Daily Caffeine

When we think through problems or areas we’re stuck on, polarities represent the two ends of spectrum of our thinking. Often we’re taught to think in binary terms. We are together with someone or broken up, we are hard working or we are lazy, we are happy or we are sad, however the truth is that in almost anything in life there is no binary…only a spectrum that we move along.

Nonetheless, poles, polarities “polar opposites” help us establish a spectrum by which to understand where we are. So they are useful as a framework for understanding ourselves better.

Like a race that has a starting line and a finish line, it helps to know which you are closer to in your journey. 

I wanted to lay out some standard polarities that can help you assess where you are. These polarities are not base-ground truth, meaning, they are not “real.” Think of them more like a useful framework that we’ve created for ourselves to describe and think through how we’re feeling. You can think of where you are between or on a pole based on how you feel. So it’s more about experiencing than it is accomplishing or arriving. 

I think it was Kapil Gupta who said, “The answer is never 1 or 10, it’s usually something like 3.25487.”

Creatives can feel stuck in two worlds: The world of business, and the world of personal development.

This creates a tension between what we perceive as our "Personal Development" – i.e. mindfulness, spirituality, connection, play...

And our "Personal Achievement" – i.e. Money, success, fame....

Most often we try and solve this tension by seeing if we can combine the two. And, while mindfulness DOES overlap and help you at work... it doesn't directly solve your work problems.Sometimes, you just need to learn how to budget, or a new skill, or get more proficient at speaking in public.

And sometimes, you have material success by you're totally burnt out, or despite more money, fame etc. you still feel a huge hole in your life, and no amount of further success will ever fill it.

So embarking on a path of personal growth is what you truly need, rather than doubling down on the comfortable space of work achievement...

Today I want to discuss the difference between the two, and what happens when we mistake one for the other.

Ultimately, to me, we all could use both.

Some of us could recognize with more clarity that a problem you face cannot be directly solved with more meditation. Sometimes you just need to do the work.

And sometimes that extra cash out, that extra incentive for fame...

Well maybe that's not what you're really needing right now, either.

It's tough when you haven't shared something creative for a long time.

You get this feeling like you're blocked and you need to share but the more you delay, the more it's difficult to get what's inside you out into the world.

It's like the world is moving past me and I’m frozen in time... So I try and stop it from happening and I try and yell "Wait!"

But then I realized that yelling “Wait!” was a strategy.

Discuss on Circle with the Community:

Hey and welcome to Daily Caffeine – Bit sized, micro-coaching moments for Founders and Creators. Hosted by David Sherry.