One thing

Have you found your one thing?

Mitch at first tries to make light of Curly’s explanation of the secret to life. But the secret to life really is one thing, and everything else don’t mean shit.

Character can be created on the job only when we can see that there’s an intelligible, justifiable relation between past effort, learned skills and present reward. When I see that your income is completely out of proportion to your production of real value, of durable goods the rest of us can use and appreciate (and by ‘durable’ I don’t mean just material things), I begin to doubt that character is a consequence of hard work.

Continue reading One thing at 7 for Sunday.

Comment on On rising from the ashes by Steve Heatherington

Timely. With much to think on. Thank you

Comment on On rising from the ashes by Craig Constantine

Thank you, Sam. Your point, "Also not everyone rises from the ashes," is an insightful conclusion—thanks for pushing my thinking one step deeper!

Comment on On rising from the ashes by Sam Ardery

The breadth of what you share so clearly and efficiently is impressive. I love your turn on the phoenix story. There is a tendency to gloss over burning to death. Also not everyone rises from the ashes. Thank you.

On rising from the ashes

Is it clarity or control?

There is a fine line between being organized because you believe that’s how you can best achieve your goals, and because you’re in love with checklists, systems, and processes. Distinguishing the two is important, but an exasperated, “just look at all this stuff I have to do,” doesn’t make the situation clear. In the first case, that sentence expresses an understanding of how complex one’s goal is, and in the second case it’s simply been a descent into micro-self-management.

Continue reading On rising from the ashes at 7 for Sunday.

Waiting for cephalopods

How does space shape us?

This morning I was jotting some thoughts about resistance. I’ve learned (and others have reached these same conclusions) that it’s difficult to try to force myself; That requires a lot of mental energy which I often run short of. What works is when I have a clearly delineated space for the task at hand. I sit here to do the writing. I go to this space to do my painting.

Continue reading Waiting for cephalopods at 7 for Sunday.

Comment on Writing matters by Craig Constantine

Wayne, I'm glad you like 'em, and thanks for making me smile. :)

Comment on Writing matters by Wayne Matthews

Hey Craig! Thanks for always sharing words! I look forward to them every week. It's like the Smithsonian and Toys R Us of delicious words and wisdoms. Blessed to be part of your shared journey. Safe travels and well wishes always my brother . Love & respect, Wayne

Writing matters

How do I write what matters?

I am aware that the Muse gives me bits of ideas. I feel I have a responsibility to be prepared for those gifts, and to that end I am very intentional with my surroundings. If my surroundings are distracting, or if my mind is overwhelmed, I’ll drop all else to address those concerns. Because there’s nothing quite like being ready when a tiny gift from the Muse appears.

Continue reading Writing matters at 7 for Sunday.

Anthropocentric

How do we know?

Of course my default point of view is anthropocentric. I am a human being. As such, I have a super-power called the Theory of Mind: In my mind, I understand (the theory goes) that there are other minds completely separate from mine. Imagining the contents of those (theorized) other minds is the foundation of empathy. That’s a pillar supporting all civilization.

But a growing number of studies show that our anthropocentric view is sometimes unjustified.

Continue reading Anthropocentric at 7 for Sunday.

Help thyself

How can I transform short-term inspiration into long-term change?

I’m fixated on trying to get consistently good at converting short-term ideas and inspiration, into long-term life changes. For example: “Eat better,” is easy most of the time. Until I get stressed out, and run to the TV-monster to shut off my brain. Then, well I just have to be snacking on something. And then, half a day goes by and I don’t feel well.

Continue reading Help thyself at 7 for Sunday.

Innocence

Why do we overlook the age of innocence to focus on the dramas of loss and redemption?

The aphorism, “What once was lost, now is found” implies a preamble: What once was known, was then lost. One can’t have lost something without first having, or knowing, it. There are three acts to the story in that aphorism, and for as long as I’ve known about it I’ve only focused on acts 2 and 3.

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Stories in the end

Of what value are stories, and how do they shape our identity?

As each new year begins, I start thinking about writing a list of the things I’ve learned. “54 things I’ve learned in 54 years,” or maybe, “14 things from 14 years of blogging.” In recent years I don’t even open a document to begin typing; I have learned a few things.

Two years ago I pulled together the key messages for [TreeHouseLetter].

Continue reading Stories in the end at 7 for Sunday.

Navigation

Can we navigate fulfillment, work, and societal expectations to find a meaningful life?

About three weeks ago, the celestial dance carried me through a solstice. Here in the northern hemisphere, it was the shortest day of the year. I know well that late December is cold, but it’s usually late January and early February when it’s coldest. The general weather lags a couple of months behind that celestial dance. Which is exactly why so many cultures pay attention to the celestial alignments: What’s directly in front of us tells one story, but those alignments accurately tell us what is coming.

Continue reading Navigation at 7 for Sunday.

Cynosure

How can a guiding word or phrase shape a person’s life over time?

In 2012 I began selecting a phrase or a word to use as a guide for the coming year. A friend of mine showed me there’s a word for such a guide: Cynosure.

My consciousness is a strange, obtuse, mystery to me, but it does produce some interesting curiosities. When I picked a phrase in 2012, I didn’t imagine it would become a yearly ritual.

Continue reading Cynosure at 7 for Sunday.