7 for Sunday

What is the cost of my own hurry? Despite all my ongoing efforts to simplify, I’m still hurrying too often each week. So what is going on? Why do I hurry so much? I’ve been reflecting on this, and the answer seems to be that my mind has a tendency towards greed. This isn’t greed…

How do I relate to discomfort without letting it trap me? The summer heat wears me down. It slows everything, making the smallest effort feel heavier. My instinct is to retreat to air conditioning—hide away, keep still—and that makes for a downward spiral: the less I move, the less I want to move. Add in…

How do I live fully when nothing is truly under my control? I’ve often said I use systems and structure as a way to multiply my efforts. And that’s true, but I’ve learned that the real reason is that I’m afraid. I’m afraid of uncertainty. It turned out in retrospect that the messy diversity of…

What transforms raw effort into ethical action? There was a time, not too long ago, when I had the work-ethic, grit, determination, bull-headed dial twisted to 11. I believe I understand the error, and sometimes I actually feel that a lower setting would be better. This is the fear, when people start being kind to…

Is stopping failure, or wisdom? A friend once said, “Life is full of compromises which you cannot avoid. So don’t compromise with yourself.” But if aspiring was our true fulcrum, you’d be on your throne already. Here’s the truth: It’s not the heights we aspire to but the FLOOR WE PUT UP WITH that determines…

Can I grow without clarity? I struggle to acknowledge my progress without big-picture clarity. I get a ton done, but it’s a blur. I grope for clarity, hoping it might empower me to continue. What are you working on? When will you change your mind? What can you learn, what can you challenge? ~ Seth Godin,…

How much of my life is shaped by choice—and how much is an illusion of control? Twice I didn’t act upon his invitation. I had no idea the second time was my last chance. Then he died. We make countless decisions every day. Some seem trivial and some seem important, but often it’s only clear…

When even flexibility wears you out, what’s left? With the power of hindsight I can see there was an age of fire. There was a long period—too long, probably—of trying to carve a path through the world. A period of trying to make a dent in the universe. Making my mark. I think it’s telling…

Is this tension serving me? If you’re just reacting to whatever life throws at you, then any armchair philosophizing about life’s purpose or finding your Life’s Work is, frankly, pointless. I’m not criticizing going through life in reacting mode; if one is crushed by situation or station, then you necessarily have your work cut out…

Can we invite insight instead of chasing it? I’m struck often by interesting relationships between how words are spelled and their meaning. Taken literally, the meaning of “sight” is what our eyes normally do, and things which can be seen are “in sight.” Now consider “insight,” which is about apprehending some new (to us) idea.…