Are you an ORIGINAL?

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The need to be unique and original is one of the dominant emotions for many. However, the truth is that it’s not actually about being “original,” which is just a subjective definition of what lies beneath that: the feeling of importance and striving for esteem in society; someone wouldn’t try to make a unique piece of art, and then throw it away before anyone could see it.

Yet, the even bigger truth, is that no one is really  original, or at least not by the way society defines the word “original.”

Take for instance the artist you most admire, someone whom you are in awe of their ability to create or perform. Perhaps it’s Philip Glass and his minimalistic compositions, or maybe Michael Jordan and his unbelievable ability to win games; true originals.

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The Deserted Island Test

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Some people’s lives are solely driven by ambition, but for the majority it exists as a piece of the larger pie of life. Regardless, most would agree that obsessive ambition can in fact be harmful towards ones well being as well as for their friends and family. Case and point, the mad artist or scientist that drives themselves into the grave for their “work”.

Likewise, there’s a lot of value in being consistently aware of the ambitions that you have, particularly identifying the activities aimed at impressing others, and contrasting those with your goals that are purely PERSONAL ambitions, aimed at self fulfillment.

Knowing this allows us to re evaluate our “bucket lists”. For example, if literally every activity Bob Smith does is about impressing others, he might want to refocus his goals. Particularly, if he’s so obsessive about completing one of them, that it’s actually much more of a negative force than a positive one in his life.

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No One is Special

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Last week a news program was running a segment highlighting commencement speeches from various distinguished individuals from around the country, and one in particular caught my attention, where an English teacher started a speech by saying, “You are not special.”

Call me crazy, but compared to the other commencement speeches from the likes such as Oprah, who were spewing out (what I perceived as) delusional prophesies about exceptionalism and grandiose, I found this English teacher’s message by far the most enlightened and quite frankly honest.

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Samsara: The Endless Cycle

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Mark moved to Chicago, thinking it would make him a happier person. A month later, he realized he wasn’t any happier, all that changed was the city.

Ever experience this sort of thing?

Everyone has. This same pathological phenomena applies to the person that undergoes career change after career change or the individual that finds themselves in a new romantic relationship every few months. Continue reading →

Do You Really Know Yourself?

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Is it possible that sometimes you confuse your own identity? Confuse it with your belongings? Or your “social status?” It’s an unsettling notion, but do you really know…YOU?

Dig deep, past the jackets and shoes in your closet. Toss out your photographs and destroy the car. And now what are you left with?

You.

But what exactly is YOU?

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Mindfulness Techniques

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Consistently remaining in a state of Mindfulness is as difficult as ALWAYS keeping your car clean or ALWAYS keeping your shoes spotless.
Not easy.

It’s a 24 hour job, but as discussed in the last post, it’s one of the most important and rewarding jobs in the world. The payoff is well worth the mental “expenditure.”

So how do we remain in a state of consistent Mindfulness?

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