4 Things I'm Doing to Figure Out My Life
Halfway through Q1, I knew my business and career trajectory needed to change.
I wasn’t really sure how exactly things needed to change, I just knew change was on the horizon.
LIVE A GREAT STORY had taken some serious blows in Q4 2019 and the residual pain was still reeling well into 2020.
One of the telltale signs was that I just wasn’t excited. I thrive on excitement… and it just wasn’t there.
And then Corona hit.
The confusion, chaos and uncertainty didn’t help my business future, either.
There was an internal problem of uncertainty, confusion and lack of direction and there was the external problem of the whole world falling apart.
I could solve the world, but I could try to solve the problem inside.
However, I knew I couldn’t directly solve my problem.
I couldn’t put my finger on the problem, which meant I couldn’t change what I couldn’t find.
The solution was beyond my direct, conscious, problem-solving abilities, so I had to turn to something different.
Letting my subconscious go to work.
See, our brains can only handle so much active thinking.
When we’re thinking thinking thinking, we’re forcing our brains to work in the way we think is best. But our brain is way more powerful than surface level consciousness.
So to solve a problem I couldn’t pinpoint, I had to turn to the option of letting my brain do the solving on its own, which mainly happens in what’s well known as “white space”
Our brains can only handle so much active thinking.
And when our brain is trying so hard to solve a problem with no solution, it gets exhausted.
This forces our brain to work and forcing anything is rarely a good thing.
So instead of trying to beat down the door, I stopped trying to get in.
Heres’ what I did:
1. Read
In the last two months, I’ve read about 10 books and it’s one of the best parts of this ‘Rona situation.
I used to be an avid reader and getting back to the habit has been a game-changer.
And specifically, I’ve been reading memoirs and biographies because they’re about real-life people who face real-life circumstances and solve real-life problems.
Considering that’s exactly what I’m trying to do, I figured learning from other people’s experiences would be a great place to start… and it’s been incredible.
2. Meditate
Meditation is the ultimate white space.
Sitting and breathing and being present clears the clutter, allowing life to percolate to the surface.
A big part of mediation is observing the thoughts and letting them go, so I try to just spectate the ideas, letting them find their place in my brain.
I don’t really need to consciously categorize it, my brain will file it away in the right place for the right time down the road.
3. Write and Journal
For most of the year, I’ve kept a journal by following the Morning Pages routine of writing three blank white pages worth of freehand every morning.
Just flow.
Some parts journal, some parts storytelling, some parts introspection and question-asking.
This takes all the thoughts and tangibly dumps them out onto the paper, which makes a significant difference.
There’s just something about taking something from your brain and bringing out into the world… and in this case onto paper.
On top of that, I’ve been publishing articles here almost daily for a month straight.
This is different than Morning Pages, playing a different role in the creative process by formalizing thoughts and ideas into coherent words for others to read.
4. Run
I rarely run with music.
And almost always first thing in the morning.
During the run my mind wanders, free-floating in the white space.
Plus the endorphins make you feel goooooood so the thoughts are optimistic and solution-oriented.
*Almost Everyday
As I was writing this, I realized each of these things are part of my daily routine.
I’m not sure I totally put that realization together: prioritizing activities that will lead to answers.
After about 30 days of doing these things daily, the change is becoming more clear. Still not totally what’s next, but feeling really good about it.
