What Is Humans?

There are different states of work, most normally in society we think of hard work as one that leaves us exhausted and dreading the next day. Hard work can be rewarding don’t get us wrong, that satisfying feeling of kicking up your feet after a long day’s work is one of the greatest feelings in the world. What if there was a way however to get the same satisfaction out of the work itself. Rather than being relieved the work is done, we are excited for the next day and almost lose track of ourselves and time throughout. This type of work is one that Steven Pressfield and Ryan Holiday spoke about on the Daily Stoic podcast and it was one that we felt was worth speaking on ourselves. 

How do we get into the groove, find our flow state, especially when we have pretty much been told our entire lives that work in and of itself shouldn’t be fun. Now not every day is going to be fun, but finding that necessity that drive towards work feels like something worth craving in life. Always dreading something that we do for a long portion of our lives feels like a sad way to live. Even if you choose something you deem as the thing you were meant to do, the beginning will definitely be a challenge as you find your footing and fail constantly before you can become good! Can you stick with that thing consistently to find a place of contentment and restful work? 

If we can feed our curiosity and we allow ourselves consistency, it feels like there is an opportunity for us to find this magical restful work. This isn’t an easy place to get to, or certainly everyone would be craving work almost as nourishment as opposed to escaping every night. By riding out the waves in the beginning and finding what feeds our soul we can begin to do deep work that no longer feeds our ego.

“Memento Mori” or remember you must die in Latin is a pretty terrifying saying, but an important one. Stoicism, a ideology that stems from Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers often used the idea of death as a reminder of their mortality. This while seemingly depressing can often be a motivator to recognize that time in and of itself is not abundant but rather limited. What feels like something that we will always have more of is truly the only thing we want to get back at the end of the day. 

Whether we have big audacious goals or what to just live a more abundant life it can be a good practice to think about death more often than not. This can help us decide on a micro and a macro level what is most important to us. In the grand scheme of things is it worth it to be angry in traffic, or cry over spilled milk surely not, but go after your dreams…of course it is. It can be equally detrimental however to let the pressure of time weigh us down. 

It can be easy to lose track of time. Days and weeks go by in the blink of an eye while months turn into years. Don’t be worried though because as long as that time was well spent then it was worth it. Here is the key. Think about death a little more each day to help remind you what is truly important in life. Memento Mori.

This seems like a pretty definitive statement, but a contradictory one. If you are confident, how can you be humble at the same time? Most often we hear these words thrown around when someone achieves something great and they acknowledge all the hard work of their teammates, coworkers and others to make that greatness become possible. That level of humility can be difficult to attain though as you achieve greatness and the praise starts rolling in. Truly confident people know though that it took months and years of failures to put them in the very position that they are in right now. 

That vicious cycle is what it means to be confident and humble simultaneously. Recognizing that you can get through anything comes from consistently being humbled. Trying new things and learning from others that have much more experience than you is a difficult habit but a necessary one. Our insecurities often hold us back from being vulnerable and putting ourselves out there, so in many ways we like to put up a facade of confidence that protects us from ever being humbled. In many ways it’s like never even getting in the ring at all, purely watching and judging from the outside looking in. 

We all have moments where we feel confident, and it comes from experience. At one point in our lives we couldn’t speak, or walk but now we consider ourselves in many ways experts. Whether we knew it or not it took many moments  of humbling falls and stutters to create the confident individuals that we are today. Don’t forget that you have to be humbled in order to be confident.

Risk is relative to the person who is taking the risk, regardless what the task at hand is. The same task to one person may be severely riskier to one person than the other. We would be terrified to drop into a skatepark if you asked us to do it today, but for a seasoned skater that would be nothing to them. We often think of our heroes as these gods that laugh in the face of challenge or risk, but in reality they are humans just like us. We let the fear of risk stop us from doing something that someone else took a shot at just a little bit earlier. Our heroes have just done it a lot longer than we have. So at this point the same task that we are terrified of even attempting has become old hat to them, solely because they did it! 

The idea that came into mind for us was really this idea that as children we have this reckless abandon that allows us to approach things without a care in the world. We aren’t scared of what our peers think let alone others. It isn’t until the age of 7 that we become self aware and for the most part our parents or other role models almost force us into extracurriculars to allow us to push ourselves everyday and take risks, like making friends or learning a new skill. As we do that more and more we become better at it and then we want to do it for ourselves. 

As adults now we no longer have our parents there to tell us what to do or how to continue to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. If we can take the emotion out of the actions that we have to take, the risk and fear of failure slowly dissipates. At one time your heroes and the people that we look up to were just like you, the only difference is that they put fear aside and took the risk over and over and over again! Risk is Relative! 

Everyone has their own perception of the world, but very few share others perspectives. Oftentimes we go about our lives only living in our own perceptions and through struggle attempt to bring others into our perception of it. As we have spoken about often on this podcast it is extremely difficult, arguably impossible, to force anyone to think a certain way without allowing them to draw their own conclusions. A more productive method is seeking to gain others perspective.

Perspectives can be found within ourselves in what we believe and also in others. Both ways need to be found through reflecting and being curious as to why something is. By reflecting on our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, we can begin to understand our own perspective. Additionally and more important than our own, we can reflect and ask questions to begin to understand another's.  By seeking this understanding of another we can create more productive relationships in all facets of life

Getting out of our perception is a difficult task in our fast paced highly addictive lives. It is only through disconnecting, pausing, and reflecting we can begin to ask those deeper questions. Deeper questions seeking to understand others point of view and also for our own purpose.  As you listen this week, remember to find ways to bring more presence in your own life. From this stillness you truly are available to gain more perspective.

Problems exist everywhere. They appear on a micro scale in our own personal lives and they exist at a macro scale affecting millions globally and then there’s all the problems that exist in between. Problems are obstacles or hurdles that appear outside of the preconceived plan that we had within our heads for the way we think things should go. You forgot to pack your lunch today, an email got lost in the shuffle and now you are behind on a project, or the economy isn’t doing too hot, all of these problems weren’t in the plans. As unique as your problems may seem to you, we can remain isolated if we continue to believe that these problems are unsolvable only by us. Civilization has existed for centuries, and now more than ever we have the resources to recognize that these problems come and go and most likely someone has felt the same exact way that I am feeling right now. 

By accepting that the problem exists in your life and you are not alone we can then begin to dissect the problem and recognize that the problem might be more of an opportunity after all. By seeking out problems in our daily lives, and working to assess and tackle them we then prepare ourselves and others that undoubtedly will come across the same exact problems. We can be a help to others by offering up solutions to their problems and understanding in the process we are challenging ourselves and growing along the way as well. 

Our immediate reaction as humans is to run away from our problems because they are uncomfortable. We bury them or put them off as long as possible until they inevitably show up at our front door. What if we sought out problems…what if we actively assessed our own lives and did our best to see where we could help others and ourselves. Don’t be nosy, but the ability to problem solve and recognize where you can be of best service to those around us is what ultimately gives us worth and confidence. Reframe problems within our minds as these nightmares to run away from and start observing and taking little steps to solving them…because everyone will be better off.

“Sharing is caring,” at least that’s what we have heard our whole lives. This is one of the first things we hear as young children…whether we are playing at school or with our siblings, sharing is one of the first lessons we learn in childhood. Typically this starts with sharing toys, but as we grow older that thing we share changes. We can share our opinion, we can share our time, or we can just share our stories. Whether we are receiving or the shared item or we are the one that is doing the sharing there seems to be an equal exchange. You feel better because you shared your experience with someone else and they feel better because they have grown closer to you through listening and understanding. 

Throughout history sharing of stories, lessons and experiences is at the center of our interactions as human beings. It is what has lasted thousands of years, and what will continue to last thousands of years into the future. The only deterrent from sharing is the opposite, not sharing. In a time where we have more access than ever to sharing our messages, feelings and experiences, some of us still go through life without letting the world in on our stories. We all have something to say regardless of success or how interesting we are because the point is you are unique and only you know your own story. 

By sharing we can help others in the future, maybe avoid some of the mistakes we made, or we can help others understand us a little better right now in the present. The moment that we shut down and stop this exchange halts any progress that can possibly be made. On the other side we must listen and learn from those around us, because whether we like it or not they are the ones that are here with us now, and will make us better. Continue to share your stories, experiences and feelings because you always have something to share whether you believe it or not.

The smartest person in the room is rarely the most fulfilled. That’s because our perception of how intelligent we are is based upon the belief that we know more than the others around us. On the contrary the most successful person in the room always believes there is more to learn especially from the people that they surround themselves with. Today we discuss the importance curiosity plays in personal fulfillment. That hunger and desire to dive deeper is a key factor in determining what our passions are, but also the longevity of those passions. The best performers in the world are constantly learning, tweaking and reworking what they believe they already know in pursuit of something greater. 

Asking questions and putting yourself out there can feel like a vulnerable state to exist in, but that is where learning occurs. Oftentimes just like in school we all have the same question, but we are too afraid to ask for fear of looking less than others. In fact as we grow older it seems respect is gained by seeking out more and more information to come to the right conclusions almost stating outright that you are not as advanced as others. This level of humility is what allows the most successful individuals to recognize their dreams and then go after them! If we assumed we knew it all from the start there would be no point to pursuing something we already know, or maybe we believe we are so far behind others we think it couldn’t even be worth trying. 

We would argue that your curiosity is what keeps your soul and passions thriving. The endless possibilities of the world are the reason to keep going day in and day out. If our motivation was solely based on money and societal norms there would be no internal desire to get better and grow organically. Just the promise of a bigger paycheck or respect from your colleagues will always leave us with a gaping hole in our pursuit for happiness. Choose a life of curiosity because it will always yield new discoveries. 

 A month ago we talked about what it takes to do good work. Paul Graham released a series of essays which talked about the three things necessary to do good work, well as it turned out he also talked about what it takes to become a genius as well. This was called the bus collection theory of geniuses. He mentions that determination and ability are necessary to become a genius but one third step is obsession. The reason he talks about bus ticket collectors among other things is their obsession with collecting tickets for nothing other than pure joy. 

They didn’t collect the tickets because there was a monetary value associated, or status but rather a genuine interest in the tickets which then built the ability and cultivated determination. You don’t need determination or ability as much when you have obsession, because obsession drives you to do something regardless of the other two. He references people like JRR Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings books, as well as Darwin and his study of evolution on the Galapagos Islands. Each of these individuals were able to become geniuses in their fields and reap the rewards of their obsession with obscure things. They also remained irresponsible throughout their pursuit. They were willing to look like fools whilst nobody understood their elvish language or fascination with the lizards of foreign places. 

Your curiosity has no guarantee of success, but it does have a guarantee of fulfillment. If you are constantly having to hype yourself with activities, relationships or work then the thought of sustainability seems impossible. Obsession on the other hand drives us regardless of how motivated or determined we are and especially outworking those with potentially more ability than us. Think about the obsessions that you have within your own life and how you can make them more of a guiding light for your own genius.

 Admiration and aspiration are two very different things, but it can be easy to get them confused. Admiring someone means that you appreciate the success that they have had in a personal or professional setting. Aspiration on the other hand means what exactly you are trying to become. As children and as adults we often admire individuals, and believe that we want to be just like them. These people could be pro athletes, celebrities or musicians. We see the success and attention that they receive and we immediately believe that we want to be just like them. In reality though are we willing to put in the years of training and development of their craft in order to become them? Our guess would be no. 

Aspiration on the other hand refers to what you aspire to become. Surely you can admire someone, however their journey is not your journey. You have to find what you are passionate about and willing to do regardless of the secondary consequences like money, status, or fame. Only at this point will we be able to identify our calling. If we start with the “why” behind our actions we can clearly see what we do because of a need, and what we do because we truly believe in it and have fun. When you come home, after a long day of work, is there a passion or hobby you partake in just because you love it? Or if you do exactly what you love, do you read books after work about your industry because of your love for it? 

Admiration isn’t a bad thing in the slightest. It’s normal to admire someone for the courage and consistency it takes to achieve something. Before we idolize the person or role we admire, look towards the daily actions of that person and what it took to get to where they are now. Most of those people would say if they lost everything they would do it all over again, because they simply loved it that much. Aspire to love what you do day in and day out regardless of the consequences, as opposed to aspiring to become someone because of external rewards, like money or fame which can leave us hollow and broken later.