Month: June 2024

Most pain is self-inflicted.

The reason?

Because we constantly live with ourselves. No breaks. The story lives alive and well 24/7.

When interacting with someone we can assume the worst. That they are trying to take your resources and use it for their own benefit. That they didn’t put in their best effort. That something is wrong with them.

We can also assume the best. That they too have a story and a history. That there is background noise and that we can’t possibly understand what that person is going through in this moment.

The good news is that it is a choice. While our instincts may jump to conclusions that are out there, we can learn to respond in ways that brings humanity to the conversation.

When you get off the plane in Hawaii, you are greeted with a leigh.

Of course, this isn’t mandatory to participate in Hawaii. And sometimes people choose not too. But for many, the reason we do it is to get into the spirit.

It’s a signal. And it is up to us to follow those queues.

The answer is tied back to the questions we ask.

Today’s internet allows us to answer almost any question (minus a few important ones).

Now, AI is here; we can’t stop treating it like Google.

We have struggled even to master the tools we have with social media or Google. And now, we have AI.

Time doesn’t make us better. It makes us complacent. Practice is what makes us better.

It is always subjective what one feels is complete.

So, why can we not help but judge those around us and how they operate there?

I think it’s because, deep down, they are either hurting us (or we think they do) or because we see what we despise in ourselves.

Level playing fields do not exist. Ask anyone with a disadvantage.

It’s just playing fields.

What needs to be celebrated isn’t how someone performs. What needs to be propped is anyone participating.

And the key to a better culture, is tearing down the barriers where the field is more inviting for anyone to join.

Unfortunately, One mistake can change your life trajectory (and the people around you).

And while so much emphasis is put into that one decision, we tend to ignore everything that leads up to it.

We are so used to making decisions, pretending that some don’t matter, and putting weight on a few puts a lot of pressure to get it right. The reality is that when someone makes 50,000 decisions a day, one slight misstep can change everything.

We don’t give ourselves credit for how good we are at deciding.

We fight so hard against the labels others put on us instead of living according to the labels we can create.

The reason? Its easier to believe in our insecurities. Indeed, we hold the opinion of those around us high. Sometimes higher than our own.

Sometimes, this is called overcoming the ego or the natural man.

The whole outlook is flawed.

By adjusting, a part of us needs to change; we also say there is a part that we don’t like.

This isn’t the right approach. What is the goal? To fit in? To reach modern standards of status?

Instead, we can change because there are other parts of us to explore and experience. Not because there is something wrong with us. There’s already way too much shame in the systems we have built.

We know that touching a hot stove will burn.

Storms will bring cold temperatures.

Heat will make one thirsty.

And yet, the creative process will bring doubt or shame—yet, we don’t associate these feelings with being innovative because the moments of joy it brings make it all worth it.

So, when feeling stuck, we can expect this as part of walking into the creative sphere.