#73 Why am I rushing?

ByLukas
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Journaling question of the day: Why am I rushing?

Out of habit and automaticity – mindlessness caused by endless repetition?

Out of discomfort – I want to get out of this situation as soon as possible?

Out of impatience – I expect whatever comes next to be more interesting or riveting?

What would happen if I don’t rush this?

By interrupting the automaticity and slowing down, will I reopen my senses and discover new nuances?

By not rushing away from discomfort, will I discover everything is not as bad as I feared it would be?

By resisting impatience, can I become fascinated with whatever is happening right here, right now?

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    #66 Scarcity is like pollution

    ByLukas

    Some days I have ten ideas to write about. Some days, zero.

    But when I lack ideas to write about, the ideas aren’t really gone. I’m in a scarcity state: my brain chemistry prevents me from accessing the insights.

    When I feel lonely, friends and family I can connect with aren’t really gone. I’m in a scarcity state: my brain chemistry prevents me from connecting with them.

    Scarcity is like pollution.

    When noise pollution of cars, planes and construction machines drown out the singing of the birds, the birds aren’t really gone. I just can’t hear them.

    When light pollution drowns out the stars, they’re not really gone. I just can’t see them.

    So how do I get out of scarcity? How do I reduce pollution?

    Here’s what works for me:

    Notice I’m in scarcity mode. Then move. Meditate. Do stream-of-consciousness journaling.

    Then find a place where I hear the birds.
    Find a place where I can see the stars.
    Write anyway.
    And connect with friends and family anyway.

  • #231 When everything is urgent

    ByLukas

    When everything is urgent, how do we know what to do first?

    One solution is adding more nuance:

    What’s the most urgent?

    What’s the most important?

    Breathing is urgent.

    A crying child is urgent.

    A toilet visit can be urgent.

    Sending that email out tonight right before bed instead of tomorrow, maybe not so much?

    Here’s the important question:

    If you’re going to prioritize the urgent matters anyway, why stress yourself out by calling everything urgent in the first place?

    Making everything urgent devalues truly urgent matters.

    Because when everything is urgent, nothing is urgent anymore.

  • #433 Feel it until it fades

    ByLukas

    You feel excitement. Happiness. Anger. Sadness.

    But you are not your excitement or happiness.

    Because if you allow yourself to cling to the emotions you desire, you’ll have not choice but to identify with undesirable ones, like anger and sadness, too.

    Thus, you feel excitement – until it fades.

    You feel happiness – until it fades.

    You feel anger – until it fades.

    You feel sadness – until it fades.

    No matter which emotion rises, feel it until it fades. You’re going to be fine either way.

2 Comments

  1. Wow! I am 63yr old and wish I would have been contemplating these 3 questions earlier in my life! How would I be different today? And how would my responses to life’s circumstances have modeled a new way to think for my children? I can’t change the past, but I can make better choices going forward! And I intend to do it very intentionally! Thank you!!

    Reply

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