There's levels to this funny thing we call life, yes, but they're all perceived. The more I experience, the more I become aware of our universal desires.
These desires, always rooted in resource acquisition opposed to resourcefulness recognition... and that is why they create conflict in our lives — we're working in opposition to the flow of life.
I'm very grateful I chose to live in a city with incredible opportunity surface area. It brings the ability to build relationships with very high-caliber individuals, people who have achieved a lot and continue to strive.
This striving, I've found, is the most prominent complaint shared in conversation.
"If only this..., When I get..., How much better it would be..., etc."
There's nothing wrong with striving.
In fact, my definition of success is 'striving happily'... but obsessing over a resource-rich future in a way that sacrifices the present is the greatest failure.
"Success without fulfillment is the greatest failure."
- Tony Robbins
The people I've met that do this best are the ones who challenge themselves physically... as if the physical accomplishment pulls them in to the present and tames the societal desire to obtain status at all costs.
Funny thing is, you're already up stream.
The flow of life is working to pull you into the experiences, relationships and resources meant for you, should you let it. The only reason you feel you must incessantly push towards more is because you believe it's not meant for you.
Yet the 'pulling' energy, the type that exists when you get in the raft of alignment and move with the current feel oh so much better and more fluid. It's why everything you've done this far in life has uniquely prepared you for where you're at, and why hindsight is 20/20.
You never believed you'd be where you are today, or maybe you did... and created a lot of unnecessary struggles for yourself in the process. At least that's been my experience.
"Pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll be left with nothing but empty yesterdays."
- Harold Hill in The Music Man
In conclusion, ask yourself this:
What's the point of striving for a greater tomorrow if you can't enjoy today?
P.S. The root of all traditional medicine comes from the recognition that the human body is part of nature, not separate from it. Go down stream... and let it flow.
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I mixed it up a bit this week and recorded my first solo podcast... ever!
5 Reflections From Recording My First 20 Podcasts - Kevin Wathey | E20
Tap here to watch on: YouTube | Spotify | Apple
“You don't need more intensity; you need more consistency.
Intensity impresses; consistency transforms.”
- Shane Parrish
In last weeks edition, I wrote about — Linguistic Perception: How Language Shapes Thought
It's a mental model I discovered when learning Spanish, and is known as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.