Every so often they're supposed to mean something.
At least that's what we're taught.
Maybe they do. Maybe every so often we give thanks that we're still traveling around the sun.
Sometimes they're necessary (debatable).
Other times they're a waste of time.
Most people never see them though.
And if you were to mention it why should they care?
Most likely they never asked you to stay up all night.
But you know why you did.
Hopefully, it made sense.
But when you make it and they say it happened "overnight" you'll know they're talking the truth.
PS. I had no idea where this was going lol. I just let the thought lead me.
"It's better to be alone than in the wrong company." - George Washington
Whenever you're doing something meaningful to you that others may not understand or agree with, you may often feel alone.
That feeling sucks. But it's not necessarily a bad thing.
Oftentimes others won't be able to comprehend what you're up to.
Being alone allows you to figure out what exactly you're about and what you want; who you are, what you want.
Sometimes doing that can be hard to do when you're in a company.
It's often in solace and solitude that we find the answers to those questions.
Breaking new ground isn't easy. That's why most people don't do it. It's hard work and you're not sure if things will pan out.
But that's what you do when you want to carve out a new space. A space that you can own.
hiatus
/hʌɪˈeɪtəs/
noun
I took a break from my blog. I never stopped writing but I was evaluating whether to keep posting.
I took a break from my Sunday Illustrations. I never stopped drawing or putting down ideas, but I kept wondering if it was worth sharing or whether I should just keep it personal.
Well I haven't completely decided, but until then, I'll keep sharing.
I try to think of any new opportunity as an opportunity to lose or an opportunity to win.
The fun part is sticking around to find out.
Either way, to me, all opportunities are opportunities to learn, to grow, to explore.
I love doing all three.
I am who I am,
I do what I do,
And that is whatever that is.
When we're really interested in solving a problem, we somehow seem to find solutions.
When we're not really interested in solving it. We somehow seem to find excuses.
When we can't find them. We seem to invent them.
Today, I woke up to a house with no electricity. This meant no WIFI, which also meant most of the work I had planned could not be done (I rely heavily on the internet to do my work.)
I could have seen that as a bummer, but I like to look for opportunities in all circumstances. Within seconds I saw an opportunity to work on projects I had been putting off because they weren’t as urgent, or projects I somehow felt guilty working on while others were unfinished. So that’s what I did.
Somehow what could have been an unproductive day turned into a very productive one. All it took was the decision to look for opportunities and seize them.
The light is brighter, but the burn is faster.
Do you want to shine bright?
Do you want to burn low and slow?
Which can you afford?
How many candles do you have?
Sometimes I take on a lot on my plate and try to do them all in a short space of time. I move faster that way, but I also have a higher risk of burn out and at a faster rate. I'm always wondering if I can afford that. Then I wonder if I can afford not to.
When two or more things don’t line up.
Have you ever watched a movie and the audio never matched the video?
Even a few seconds delay, can be a headache and can be very unbearable.
Sometimes that happens to our lives.
Recently that has been happening to mine. Some things simply aren’t lining up.
I'm aware of that. That’s the first step.
I’m on it. That’s the next step.
Good habits, hard to make, easy to break.
Bad habits, hard to break, easy to make.
Good habits, even ones practiced over many years, take constant, consistent effort to maintain.
Bad habits, on the other hand, even ones experimented with for only a short time, become hard to shake and can take constant, consistent effort to break. Some seem to never go away.
Note to self:
The longer you stay inactive, the easier it is for you to “oxidize”, get rusty. If the thing you're doing is something that you care about, don't take too much time off.
Starting again may be ever harder than starting the first time.
Note to self:
Some things take more time than others.
Some things take longer than you’ll anticipate.
If they’re worth doing, they’ll be worth the extra time.
The worst place for me to be is at a crossroad or stuck on the edge. What do I do with that? How does being there help me.
On the move is where I'm most comfortable. There I can figure out what works or doesn't. There I can make adjustments.
But at the crossroads...well, I'm stuck, not knowing where to go, anxious, restless. That does not suit me well.
Earlier today, I was getting some supplies for The Basics.
While lifting crates up flights of stair, a thought crossed my mind: “why am I doing this?”
I enjoy doing it. But why? I don‘t need to do it, yet week after week I get excited to keep it going.
(To be continued.)
Have you ever been in a similar position? Did you ever figure out why?
That's very easy to say.
And doing it is probably not easy.
But have you tried, or are you just assuming?
You did?
Well...maybe you haven't tried hard enough.
Sending a man to the moon.
It can't be done.
Fitting a computer in your pocket.
It can't be done.
The list goes on and on.
Them: You're all over the place.
Me: Thank you!
Them: You should probably settle down, stick to one thing.
Me: No thank you.
I don't mind being a master of none. Knowing a little about a lot, has helped me...well...a lot!
..can easily turn into a week off, a month off, even a year off.
Even some of our most consistent habits, if not constantly nurtured, eventually die.
I have to constantly remind myself to not let a day off turn into a week off, and ruin all the consistent work I've put in.
It takes some effort.
It‘s not as hard as it seems.
It‘s not as easy as it appears.
It‘s always worth the effort.
You’ll feel like doing that more often than you’ll want to believe.
The urge to do so can become very overwhelming at times, especially when you have no idea why you’re doing what you’re doing. Or when you‘ve forgotten why.
Sounds great.
What are you risking?
Is it worth it?
What do you stand to gain?
What do you stand to lose?
Would you be willing to lose all you have to gain what you truly desire?
It's hard to talk about what we do without talking about who we are.
And it's easy to define who we are by talking about what we do, sometimes without even realizing it.
While who we are influences what we do, and while what we do influences who we are and who we become, the two are always very different things.
It can be an indicator that we need rest.
It can also be a convenient excuse for quitting, slacking off, or why we didn’t do what we said we would.
...we’ll do this and we’ll do that. Are we really sure?
What makes us think that we would want to?
Instead of waiting for things to fall in place, to do what I need or want to do, I‘d rather do what I need to do, so that things can fall into place.
In reality, I’ve found that things don't really fall in place. You sorta have to put them there.
A classmate from Shos’ prep school died of cancer. He was barely in his thirties. We had a conversation about what, at least to us , is an untimely passing. At some point I made the following remark:
“When people we know live to 60, 70, even 90 years old, dying at a younger age seems so unfair.”
But since we have very little or no control over the length of our lives, what point is there to be upset? And would not existing at all be better than having a short life?
How can we ever truly know?
We never get to see the end. It comes and we're not even aware.
Is doing this better than doing something else? Again, how will we ever know? As far as I know we can‘t live multiple realities at once.
All we can really do it trust that it will be worth it and trust that we're doing the best that we can do. What else can we do really?
So much to do,
So little time.
So much to buy,
So little money.
At the beginning of August, I started The Basics. My biggest aim since then has been to make it super fun for the people who've subscribed as well as myself. There are so many plans that I have, so many great and exciting ideas that I want to explore. If only I had the money.
And I haven't given up all my other projects either. So finding time to do anything has become a very deliberate action. There's so much that I want to do, so much that I have to do. If only I had more time.
You start over. You start something else.
When one week ends...another starts. When one journey ends, another one begins.
There is no end, (not while we're alive,) just new beginnings.
Yesterday was the end of my 30 day squat challenge. There was no applause, no trophy, no celebration, I didn't get any richer. I simply checked a box on my makeshift calendar.
Today I started another one. That's just how life is. It doesn't stop or slow down. While one day is ending a new one is dawning.
Time to get up and go.
It can be tempting to leave small recurring tasks for later. They don’t seem as urgent as the top things on our priorities list. But the small recurring tasks are usually the foundation of a full life: reading everyday, drinking water everyday, exercising everyday.
I’m constantly tempted to brush these things aside and rush to the “pressing matters”. But more often than not, these things become easily forgotten and overlooked. Recently I’ve made a new commitment to doing these things first. They matter the most for my longterm health and sanity. That’s something that is worth putting first.
Why is it that the closer we are to our goals, the more likely we are to give up, the less motivated we feel, the more discouraged or frustrated we are.
I remember that in high school it was so common for us to feel little to no motivation towards the ending of the school year. Things were even worse toward the ending of high school. An obvious factor is that we become more exhausted the closer we are to a goal, but what is even more interesting is that it seem like that isn't the biggest contributor.
It seems like the closer we are to our goals the more anxious we become, the more complacent we become. We wish we were done already. We just want it to be over already. We start acting like we've already arrived before we have.
Today was my second to last day of my personal 30-day squat challenge. Today was also the day I felt the least motivation to workout. Yes I was exhausted from the previous days. But beyond that, I just wanted to be done already. Not because I was frustrated with the exercise, but because the goal was so close I just wanted to get there already.
It's so fascinating!
After years of talking and planning and deliberating my friends and I sat down and recorded our first podcast together. I'm not sure if it will ever see the light of day...or night, but we did it. This is just the beginning. (We don't even have a name yet lol.)
There's something beautiful about the word finally. Without saying much it communicates persistence, perseverance and ultimately accomplishment. It is a testament that someone or something stuck around long enough.
My mom called to tell me that there was an unforeseen change to a promise that she'd had made to me. It was something beyond her control and she felt really bad about it.
My mom has always been one to honor her word. As much as her promise was a gift to me, and as much as I was okay with the change, she was really upset about it.
What an inspiration for me. Even when it's not an obligation, it's important to honor your word.
Note to self:
There's always a good reason to be mediocre.
Ignore it! Choose to go above and beyond what‘s expected or required.
Do it for you.
I was a little pass half complete with my exercise when Shos interrupted me and asked me to get something for her. She had to do something urgently.
While I was helping her, I lost count of how many squats I had done up till that part. I think I had done 64. But I couldn't remember.
I didn't want to do less than 100, so I started over. Why didn't I keep track? What made me lose count?
I was a little frustrated initially. I had almost finished my exercise, but now I had to start over. Why did I have to be interrupted?
I was tempted to be upset but decided to take responsibility for my actions.
One, I didn't have to stop. Two, I could have written down my progress. And at any rate, starting over wasn't the worst thing ever. I'd get to do more exercise. Couldn't that be a positive?
...is a dish best served warm.
I've always made it a habit to act on my feelings of generosity the minute I feel them.
How often do we feel generous, let the moment pass, then don't feel so generous afterwards?
It's pretty common for us to rethink our decisions with time; question our gut:
“Maybe the food wasn't that great, I'd better not compliment.”
“They probably don't need the money, I'd better not give.”
Note to self:
My friend Kriston and I have been working together on several projects. I've been doing illustrations for her projects and she's been helping to manage a page for my podcast The Wonderlist.
Quite often she'll thank me for helping her and I'll do the same.
Sometimes we get into these gratitude cycles, where one of us will thank the other for something one of us did as a thank you for something else. We end up giving thanks for acts of gratitude that were done to show appreciation for generosity.
It's a seemingly never-ending cycle. In fact, Kriston made that remark recently. I laughed and commented that it's not a bad cycle to be in.
Gratitude usually inspires generosity which in turn ought to be met with gratitude. It's an awesome cycle!
Have you ever stopped to wonder why we do some of the things we do?
If our answer is “just because”, it's probably a good time to revisit somethings.
Chances are there is a better way. Chances are the way “it's been done“ or “the way we do it“ no longer makes sense.
Note to self:
Things may never work out, but still try. Do your best to reach your goal. And while you’re at it, have fun!
For my 30 day squats challenge, the repetitions started to become monotonous. So I added weights. The weights help to add a level of difficulty and also help me to focus on something else.
Note to self:
When life get’s monotonous maybe you’re not being challenged enough: add weights.
Have you ever tried filling a water bottle from a pot or a bowl without using a funnel?
It’s hard to do isn’t it? Imaging if you were rushing? You wouldn’t be efficient would you?
I’ve been doing a 100 squat per day challenge for the past 18 days. I usually do all 100 squats with no more that a second or two to rest, every now and then.
After doing squatting for a few days the number of squats becomes tolerable. But for me, the most annoying part is the monotony. I don’t listen to music so I’m just there counting to 100. It gets boring really fast because squats aren’t really high energy workouts. I love high energy workouts.
To speed through the squats I’ve been trying to go really fast, but without a good form or good technique this can be very counterproductive. It can even be dangerous. So recently I’ve been focusing more on technique and form. Tightening the abdominal muscles and making slow deliberate movements. Game changer!
Is there something you’re doing that could benefit from improved technique?
Shos has been making videos for her business lately.
One of the most critical parts of making a video is the editing process. That's where the story is told.
The trickiest part about editing is getting everything to sync.
Have you ever watched a video and the audio was out of sync? Even a second's delay can make the experience unpleasant and make the video hard to watch.
A lot of life is like that. When two things or two people are in sync, it can be a beautiful thing. If they're not, chaos can ensue.
Today, September 24, Shos and I celebrated our 5th marriage anniversary. A lot of what we do daily is all about trying to stay in sync.
When we are in sync, it's a beautiful thing. Thank God, for the most part, that has been the case.
But when we're not...well, it can be rather unpleasant.
Are you in sync with the things you're doing and the things that are around you? What can you do to make it that way?
If you attempted to draw two parallel lines and one was off by a tenth of a degree, you probably wouldn't notice it within the first 10cm or maybe even the first meter.
But eventually maybe after a few miles you'd start to notice that something was off.
Little inconsistency and small flaws eventually amount to major problems.
Similarly, small delights, little surprises, small good deeds can add up to a lifetime of pleasant and memorable experiences.
It's all about the small details repeated consistently over a period of time.
Pay attention to the small details.
We are not immune to mistakes, failure or disappointment.
As long as we’re alive we’ll most likely make out fair share of mistakes, fail a couple times and be disappointed with ourselves.
As long as we decide to move forward we’ll have enough chances to improve, enough chances to get better.
It can come from the most unexpected places.
We all need it at some point.
We should be willing to give it whenever possible.
The more we give it, the more like we are to receive it.
Nothing I’ve ever done has been done with the help and support of others.
And I’m forever and continually grateful to all who help me in whatever way they have.
…the nice parts and the not so nice parts.
Getting to know all of you is a luxury that not everyone wants, needs or cares to have. That’s a good thing.
Knowing all of you is a lot of information for someone to process. Most people won’t need all of that information. And information in the wrong hands, or information used incorrectly is never a good thing.
Because you feel like you're doing what others want and not what you want.
Because you can't see how what you're doing adds to the bigger picture: you feel your work is pointless or in vain.
Because you're doing too many things at once.
Because you didn't plan ahead.
Because you're not managing your time or resources very well.
When it concerns work or anything that will have an impact on your growth or your goal it's probably the best idea to do the most important thing first, even when it's the hardest thing to do.
...is sometimes the hardest thing to see.
I've been meaning to do my Splint Podcast for some time now. I think I had originally wanted to start it before The Wonderlist. But I couldn't quite seem to find the right guest. Most of the people I know who are business-related or who I've considered to interview were far away.
Then on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, I had a call with someone who reached out to me on Instagram. At the end of our call, something prompted me to ask him to be my first guest. He agreed, but then the interview fell through.
I was a little bummed, but the fuse was already lit. I knew the time had come for me to finally start the podcast. But who would I talk to?
While recording an episode for The Wonderlist, my wife and I started having a routine candid conversation. It wasn't long before a light bulb went off in my head.
"This is it!"
"Why didn't I think of this before?"
"My wife owns a business, why not interview her for my first episode?"
So without her knowledge, I nudged the conversation in that direction. I knew that it wouldn't be polished, but the first is the worst they say. And what could be better than having my wife on my very first episode? And to think she was right in front of me all this time.
It turns out that what's in front of us is sometimes the hardest thing to see. Just try looking at you nose or eyes without a mirror.
Tricky right?
As an adult, to disconnect from work and truly play is harder than some may think.
"You're wasting time." "You have bills to pay." "You haven't reached your goal yet." "Your family is depending on you."
Watching a little child play can seem so effortless. That's because it is...kinda.
Play is a child's job. They get "paid" to do it. They don't worry about anything else really, and they take it very seriously.
For most adults, work is...well work. And play is, in most cases, still work. We're almost always thinking about the bottom line and how things will affect how we eat and where we live and how much money is in the bank.
It's hard to just do something just for pure enjoyment and fun. No rules, no motives, no goals. Just some good 'ole play.
But when we do...it's priceless. We connect with our childlike self. We become children again, even if just for a moment.
Last week Monday I started a 30-day personal challenge: 100 squats every day for 30 days.
The challenge was inspired by my friend Yuri.
Yesterday I missed a day. Not because I was lazy. Not because I wanted to avoid it.
I missed a day because of poor planning.
I had a lot to finish before going to bed and by the time I finished all I had to do it was 2:30 in the morning.
Seeing that I had to wake at 7:30 AM, I decided that I needed to sleep if I was going to be of any use during the day.
While closing my eyes to sleep I remembered that I hadn't done my 100 squats. I could have kicked myself. I could have easily avoided missing a day.
“Should I get up and do it now?” I asked myself.
But it was too late.
“I'll do 100 extra squats today” I said.
But that wouldn't change the fact that I missed a day.
Although it was and is not the end of the world, I was reminded once again that all it takes is poor management to throw you off.
Of course, we are going to miss days, but some of those missed days can be avoided.
Also, we can't ever make up for lost time. We can do better, but time lost is time lost.
It's a reminder to value the present and to not make excuses, but to make consistent efforts to improve.
You can't always measure it.
Sometimes the only thing you can do is try to make one.
Most times that's the best thing you can do.
It's a good way to get ideas moving forward.
There you can quickly sift through the good bits and make sense of the nonsense.
Hearing the truth from voices we usually dismiss can be tricky.
What if the person telling you the truth is someone you dislike, or someone who doesn't share your ideology or your beliefs?
How keen would you be to hear it, to listen, to believe it, to apply it?
Are we naturally more inclined to believing people who share our beliefs or ideas.
It killed the cat...or so they say.
Who they are? I'm not really sure.
But can curiosity go too far?
Can a mind wander too far?
How would we know when we've gone too far?
And how would we find our way back?
Or is the fear of being too curious an excuse not to wonder or not to challenge popularly held beliefs or thoughts?
Because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.
Because we believe it, doesn't mean it's true.
Because they don't, doesn't mean it's not.
Just because you don't understand it,
doesn't mean it's not true.
Because you can't explain it,
doesn't make it any less true.
You don't have to love it to do it well.
But if it does you well, why not do it?
And if you love it, why not do it well?
It knows no bounds...or so they say.
But is there a time when giving goes too far?
Or is there a time when giving becomes a problem?
It isn't always the best thing to do.
It isn't always the only option.
What if you decided to do something else?
It seems we are bound to make and repeat them.
But we should constantly try to learn from and reduce them.
...is not very accurate or reliable.
Not everyone that loves somethings says it.
And not everyone that says they love something actually do.
Basing our decisions on human feedback can be tempting. But making decisions based on unreliable information may not be the best thing to do.
Other things are not.
They should simply be thrown away.
The tricky part is knowing which is which.
The how may change but the why almost never does.
Being flexible with your how helps you to adapt.
Knowing your why helps you to stay your course.
It's what you do to stay sharp, to keep your brain active.
But first you have to admit that you don't know.
That's where learning begins.
Often we want to see massive change in a short amount of time.
It can feel anticlimactic when growth happens slowly. It can be rather discouraging when for all our efforts we see only small rewards.
Movies don't do alot to help, neither do a lot of success stories. In the movies and in most success stories, the story quickly moves from a low moment or rock bottom, to success.
Obviously stories are told like that for dramatic effect and in the interest of time.
In real life however success can sometime take what seems like ages. Progress is most often made really slowly. The beauty occurs when you take a step back, when you zoom out.
You may be surprised to see that what you thought was little progress was actually pretty big, when compared to where you started.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Start writing, start painting, make that call, hit send, publish.
At some point you're going to have to just start somewhere.
It doesn't have to be easy. It doesn't have to be good.
But you will have to start to know for sure.
It never is. It never will be.
At least we never get to see it. As long as we're are alive we'll just have to keep going.
Victories aren't permanent, neither are losses. We may take a break but eventually we have to get back to it. Life doesn't stop because we decide to.
It just keeps on churning.
As gloomy as that may sound, it actually is very hopeful. Each day brings new opportunities.
As long as life keeps churning we have a chance to grow, to improve to seek better.
It's not over until it's over.
Until then, keep going
Because we're human.
Because we didn't make enough effort to write it it down, to record it, to memorize it.
So we write it down, record it, memorize it, if you think it's worth remembering. Maybe it isn't.
In most cases it's something that you can easily do.
And it can help you be prepared for eventualities.
You can always change the plan if you need to.
But it's better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have it.
Some days come with what seems like more burdens, obstacles and problems than others.
Some come with more blessings than others.
Remember the blessings on the bad days.
Save some of the blessings of the good days for the eventual bad days.
It's rarely ever a good idea to leave anything for that time.
But if you've committed to doing something and that's the only time you have left, better late than never.
Do better next time.
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
It's not about recognition. It's not about win or lose. It's about whether you tried or not.
Sure, you failed.
Sure things never worked out.
Sure, things never went as planned.
But did you try?
Did you really try?
Did you give it your best shot?
Just because they can, doesn’t mean they will.
Progress and change isn’t made just because people can. They have to be willing as well.
No matter how much you show someone they can, no matter much you show them that it can be done, if they’re not willing, it won’t be done.
You can always show them that it can be done, but them being willing is what makes the difference.