Happy Sunday Friends!

Here you’ll find 1 quote I’m musing, 2 Ideas, 3 of my favorite things from the week, and 1 question. If you find it useful or interesting, please feel free to forward this along to some friends or others!

One Quote I’m Musing

“I force my mind to concentrate, and keep it from straying to things outside itself; all outdoors may be bedlam, provided that there is no disturbance within…For of what benefit is a quiet neighbourhood, if our emotions are in an uproar?”

- Seneca

The ancient stoics would call it tranquility, today I’d call it the flow state. Reaching that state of being where we are able to channel our intellect, our creativity, our energy into our sense of purpose and make the external surroundings fade into the background.

Looking deeper, how would we reach that state if we couldn’t concentrate? Remote work in a quiet and controlled place makes work more effective and efficient. But productivity is impossible if the noise is within us. Like our own internal sabotage.

We can all picture these people; you may even be able to name someone (try not to). But this would be a person who you could catch as they come to work in the morning seemingly very busy and intent. You ask them what they have on the docket, and they’d look at you a little confused and say something like “Well I’ve got a ton of things to get done”. But wouldn’t be able to tell you, specifically, what those things are or how they connect or link together to accomplish larger things. Seneca would say that they don’t do what they intend, but what they come across.

They are simply knocking out each task that comes across their calendar, their desk, their inbox, letting those things determine what they will do during the day.

More times than I would like, that is me. Reactionary. I start the day with intent, then become “Overcome by Events” and resort to just doing what comes to me. Before I know it, I’m at the end of the day, I’m tired, and I’m not exactly sure what all I accomplished. But boy was I busy.

My reflection on these days reminds me that I should be focused on what I have to get done. Improve my ability to determine importance from urgence, obligations versus meaningful, and most of all, what is essential instead of what is inessential. Not simply busy for the sake of being busy. Not just knocking out someone else’s to-do list (calendar invites anyone?).

I was reminded of a term from today’s vernacular: FOMO. Which to me is really another term for mimetic desire.

This person is busy, so I should be busy.
This person is doing this thing, so I should too.
“I need to keep up with these people”

The need to do things because others find them important, regardless of our own needs and thoughts. Marcus Aurelius would say that while we all love ourselves more than other people, we somehow care more about their opinion than our own, and that we shouldn’t. Understanding our wants, needs, ourselves is the key to finding that flow state.

Marcus would also remind us that we don’t need to run away to get away from things. We can create our own retreat in our minds by finding those things that WE need to do, that only we can accomplish. Disciplining ourselves to build our own mental fortress of solitude so that we can enter the flow state and accomplish the great tasks we have for ourselves.

When we do that, we realize that we are our own most difficult companions and, as Seneca says, our difficulties are not the fault of where we happen to be physically, simply where we find ourselves within our own state of mind.

-e

Two Ideas From Me

A couple quick prompts to use for yourself to help with key decision making.

Uniqueness is impactful. There are billions of other people on this planet but only one you, one me. That uniqueness is what creates nuance and interpretation.
What worked for that famous person or that guru, or for 10 million other people may not work for you. It may not work for most others (8+Billion people in the world). We’re all genetically different. Find the principle behind it and adapt it to suit you.

Three Favorite Things From Others

Handball. I watched it during the Olympics, and it looks like a great time. Also, something that anyone could play with six randomly selected friends from the bar all the way up to Olympic level and have everyone still go share a pint after. If you’re a Handballer, drop me some knowledge. If you’re a Handballer in Augusta, invite me out!
The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. | Carl Jung
“She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by—
And never knew.” | Shel Silverstein | - A rather poignant and simple poem depicting the importance of being yourself.

One Question

What is my most important and consequential work this week and how do I prioritize it first?

Have a wonderful week,

I’ll see you Sunday.
-e