Intentional Living

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    #148 It’s not a choice

    ByLukas

    When everyone starts using AI chatbots to write, but the insights inside your body and mind scream to be poured on the page – writing is not a choice.

    When everyone dreads yet another practice session, but you know running the same route for the millionth time is all it takes to make you feel alive – running is not a choice.

    When you’ve tripped over the same bar a thousand times, but you know the release of getting it right will energize you for days to come – playing the guitar is not a choice.

    When your big vision has been rejected over and over again, but you know you will not rest until you’ve brought your life-changing ideas to the world – being an entrepreneur is not a choice.

    When what drains others is your lifeblood, deep inside, you know life leaves you no other choice.

    Because life is all about passion.

    Passion is about a lifetime of practice.

    A lifetime of practice becomes your identity.

    And your identity is what makes you put your heart on the line.

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    #147 Purposeful Passion vs Compulsive Addiction

    ByLukas

    Working on your business so hard you neglect your health – and end up in bed with a burnout.

    Being so absorbed with selflessly helping others you forget to set boundaries – and end up drained and resentful.

    Being so focused on the practice your neglect your friends and family – and you end up lonely.

    The line between purposeful passion and compulsive addiction is thin.

    This is where trust building comes in.

    Building trust in your intentions – so you verify that your actions benefit you and your environment.

    Building trust in your self-awareness – so you notice when you cross over in compulsive obsession space, and pull yourself back into purposeful passion territory.

    Building trust in the people around you – so you listen to them when they see you’re slipping, and you let them help you get back on the right path.

    Trust is a beacon of light, keeping you on track.

    What will you do today to protect and fuel it?

    Tiny Trust Builders.

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    #146 Shadow Artistry

    ByLukas

    Shadow writer – someone who holds a secret desire, maybe even an irresistible urge to write but is afraid of being criticized – so their words never even make it on the page.

    Shadow runner – someone who’d love to run a marathon but doesn’t believe they could train consistently enough to make it happen – so their legs never even take them on a single run.

    Shadow singer – someone who loves singing but believes nobody will like their voice anyway – so their song never even reaches past the shower cabin.

    Shadow entrepreneur – someone who has a big life-changing vision, but keeps it hidden out of fear of being ridiculed, dismissed, or ignored – so their ideas never even make it out of hiding.

    Where are you staying in the shadow of your own self-denial?

    Which daily Tiny Trust Builders could help you to step out of that shadow – and do what you always wanted to do?

    It’s time.

    (If this resonates, you might want to read The Artist’s Way)

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    #145 The practice becomes the identity

    ByLukas

    I write every day until I’m a writer.

    I paint every day until I’m a painter.

    I practice the guitar every day until I’m a guitar player.

    I love my family every day until I become a family person.

    I prove to myself that I can take one daily action aligned with who I want to be.

    And before I know it, the practice becomes the identity.

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    #138 Part-time ambition

    ByLukas

    Nobody says you have to be a workaholic to be ambitious.

    Because ambition means nothing more than having a strong desire to succeed.

    You can desire to succeed in getting a promotion, or writing a bestselling book.

    Or you can desire to succeed in working only part-time, and spend the rest of the time with your family.

    You’re free to decide for yourself what to be ambitious about.

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    #136 Unoriginal thought

    ByLukas

    If the storm ChatGPT is causing shows us one thing, it’s how unoriginal most of our thoughts are.

    AI builds on a massive library of what others have learned before.

    (Individual) humans build on a much smaller library of what others have learned before.

    If we merely do what others have done before, in some fields, AI has caught up to us already.

    What happens we build on what others have learned before, and combine it with what we learn ourselves (in other words, practice and skill building)?

    Now we’re talking about innovation: we’re doing things that haven’t been done before.

    And even then, one day, AI will possibly also innovate and do things that haven’t been done before.

    Sheer “processing power” is not a game we can win.

    The true question here:

    If raw intelligence and “brain processing power” isn’t what makes us truly, uniquely human, then what is?

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    #135 Violence in a flower garden

    ByLukas

    It’s easy to be non-violent when you’re in a flower garden

    Josh Waitzkin – The art of learning

    It’s easy to be kind to others when the world has always been kind to you.

    It’s easy to say you want to be a writer when you never really put yourself out there to prove it.

    To learn writing, I must confront the uncomfortable parts of writing – and learn not to respond by running away from it.

    To learn non-violence, I must confront violence – and learn not to respond with violence in return.

    To learn kindness, I must confront being hurt – and learn not to use that as an excuse to perpetuate the cycle of hurt.

    To build trust in myself, I must stay true to my values under difficult conditions.

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    #131 Goals are not about achievement

    ByLukas

    The purpose of goals is not achieving them.

    It’s giving direction to your current actions.

    And that’s what makes them different from a dreams.

    Now. If goals give direction to current actions…

    And current actions overrule your current beliefs and shape your identity…

    Then goals shape who you are today, tomorrow, and who you’ll be long after achieving them.

    The achievement is fleeting, the personality change lasting.

    Choose wisely.

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    #129 When the going gets tough

    ByLukas

    When I’m inspired, I write.

    When I’m over the moon, I write.

    When I’m frustrated, I write.

    When I’m sad, I write.

    When I’m angry, I write.

    When I’m so overwhelmed I don’t want to do anything at all, I write.

    Because when the tides of life get rough, a consistent practice is your life raft.

    Writing, running, yoga, music, walking, gardening, knitting, dancing, singing, surfing…

    You not only build trust in such habits and practices to achieve lofty goals but also – even more so – to fall back on when the going gets tough, and you need a beacon of stability to keep you afloat.

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    #128 What do you hear?

    ByLukas

    Nobody says you should take time every day to disconnect from the world and listen to your stream of consciousness.

    But let’s say you would.

    What do you hear?

    Desires? Fear?

    A blurry memory, now suddenly clear?

    A cry for help to which you’ve turned a deaf ear?

    That fierce inner voice just wants you to be, listen, persevere,
    and tell it

    You’re safe. I hear you. I’m here.

    When you make space to listen to yourself and let solitude soothe you, fear melts away and you might just find something that makes you want to put your heart on the line.

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