Today was literally one of those “but first coffee moments”. I brewed a cup that just didn’t taste to my liking, and then I had to pour it out and try again. There is still something off here and I can tell you what it is.
The coffee is passing through a paper filter which isn’t my preference but I’m staying at my parent’s house and this is how things work here.
But the show must go on 🤠
Here are three ideas from me this week:
1. Doing vs. Being. When we are doing, which is like 98% of our day, we are consumed by the mind. It could be trying to sort out a situation that doesn’t need sorting out, plotting out revenge, or plotting your next purchase. Being on the other hand is best described as those states when you’re plugged into the universe. When you are being, there is a cable that is connecting you to infinite space. Making art without an agenda is one way to get there.
2. Just as there is an inner critic, there is also an inner writer, inner musician or inner athlete. You need to let these parts of you operate without the running commentary of the inner critic. One idea for making this happen is by getting out of bed in the morning and not checking your phone before one of these parts gets to do their work. I find that even waking up to seeing no messages has its own unique effect on me. It’s really an unnecessary habit like repeated email checking throughout the day (nervous ticks).
3. Notice the storyline that you are making up. An example would be if a piece of music isn’t working out, I might say that the entire approach is wrong and I need new software. Completely ridiculous stuff comes from storylines. They are far worse when applied to dealing with other people. Work to drop storylines and accept things as they are - the track simply didn’t work out, this person is having a bad day or decade. Not your problem. Nothing is really as personal as the mind would like you to believe.
To sum up these three notes, more and more I realize that everything depends on being able to have a clear mind. We do better work with a clear mind, and ultimately can make an impact with this ability in our tool belt. No Silicon Valley-backed meditation app is going to give you this, but a life-long commitment to staying the course will.
This week I’m sharing some dreamy lo-fi harp music by Nailah Hunter. This one is released on the Mexican Summer label.
Listen on YouTube.
I’m looking forward to hosting my next workshop, Confident (Enough) on Camera happening on Tuesday evening in the EST (Toronto/New York) time zone. It costs $47 CAD and includes a replay within 48 hours of its completion.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend bunky boops. Make sure to have a few fluffy or crunchy bagels while we’re here to enjoy the ride through the cosmos.
Elliott
I was amazed that paper filters might be so different, I was making my v60 with whatever filter was there in the local shop. As it turned out these japanese filters are not at all expensive, and they make better v60 in the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uggibTY0AE