amount we suffer is directly proportionate to the amount we desire.
The solution isn’t to get all the things we desire or to desire less.
It’s to shift our focus to living in the moment.
It’s to feel the breeze, hold hands in a quiet moment, or curl up with a good book.
It’s to simply be.
No expectations. No roles to play. No strategies to employ.
Just being.
I felt like an imposter.
Sitting at the park, surrounded by friendly faces.
I didn’t talk to anyone. Just buried myself in a book.
I’m supposed to be an expert on human connection.
But all I wanted to do was curl up and read.
I was in a funk.
Weeks pass.
I don’t meditate. I don’t write.
I just work, exercise, eat, and sleep.
Killing time between missed opportunities.
But suddenly, it’s my brother’s wedding.
I’m at a cocktail hour, surrounded by friendly faces.
Again.
I make small talk, but it feels like such a chore.
Then my dad’s friend corners me.
I don’t know this guy. I don’t want to talk to him.
But he’s going on and on.
Talking about how much he loves meditation.
But it’s like a switch flips.
And I wake up.
This guy is trying to connect with me.
So I take a real interest. I ask questions.
And I get a personal TED talk on transcendental meditation.
The next morning, my dad finds me.
He tells me how impressed his friend was by me.
“Impressed?”, I ask. “Why?”
“Because you took an interest in his passion. No one ever lets him talk about meditation.”
And just like that, I remember who I am.
I am someone who connects deeply and authentically.
And sometimes I lose my way.
Sometimes I think that’s not worth all that much.
Sometimes I think I’m an imposter.
But I’m not an imposter.
I’m just a human.
A flawed, growing, authentic human who wants nothing more than real human connection…even if some days he isn't great at it.
Sometimes I wonder how much bigger my business would be if I didn’t spend so much time pinned to my couch, forced to give my cat endless scratches while she constantly rearranges herself on my lap.
Oh well. Back to work.
This cat isn’t going to scratch itself. Apparently.
I felt like an imposter.
Sitting at the park, surrounded by friendly faces.
I didn’t talk to anyone. Just buried myself in a book.
I’m supposed to be an expert on human connection.
But all I wanted to do was curl up and read.
I was in a funk.
Weeks pass.
I don’t meditate. I don’t write.
I just work, exercise, eat, and sleep.
Killing time between missed opportunities.
But suddenly, it’s my brother’s wedding.
I’m at a cocktail hour, surrounded by friendly faces.
Again.
I make small talk, but it feels like such a chore.
Then my dad’s friend corners me.
I don’t know this guy. I don’t want to talk to him.
But he’s going on and on.
Talking about how much he loves meditation.
But it’s like a switch flips.
And I wake up.
This guy is trying to connect with me.
So I take a real interest. I ask questions.
And I get a personal TED talk on transcendental meditation.
The next morning, my dad finds me.
He tells me how impressed his friend was by me.
“Impressed?”, I ask. “Why?”
“Because you took an interest in his passion. No one ever lets him talk about meditation.”
And just like that, I remember who I am.
I am someone who connects deeply and authentically.
And sometimes I lose my way.
Sometimes I think that’s not worth all that much.
Sometimes I think I’m an imposter.
But I’m not an imposter.
I’m just a human.
A flawed, growing, authentic human who wants nothing more than real human connection…even if some days he isn't great at it.
@natt_aram As Stephen Pressfield says, "athletes play hurt."
We have to play even though we're hurt, even though we're healing, even though we never feel truly ready.
@kevrambally I used to think I was strong enough to resist the effects of my environment. Now I know that, even if that's true (and it isnt'), why swim upstream?