I have felt awful when I felt I wasn't doing the 'hustle' right - comparing myself to people whose values are so far out of my alignment - I felt like I was the one doing it wrong.
The more I research and learn about how to be truly productive - the more it shows that managing your energy, rest, recuperation and a calm perspective is actually the best way to move forward towards our goals without nearly killing ourselves or alienating our family and friends and ignoring our kids!
Yet again - great alignment post with my values Noemie! I get alot from your posts.
But is the goal not to improve and become better? What if we aren't broken, but simply not at our potential. Potential is limitless, should we easily fall into contentment?
This is such a GREAT question and one that I often wrestle with Destiny. The short answer is obviously no, we shouldn't fall into contentment. Acceptance and resignation are not the same, and we have so much more agency than we realise to live to our full potential. But I do feel the "Self-Improvement Industrial Complex", as I read someone describe it, is pushing us to sometimes take it too far. We all need to find that balance. Really good question, would love to hear your view!!
I feel you so deeply on this one sister. A few years back I plastered a huge white board in my office. I tracked my goals, my progress, always looking to the future me. One day I wrote on there, no more courses or workshops. I accidentally wrote it with a permanent marker. It couldn’t be erased and is still there. In fact it’s the only thing that has resided on that white board for the past year and ½ and a reminder that I don’t need to be a constant project that needs to be fixed or changed. Our Higher Self’s will get the message across one way or another.
Spot on Naomi. Beautifully written piece I think everyone needs to hear.
The underlying thing is also, what I’ve been uncovering in quiet “giving up on improving” times aka meditation, is that when we get right down to it…
Who or what are we trying to improve?
Eventually we begin to see that this whole construct of self is just a made up story with no actual substance. A made up personality structure (ego) is trying to improve to become a better ego, but it’s all just more trickery, more illusion, more bondage.
I love in 12 steps programs one prayer goes: “free me from the bondage of self”. Bondage of self. And the real freedom, the greatest improvement really, isn’t the latest habit stack or life hack, it’s knowing what we really are beyond our improvement project limited ego.
We’re way more vast, complete, abundant, capable, and perfect than we could ever imagine.
Love everything about this Christoph, also "the bondage of self" is such a powerful image! This reminds me of a lot of the insights wisdom in The Power of Now, I've wanted to write a piece about it, letting go of the ego and our own construct of self but I find it so hard to clearly share my thoughts on this topic. Beautiful put Christoph!
Can relate to this a lot! Been meditating and journaling again daily, since I am in the recovery phase of burnout… and I catch myself sometimes doing it as a “I need to” instead of from a place of joy and fun, just to stay consistent and have healthy tick boxes to check off… but, is that really the point of it?
The best thing I've read all week...and spot on.
I've experienced this more than once.
When peeling the "layers of the onion" back
(AKA Me) reached a point beyond raw.
It became counter productive.
Sometimes, more is simply more.
Seriously great piece, Noemie!
I have felt awful when I felt I wasn't doing the 'hustle' right - comparing myself to people whose values are so far out of my alignment - I felt like I was the one doing it wrong.
The more I research and learn about how to be truly productive - the more it shows that managing your energy, rest, recuperation and a calm perspective is actually the best way to move forward towards our goals without nearly killing ourselves or alienating our family and friends and ignoring our kids!
Yet again - great alignment post with my values Noemie! I get alot from your posts.
Thank you Paul!!
But is the goal not to improve and become better? What if we aren't broken, but simply not at our potential. Potential is limitless, should we easily fall into contentment?
This is such a GREAT question and one that I often wrestle with Destiny. The short answer is obviously no, we shouldn't fall into contentment. Acceptance and resignation are not the same, and we have so much more agency than we realise to live to our full potential. But I do feel the "Self-Improvement Industrial Complex", as I read someone describe it, is pushing us to sometimes take it too far. We all need to find that balance. Really good question, would love to hear your view!!
I feel you so deeply on this one sister. A few years back I plastered a huge white board in my office. I tracked my goals, my progress, always looking to the future me. One day I wrote on there, no more courses or workshops. I accidentally wrote it with a permanent marker. It couldn’t be erased and is still there. In fact it’s the only thing that has resided on that white board for the past year and ½ and a reminder that I don’t need to be a constant project that needs to be fixed or changed. Our Higher Self’s will get the message across one way or another.
I love this so much Nikki!
Spot on Naomi. Beautifully written piece I think everyone needs to hear.
The underlying thing is also, what I’ve been uncovering in quiet “giving up on improving” times aka meditation, is that when we get right down to it…
Who or what are we trying to improve?
Eventually we begin to see that this whole construct of self is just a made up story with no actual substance. A made up personality structure (ego) is trying to improve to become a better ego, but it’s all just more trickery, more illusion, more bondage.
I love in 12 steps programs one prayer goes: “free me from the bondage of self”. Bondage of self. And the real freedom, the greatest improvement really, isn’t the latest habit stack or life hack, it’s knowing what we really are beyond our improvement project limited ego.
We’re way more vast, complete, abundant, capable, and perfect than we could ever imagine.
🙏
Love everything about this Christoph, also "the bondage of self" is such a powerful image! This reminds me of a lot of the insights wisdom in The Power of Now, I've wanted to write a piece about it, letting go of the ego and our own construct of self but I find it so hard to clearly share my thoughts on this topic. Beautiful put Christoph!
Can relate to this a lot! Been meditating and journaling again daily, since I am in the recovery phase of burnout… and I catch myself sometimes doing it as a “I need to” instead of from a place of joy and fun, just to stay consistent and have healthy tick boxes to check off… but, is that really the point of it?