The simple explanation

Everyone can point out what the big reveal of a Scooby Doo cartoon ending will be.

And yet, we struggle to see the simplest explanation on other facets of our life.

We should question why we give the benefit of the doubt to people or organizations that make big claims without any proof. A

lot of times we wish for things to be there that are simply not.

Soft rejections

As someone who handles rejection for a living. I will say when someone takes the time to explain why today is a No, it does feel easier to go out yourself out there again. While it is difficult to receive solicitation, if you take a moment to really help someone out that put the time to talk to you, it’s really quite generous to give them 5 minutes. The world moves fast, we can really connect when we slow down.

What plan?

Where we start and where we think we will go, is unlikely the path that we follow. Meaning we can have a plan from Point A to Point B but as Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until they get punched. Then it is thrown out the window. I think plans are often overrated and what’s more important is the next step, not the destination.

The weight we put on decisions

To humans, decisions are important. Without them, we feel trapped. We also put too much stock on the decisions we make. The world doesn’t stop spinning because we can’t decide what we want to eat for lunch. This is not to say we shouldn’t put care into the decisions we make. But we can also just decide and then do it again.

Pick a path, and stick to it. But if it isn’t working there is no reason why you have to stick with it if it isn’t working.

No one will read this

I mean, someone will. Because when you look at the number of people who will compare to the 8 billion people in the world, it’s safe to say that almost no one will read this post.

Even the most popular work, whether it’s a Kardashian endorsement or the next Marvel movie, most people still won’t participate.

We feel like we deserve our work to be seen just because we took the time to make it. But that isn’t how art works. Popularity has no correlation with hard work. When we can divorce the two, we can decide to make art because we feel the desire to.

Forward motion

Rather than trying to make a list of “Ins” and “Outs,” instead focus on what streak you want to begin. The amazing thing about streaks is that once you have made the decision to start, after a while, you keep going because you don’t want to break it.

Wisdom

Wisdom can be found in learning from experience. It can also be found in listening to someone who has been down those roads.

The crux is that we are too busy thinking of the next thing to say rather than listening to the person who is trying to help us.

Overcomplicated starts

We often overcomplicate going to the gym. “What exercise do I start with? I need a plan and new shoes.”

Art is the same thing. Been delaying starting a podcast writing a novel, or painting your masterpiece?

What we need to do is simply begin. And then we can worry about how we are going to finish.

Less is more

Often, we trick ourselves into believing that if we add another feature to our lives, then we can be complete. That’s the industrial consumer mentality.

I wonder, however, what we do with less.

Less access to the internet, less TV and email subscriptions, less time on our phone, less commuting, less sitting around waiting, less talking, less junk food…

What could we do with that extra time and energy?

Setting goals

New year, new goals.

I imagine many people picking a goal to get into shape or to spend more time with a family.

Perhaps think about a goal with a new set of parameters.

Instead of engineering our lives to resemble a factory, perhaps the answer is to do less.

Our lives cannot resemble the hustle of industrialists, but too often, we think if we could make them as efficient as an assembly line, then our troubles would be over.