Everything is connected

“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” - Leonardo da Vinci

I’ve never been religious nor really understood what being ‘spiritual’ really meant—but I do believe that things and people connect for the right reasons. I don’t know why nor can I explain what. But in many ways...it helps to relieve the pressure of knowing how life will pan out. That things will work out…the people you meet, the experiences you have, the mistakes you make…and when you learn to ‘see’—you may realize that every experience connects to a subsequent experience. There is no right or wrong move—just moves. And that becomes the story of your life.

“Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” - Steve Jobs

Writing clearly is thinking clearly

“Writing clearly is thinking clearly.”

How is it that I’m inspired more by 5-letter quotes than the words coming from my own mother? (I love you mom)

For someone with thoughts running on a 24/7 cycle, this really resonated with me. It’s been a lifelong affinity war in my head—bullets of anxiety whizzing by, a shower of “What if this doesn’t work out?!” raining down, enemy soldiers from Chores I Have to Do Like Taxes creeping on the embankment, and a wary army fatigued from fighting an imaginary army of thoughts. Welcome to my mind.

I’m a natural-born thinker with a penchant to overthink, and releasing these thoughts onto paper, words, or with the outward release of a long breath has been a lifesaver. Seth Godin has been writing a post every day for the longest time—a feat I quite admire—and I yearn to get to his level of consistency. Because with every new thought released onto paper, it wipes the slate clean. I can think clearly again. The enemies have retreated—they will be back—and the battle begins anew tonight, but I know what I can do to win the war. Writing them all way—day by day.

Reframe your situation

Every situation in life can be reframed.

Fear of ____? What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the best? Think about a time you did something similar and succeeded…how did you do it?

COVID is taking a toll on life? Acknowledge the suck. Now think…what have I learned? What are the positives that have come from this situation?

We fear the unknown. We fear not being good enough. We fear being judged…

But when you reframe the situation, it may not seem all too bad. In fact, more often than not, there’s a window of opportunity waiting to be opened. It may be the best thing that could happen to you—if you choose to reframe your situation.

What is an extraordinary life...for YOU?

Listening to Tony Robbins affirmations during your cold morning shower is like a US Marine sergeant yelling at you during bootcamp—it somehow works. To motivate you to think about the bigger questions in life that start with the smallest things in life—a morning shower.

So what does an extraordinary life look like? As I wrote down my morning thoughts, I realized that we’ve become mesmerized by success standards of Hollywood, big media, and now social media. But does everyone want to become the next Elon Musk? As Mark Manson puts it, “What shit sandwich do you want to eat?” Everything takes time, the journey arduous, but what is that one thing you want that you’re willing to eat a shit sandwich for?

What does a quality, fulfilling, and extraordinary life look like for you? Imagine the reality compared to the fantasy. Are you willing to eat a shit sandwich for that?