Archive for the ‘Stimulus Space Response’ Category

It’s All a #Practice

Posted: January 23, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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We do it, we forget, then we remember again. That’s why it’s a practice.

What’s a practice? Everything we do. Until we’re doing it without thinking. Until we’re doing it without thinking with proficiency. Until we’re doing it without thinking with excellence.

It’s all a practice.

Until we’re masters.

And the number of masters to have ever lived is smaller than we would like to think or than we would care to admit.

I’m a meditation practitioner, a philosophy practitioner, a weight lifting practitioner, a communications practitioner, a try not to be an asshole practitioner.

It’s all a practice.

We learn by doing.

We do it, we forget, then we remember again.

That’s why life is a journey and not a destination. We never arrive. Change is the only constant. We’re in a constant state of flux.

So we practice doing the things we want to do, the things we need to do, and the things we have to do.

We have to do, what we have to do.

It’s all a practice.

It’s why witnessing a masterpiece or being in the presence of masters of a craft has an almost universal emotional connection and appeal across demographics and generations. Rare isn’t the word for it. Language doesn’t do it justice.

What do we want to get better at? What do we need to improve? What must we learn?

We do it, we forget, then we remember again. That’s why it’s a practice.

Impermanence Creates #Joy

Posted: January 22, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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Change is the only constant.

Anything that lasts forever, or even a long time, loses it’s appeal, becomes boring, gets taken advantage of, etc.

All experiences that we deem good or positive are that way because they don’t last. Same with the sting of the perceived negative.

There’s that yin-yang again.

The hot burning flame versus the slow burning coal.

Happiness versus contentment.

Be aware of it, experience it, then let it go. For better and for worse.

Trying to make things permanent creates problems.

Suffering arises because of attachment to desires as a wise man once said.

I had one of the most productive stretches of time in recent years. Woke up sick the next day. There’s that yin-yang again.

Then had a fun weekend with a friend is like a brother. But he had to go home. We weren’t sad at the end. We were grateful for the time well spent together and were both excited for what comes next for us individuality, respectively.

Letting go. Easier said than done. Like everything else, ever. But a little easier with practice. Just like everything else, ever…

Just #Begin, the Rest Follows

Posted: January 18, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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Just begin, the rest follows.

Getting started is the hardest part. Momentum can sustain itself.

There is a reason that beginning is so hard in our minds. Inertia. We need the extra effort to get started. A great external example is a space ship. The rocket blast to begin the launch and get the ship into space.

I can remember countless times, the internal feeling of some invisible, probably imaginary force pushing against my body. Making me feel mentally, emotionally, and physically uncomfortable. How am I supposed to start something new when I don’t feel good?

That is a natural thought. That is a normal reaction. I doubt I’m the only human in the history of the world to experience a fantom, physical form of resistance.

Steven Pressfield, one of my favorite authors, has built a wonderful career on his wisdom towards the concept of resistance. His book, The Art of War is the book I’ve gifted the most alongside The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.

Resistance is the rule. Consistent effort is the exception. If that wasn’t true, we would be living in an unrecognizable utopia, probably resembling the world in Star Trek.

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for fifteen years. I have to say on an off because I can’t in all honesty say I’ve been practicing consistently for that long. I can probably say I’ve been practicing yoga consistently for two years, maybe three. The first time I did yoga in 2008-2009, I felt great. I loved it. I knew then I wanted to make it a regular part of my life.

Yet, I still to literally this very day, five hours ago when I did yoga, I procrastinated starting it for like an hour at least. Even though it makes me feel physically good whenever I do it. Even though it’s good for my physical and mental health. Yet the resistance to starting, is both strong, and dug in like a tick.

But every time when I actually start doing yoga, every time, before I’m done with my first down dog pose, I feel good, am glad I started, and finish the entire routine I set out to do whether I’m winging it or using a guide on YouTube.

It’s like that for everything. Maybe not everything feels good when we start. But when we start, and are actually doing the thing, taking action, putting forth the effort, it’s easier to keep going. It’s definitely easier to keep going than our resistance and procrastination would lead us to believe in our inner monologue.

Just begin, the rest follows.

Naturally #Human

Posted: January 16, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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Nature trail walks/hikes have been a life saver for me.

During the Covid lockdowns in America, I was blessed to live five minutes by car from a nature trail. I went there early and often during those dark days.

Sometimes I go on walks with my earbuds in, sometimes not. Sometimes I stay for hours, sometimes just an abbreviated loop that amounts to the traditional coffee break. But every time I go, I feel at least a little better than I did before being in nature.

It’s called forest bathing. What a blessing.

I can’t recommend it enough. I live in the midwestern area of the United States. It is currently too cold and too snowy to really even go outside for anything beyond survival essentials.

During these times I find myself watching nature documentaries. Or watching HD nature scenery with ambient music in the background on YouTube. Certainly not the same as the real thing, but there’s a calling to seeing nature that soothes my soul.

When I get off the main trail and am genuinely surrounded by trees, bushes, flowers, plants, grass, weeds, dirt, birds and bugs…I feel…at home…I feel…at peace.

Because humans are apart of nature. Just because we as a species want to poor a concrete layer over the entire planet, doesn’t mean that we didn’t come from nature. The forests are home. Nature is home.

The lessons to be learned from observing and being in nature, I feel, directly help combat the mental and emotional illnesses that are becoming rampant in the modern, developed, first world countries of the world.

Be Aware of #CognitiveDistortions

Posted: January 15, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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Every day I have a reminder of my phone set to go off that says “I am Aware of Cognitive Distortions”. It only goes off once per day. I could probably use another two or three…dozen reminders over the course of the day, as could most people.

Cognitive distortions or perceiving reality inaccurately, is as natural and normal and easy and automatic as breathing. Is it possible for people to not interpret and assign meaning to the things that happen to them? Yes. Is that the normal, commonplace way most humans live? No

Framing what happens to us in a positive way is obviously preferable. But if the majority of people had a positive way at looking at the world, the world we live in would be unrecognizable. We’d be closer to the Garden of Eden than not.

Negativity is natural. It’s part of how we have evolved. It’s how we have survived from hunter gatherers to farmers to the industrial revolution to the information age. Unfortunately the information age has put cognitive distortions on steroids. Social media echo chambers, travel vlog FOMO, influencer sensationalization, hustle culture, face filters and photoshop.

All designed to exploit our tendency towards cognitive distortions; to think less of ourselves, more of the content creators, so that we will spend our time, attention, and emotional reactions on whatever they’re selling.

Being aware of cognitive distortions brings a bit of wisdom to the information age that drowns us collectively and individually. Awareness is the way out after all. No magic pill. Awareness is less than action. But often right action won’t come unless awareness is there.

Positive, productive, beneficial cognitive distortions are preferred to the negative. It is almost always better to frame what is happening to us in a way that is productive as long as it doesn’t bring harm to anyone else.

Today however, as an exercise in having our feet on the ground while our heads’ are in the clouds, lets try to observe the external reality we live in with objectivity first. This is as it is. Acknowledge the is-ness of the moment. Be aware of what is happening without assigning labels. Then take action from there.

This is Eckhart Tolle 101. Practical. Applicable. Real world helpful.

Separated from the spiritual enlightenment and fulfillment practices that Tolle is synonymous with.

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