#243 Mending the Misunderstanding

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone

Blaise Pascal, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/19682-all-of-humanity-s-problems-stem-from-man-s-inability-to-sit

We often equate sitting quietly in a room alone with loneliness: a word with a negative emotional charge.

But sitting quietly in a room can also bring solitude: the simple state of being by yourself, without any negative connotation.

Solitude can give relief of the pressure to be constantly “socializing” (through social media apps or in real life).

Relief of the pressure to socialize can make space.

Space you can use to hear the thoughts in your head and the feelings in your body.

Thoughts and feelings that can tell you what’s truly important to you.

And then you realize that what’s truly important to you is nothing new.

It’s something you already knew, before you learned not to listen.

Unintentional living and identity building look like this:

1. Actions are inspired by pain and pleasure.
2. Repeated pain and pleasure lead to repeated actions.
3. Repeated actions lead to habits.
4. Habits shape your identity.

“Life made me who I am, and I can’t do anything about it.”

Intentional living and identity building look like this:

1. Who do I want to be? What’s my desired identity?
2. Which habits that would turn me into that person do I not have in place right now?
3. Which repeated actions that would build that habit am I not currently taking?
4. Which reactions to pain and pleasure triggers in my life can I change? Which pain and pleasure triggers can I ban out of my life completely?

“While the past has shaped me, the way I choose to live my life today, tomorrow, and every day after, will determine who I am.”

You’re living anyway. Your actions are votes for an identity anyway. So you might as well do it intentionally.