Overcoming resistance

“The more important a call or action to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” - Steven Pressfield

I’ve really resisted going to bed early this past year—and I wonder how important or unimportant that is to me. Perhaps procrastinating by staying up late to write instead of going to sleep is a sign that my journey will begin only when I’ve overcome that resistance…to go to bed earlier. I love this self-help therapy.

But what’s my point? Steven talks about this Resistance as a negative force that prevents us from achieving our dreams—to become a writer, a storyteller, a whatever-you-want-to-become. Its sidekick is Procrastination. And it’s by overcoming Resistance and Procrastination that we truly become the persons we were meant to be. Persisting in the face of fear, the unknown, the Suck. Time to face this Resistance. Time for bed…

Simplify. Reduce. Repeat.

The average human attention span is 8 seconds—less than that of a gold fish.

This is due to information overload coming at us from all angles—our phones, our computers, our every day lives. We now live in the information age, but we were never taught how to thrive. We are just puppets being strung along a play called “life” by our Machine Masters.

Perhaps this is the new norm. But I really hope to have an attention span longer than of a gold fish. Focus is the new gold. But how do we focus? That is the new million dollar question. Simplify. Reduce. Repeat.

Being happy during COVID?

How can it be true that people are happy during COVID?

Well, that is not true per se but a subset of a statistically insignificant population size of 3 people from my Mastermind group.

"On a scale from 1-10, how happy are you right now?"

Patricia, laughing hysterically and unabashedly responded, "Is it strange that I've been extremely positive during this time?!"

That is quite the positivity you possess there for having been locked down with a 2-year old and a husband who contracted COVID recently. But bravo, please pass over some of that whatever-you-are-taking.

While COVID has unsurprisingly shut down worldly and daily possibilities, what it has not shut down is our ability to control what we can control. Yes, the world has come crashing down (or in) but according to who? Well—the psyche of our own minds. OK, I get it...it's 105% OK to complain. But what I don't believe is OK is for those of us to continuously and comfortably complain in the comfort of our reclining, $150-company-paid-for leather chairs, warmly sipping our hot chocolates in our automatic climate-controlled rooms overlooking the falling winter snow upon the glistening canals of the Amsterdam, "Omg, I am so tired of Zoom. This really, really sucks. Sad face."

Damn, do you know that 99% of the population has never even heard of "automatic climate-controlled?" In fact, that's 22nd-century alien speak as told in fairytales over the original "automatic climate-controlled" room—sticks, stones, and a real fire. And hot chocolate is really for rich people.

It's a good reminder to count our blessings. Each and every single day. Every moment. That we can be pompous enough to complain about Zoom fatigue. It's a good reminder to stop and reflect, be grateful, and reframe the situation, "OK...Zoom screens suck. What you gon’ do about it?"

Think Again

“Once we hear the story and accept it as true, we rarely bother to question it.” - Adam Grant, Think Again

It was nice to catch up with my friend Dion yesterday about anything and everything from life to reminiscing about our sabbaticals to Adam Grant’s new book, “Think Again.” It’s probably one of my development themes for the year (for life)—to unlearn, relearn, unthink, rethink.

From the racial riots that spread like wildfire to the every day unconscious biases we all hold—how many times have we been fed a belief (especially as children) that was never unquestioned?

“A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools—and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.”

Beliefs form our identities, but what happens when those beliefs are challenged? Our identities become shattered and as humans, we tend to deviate away from conflict and anything that disturbs our identities. But I’ve come to learn that it is the change in beliefs that really forms the basis of development. If I still hold the same, exact beliefs I did when I was a child, have I truly grown up?

To challenge our beliefs and to truly unlearn and think again, we must be open to change. Open to challenging our beliefs. Open to constructive conflict (or debate as Adam calls it). We must straddle the line between routine and change in order to constantly assess and rewire (if necessary) our mental systems. We must be open to hearing the other side. To experiment. To think like a scientist. Before we can truly reach a decision that really comes from within, not from the external. That is growth.