Problems Go Away When You Ignore Them, Right?

In my daily walk of life, I tend to hear from lots of good people that seem to be struggling in different areas of life. They’re broke, or unmotivated, or in a job they hate, or they can’t find their passion, or they can’t get motivated to get healthy.

The challenge is that they aren't sure how or where to start.

I can relate, I feel their pain, because I have lived through it as well. I know the feeling of despair when you are unhappy with your life and don’t know how to change. When you’ve tried lots of changes, but couldn’t find the discipline to make them stick. When you feel crappy about yourself because you know you should get off your butt and start improving your life, but you’d rather put it off for another day.

Problems go away when you ignore them, right?

We all know the answer to that question. I also know that there is really only one way out of this mire of despair. It’s to take an action, no matter how tiny. You don’t need to fix everything in your life right now. You don’t even need to fix one thing. You just need to do one little, miniscule, almost nothing thing. Make a list. Go outside and take a walk. Get rid of some of your junk food. Clear off your kitchen table. Cancel something tomorrow so you can make time to create something, no matter how small. Don’t do all of these. Do one. Or half of one, or one thousandth. It doesn’t matter how small — the smaller, the better. Take that first step. Celebrate that first step. Love the step, not the destination. That step, even the motion of taking the first foot off the ground and moving it forward — that’s everything. That’s the truth, and you’ll not read it in many self-help books: put every microparticle of your existence into that half step, and be nothing but that half step, and love it with all you have … and your life has changed. With this half step, everything is different. You haven’t achieved any goals … but you’ve moved. You haven’t created something amazing … and yet, more than ever before, you have. You’ve created beauty and joy and movement where none existed before, where previously only constriction and paralysis and confusion lived. You have changed the world.

First Things First

Choose one little habit to add joy to your life. Just one, and tiny is miraculous. It can be writing or painting or making music for 2 minutes a day. It can be a ridiculously easy walk or jog or enjoying a bowl of fruit. It can be 2 minutes of thinking or reflecting in a journal. What ever you choose, enjoy it exponentially. Create this one habit, and you have a success. This is a foundation, a first step, to build on. Then you can do a second, and a third, but you can’t do those without a first. Don’t change your entire life. Just change this one little thing. You’d be amazed how much that matters.

I was.

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David Attenborough - Wonderful World - BBC

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Be Interesting, Be Exceptional, Be Above Mediocrity

“Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Goethe

We live in interesting times.

We live in exceptional times. We’re blessed that way.

The world is changing rapidly and reality is amazing. The way we work is changing, the way we live has already changed. Entire industries are crumbling, and more are growing on their ruins. People are empowered to express themselves, to create, to become a part of a global conversation and transformation, in a way that has never existed before.

What will you do with that? What will your place be in this new, interesting world? Will you have a voice? Will you be a creator, or just a consumer?

Do something.  

Do something above mediocrity.

Be a part of the conversation, and say something remarkable. Create something unique, new, beautiful. Build upon the works of others and transform it into your own.  

Do What?

Write a book. Or an ebook. Write poetry and publish it on the web. Create interesting, lovely or funny videos, put them on You Tube. Be passionate. Write a web app that will solve a problem in people’s lives. Become a watchdog to replace the faltering newspapers. Explore the world, and blog about it. Try something you’ve always been afraid to try, and put it on video. Be yourself, loudly. Start a new company, doing only one thing, but doing it very well. Start a business that does a service you’ve always wanted, or that you are frustrated with in other companies because the service sucks. Put your heart into something. Say something that no one else dares to say. Do something others are afraid to do. Help someone no one else cares to help.  

Make the lives of others better.

Make music that makes others want to weep, to laugh, to create.  

Inspire others by being inspiring.

Teach young people to do amazing things. Write a play, get others to act in it, record it. Empower others to do things they’ve never been able to do before. Read, and read, and then write. Love, and love, and then help others to love. Do something good and ask others to pass it on. Be profound. Find focus in a world without it. Become minimalist in a world of dizzying complexity. Reach out to those who are frustrated, depressed, angry, confused, sad, hurt. Be the voice for those without one. Learn, do, then teach. Meet new people, become fast friends. Dare to be wrong. Take lots and lots of pictures. Explore new cultures. Be different. Paint a huge mural. Create a web comic. Be a dork, but do it boldly. Interview people. Observe people. Create new clothes. Take old stuff and make new stuff from it. Read weird stuff. Study the greats, and emulate them. Be interested in others. Surprise people. Start a blog, write at least a little each day. Cook great food, and share it. Be open-minded. Help someone else start a small business. Focus on less but do it better. Help others achieve their dreams. Put a smile on someone’s face, every day. Start an open-source project. Make a podcast. Start a movement. Be brave. Be honest. Be hilarious. Get really, really good at something. Practice a lot. A lot. Start now.  

Purpose to Live Above Mediocrity.

Go Ahead, Start Stuff

"Kids initiate. They create situations. They start ruckuses. All of them. Left to his own devices, the ruckus-causing initiator will continue to do so, forever. He won’t stop at five or ten or twenty years old. The essence of being human is to initiate. But we’re not left to our own devices. We are smothered by parents, snubbed by peers, scolded by teachers, organized by authorities, hired by factories, and brainwashed, relentlessly brainwashed to cease any troublesome behavior. So we do (most of us). Except for those who don’t. The ones who don’t—the troublemakers, starters, instigators, questioners, and innovators—are still busy starting things, big and small." - Seth Godin in Poke the Box

Perhaps

A farmer's son received a horse as a gift one day. All the neighbors came by saying, "This is wonderful!" The farmer said, "Perhaps."

One day, the boy's horse ran away.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “Perhaps.”