1 - COMPLETE CONTROL. Totally free from coercion. A mini mental god.
2 - SIMPLE CONTROL over the direction of our lives.
3 - LUCK to buy a dinner, last minute airline tickets, your child a formal education, or hot coffee without thinking twice about it.
4 - INTERNET.
5 - The OPTION to change your mind [as the evidence changes].
6 - NO OBLIGATION to explain yourself to anyone.
7 - SPACE and TIME to figure things out for yourself.
8- The ABILITY to be without distraction or addiction (think: the buddha).
9 - The invisible SUPPORT to fail, fail, fail without fatality.
10 - The SPACE BETWEEN the stimulus and your response. (Victor Frankel)
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
10 Reasons I am Grateful for Not Having a Real Job
Preface:
Both people I know who have transitioned from having a real job to playing poker as an occupation have confessed an almost deranged perspective to me. As the pain is being hurled upon them, as it is at some point or another to everyone who chooses this occupation, they have confessed "This hurts but still beats having a real job."
I can't share their perspective because I don't have their experience, but I try to be as grateful as they are for not having a dreaded, evil, corrupt, monotonous morally bankrupt '''''real job'''''.
.....
The Small (but non trivial) Reasons:
1 - No dressing up like a clown - a suit, tie, pants, or shirt with a pocket or buttons.
2 - Not having to listen to co-workers complain. I have enough of that at home, I come to work to escape that, not have more of it.
3 - No arbitrary schedule.
4 - No city, state, country that you have to live it.
Real Reasons:
5 - THE WORK is always more important than the signaling of the work.
6 - You get all the blame. And all the glory.
7 - You are free to always adjust work:life balance. Freedom.
8 - You discover real motivations rather than purely structural or profane ones. (Anger, survival, and curiosity rather than climbing a ladder.)
9 - Zero politics if you choose. Zero.
10 - Will + work + patience lead, with mathematical certainty, to the fleeting yet amazing feeling of progress and the stable feeling of earned satisfaction.
Both people I know who have transitioned from having a real job to playing poker as an occupation have confessed an almost deranged perspective to me. As the pain is being hurled upon them, as it is at some point or another to everyone who chooses this occupation, they have confessed "This hurts but still beats having a real job."
I can't share their perspective because I don't have their experience, but I try to be as grateful as they are for not having a dreaded, evil, corrupt, monotonous morally bankrupt '''''real job'''''.
.....
The Small (but non trivial) Reasons:
1 - No dressing up like a clown - a suit, tie, pants, or shirt with a pocket or buttons.
2 - Not having to listen to co-workers complain. I have enough of that at home, I come to work to escape that, not have more of it.
3 - No arbitrary schedule.
4 - No city, state, country that you have to live it.
Real Reasons:
5 - THE WORK is always more important than the signaling of the work.
6 - You get all the blame. And all the glory.
7 - You are free to always adjust work:life balance. Freedom.
8 - You discover real motivations rather than purely structural or profane ones. (Anger, survival, and curiosity rather than climbing a ladder.)
9 - Zero politics if you choose. Zero.
10 - Will + work + patience lead, with mathematical certainty, to the fleeting yet amazing feeling of progress and the stable feeling of earned satisfaction.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
10 Good Things About Having a Cold
1 - It gives you a slightly less rubbish excuse for making rubbish excuses.
2 - It makes you appreciate the time when you were at 100% health.
3 - It makes you appreciate the 98% health you still have.
4 - It provides a good reason to drink orange juice.
5 - It gives you sympathy for the permanently ill.
6 - It increase your will to act in a healthful manner.
7 - You might experience one of those great, deep, restoring slumbers.
8 - It provides a good excuse to do the organizing and cleaning you were putting off, because when you are sick doing cognitively demanding work usually fails.
9 - Not having to see, or be one of, 'those' expensive gym people.
10 - Soup always taste better when you are sick.
2 - It makes you appreciate the time when you were at 100% health.
3 - It makes you appreciate the 98% health you still have.
4 - It provides a good reason to drink orange juice.
5 - It gives you sympathy for the permanently ill.
6 - It increase your will to act in a healthful manner.
7 - You might experience one of those great, deep, restoring slumbers.
8 - It provides a good excuse to do the organizing and cleaning you were putting off, because when you are sick doing cognitively demanding work usually fails.
9 - Not having to see, or be one of, 'those' expensive gym people.
10 - Soup always taste better when you are sick.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
10 Things About Her:
1 - How she encourages me to be silly and play around like a child.
2 - How she curses the world only in castellano.
3 - How she reads.
4 - How she learns things for no reason at all.
5 - How she is a horrible lair, but half-heartedly tries anyway.
6 - How "do you want ice-cream?", means "I want ice-cream!!!"
7 - How she insists on meditating with me every night even though she always falls asleep.
8 - How we share the same problem of being a 'Natural Enthusiast'.
9 - How it makes some animal noises that make me die laughing.
10 - How she took (and takes) and chance.
2 - How she curses the world only in castellano.
3 - How she reads.
4 - How she learns things for no reason at all.
5 - How she is a horrible lair, but half-heartedly tries anyway.
6 - How "do you want ice-cream?", means "I want ice-cream!!!"
7 - How she insists on meditating with me every night even though she always falls asleep.
8 - How we share the same problem of being a 'Natural Enthusiast'.
9 - How it makes some animal noises that make me die laughing.
10 - How she took (and takes) and chance.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Stong Opinions - Revisited
A while back I wrote about holding strong opinions.
I was a bit disappointed with myself that I did not hold many. Thinking more about it now, I am happy to report that I now hold a few.
Not about topics that you usually associate with strong opinions - politics, child-raising, or morals. But rather simply what works for me.
Someone can tell me about the optimal diet or nutrition or what is right and what is wrong. And I can take comfort in saying "Maybe. All I know is that this is the diet that works for me because I have tried them all." I have now tried and failed, though about, forgot, remembered again, tinkered with, stumbled upon, and experienced enough that I have developed some strong opinions on what works for me.
I was a bit disappointed with myself that I did not hold many. Thinking more about it now, I am happy to report that I now hold a few.
Not about topics that you usually associate with strong opinions - politics, child-raising, or morals. But rather simply what works for me.
Someone can tell me about the optimal diet or nutrition or what is right and what is wrong. And I can take comfort in saying "Maybe. All I know is that this is the diet that works for me because I have tried them all." I have now tried and failed, though about, forgot, remembered again, tinkered with, stumbled upon, and experienced enough that I have developed some strong opinions on what works for me.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Meditation Retreat DIY Experiment
Strict cancellation policy on airBnb.
No turning back now.
We are going to try a week long silent meditation retreat but without the structure and guidance provided by a meditation center.
This is going to be different from my first and only retreat in at least three ways. No teachers, no enforced schedule, and the fact that we will know the other participants.
Of these three, the one that I think could change the experience for the worse is the latter. The fact that we know each other might limit our ability to quiet the mind. I think a lot of the power of being on retreat is the calming effect of anonymity. I know for myself, many of the 'monkey mind' though patterns involve those people I know and who are around me. I have far fewer strong social thoughts and my mind is quieter working in a crowed cafe surrounded by strangers than I am at home with a friend or loved one. We shall see.
Other than that the structure and environment should be fairly easy to recreate. With the internet we have access to the best guided meditations and meditation teachers in the world. And with oatmeal and pasta we have the staples of the yogi diet.
This is an experiment in two things: seeing how structure influences my behavior and seeing just how curious I really am about my mind. I hope that if all goes well - with only one hour of airBnb planning and one or two trips to the market - we will have the chance to re-create (both in the sense of recreating a real meditation retreat and in the sense of being able to create it when ever where ever) a truly unique experience. An experience that helped me slow down enough to see things just a bit more clearly.
No turning back now.
We are going to try a week long silent meditation retreat but without the structure and guidance provided by a meditation center.
This is going to be different from my first and only retreat in at least three ways. No teachers, no enforced schedule, and the fact that we will know the other participants.
Of these three, the one that I think could change the experience for the worse is the latter. The fact that we know each other might limit our ability to quiet the mind. I think a lot of the power of being on retreat is the calming effect of anonymity. I know for myself, many of the 'monkey mind' though patterns involve those people I know and who are around me. I have far fewer strong social thoughts and my mind is quieter working in a crowed cafe surrounded by strangers than I am at home with a friend or loved one. We shall see.
Other than that the structure and environment should be fairly easy to recreate. With the internet we have access to the best guided meditations and meditation teachers in the world. And with oatmeal and pasta we have the staples of the yogi diet.
This is an experiment in two things: seeing how structure influences my behavior and seeing just how curious I really am about my mind. I hope that if all goes well - with only one hour of airBnb planning and one or two trips to the market - we will have the chance to re-create (both in the sense of recreating a real meditation retreat and in the sense of being able to create it when ever where ever) a truly unique experience. An experience that helped me slow down enough to see things just a bit more clearly.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Remembering: Long Term Satisfaction > Immediate Pleasure
Every self-help guru repeats the same mantra: "Think long term."
I believe them.
The problem is that I don't have many experiences to support the mantra.
To provide the energy to turn the words of the mantra into more than words - action.
Hmmm, so ..."I believe them" is not quite correct.
Rather it's "I trust them".
They are different.
Belief needs to be accompanied with a feeling.
A feeling that I am struggling to muster.
Or should I say: was struggling.
Taking a large poop this morning provided just the experience I am talking about.
This was not merely a pleasurable poop, but an immensely satisfying one.
One that forwent pleasure for days...
but in the end was, without a doubt, worth it.
While not the most profound example, I think little constant reminders that 'satisfaction > pleasure' are necessary until I build up the experiences and the memories and feelings that spring from them to help turn the self-help mantra in to action.
I believe them.
The problem is that I don't have many experiences to support the mantra.
To provide the energy to turn the words of the mantra into more than words - action.
Hmmm, so ..."I believe them" is not quite correct.
Rather it's "I trust them".
They are different.
Belief needs to be accompanied with a feeling.
A feeling that I am struggling to muster.
Or should I say: was struggling.
Taking a large poop this morning provided just the experience I am talking about.
This was not merely a pleasurable poop, but an immensely satisfying one.
One that forwent pleasure for days...
but in the end was, without a doubt, worth it.
While not the most profound example, I think little constant reminders that 'satisfaction > pleasure' are necessary until I build up the experiences and the memories and feelings that spring from them to help turn the self-help mantra in to action.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Walking talking contradictions
Hit the gym then eat a croissant.
Watching mobility exercises while hunched in front of a computer.
Dreaming of foreign travel while living in mexico.
Actually I can't think of anymore at the moment.
So fuck off. That's not too bad. And...
"It is the appearance of inconsistency, and not its absence, that makes people attractive." - NN Taleb
Monday, October 23, 2017
It has to be a new thing -
Having an 'Organized Virtual Life'.
Here in the real world it is easy to see if you are organized or not:
Talk to your accountant or look in your cupboard or closet.
In the real world I am pretty organized.
But virtual organization is throwing me for a loop.
Files, folders, passwords, emails, programs, bookmarks, creditcards, digital wallets, ect...
And it seems to me that given how much of my life takes place virtual that being organized virtually might be as important if not more important than my closet.
Here in the real world it is easy to see if you are organized or not:
Talk to your accountant or look in your cupboard or closet.
In the real world I am pretty organized.
But virtual organization is throwing me for a loop.
Files, folders, passwords, emails, programs, bookmarks, creditcards, digital wallets, ect...
And it seems to me that given how much of my life takes place virtual that being organized virtually might be as important if not more important than my closet.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Why is being still so hard ?
I can't figure out why it is so hard.
Why it produces so much anxious energy.
I have done it for hundred of hours now and still it is the toughest thing I do each day.
It might even be the best thing I do for myself.
It's not for the obvious reasons:
I don't have fear of missing out or regret of not doing something.
Nothing dark, scary, or physically painful has ever happens.
Why?
Really I have no clue.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
It's not just me...
...that has this problem!
We have lots of passion.
We are motivated.
We do the work.
And we do this again and again.
So what's wrong?
We are easily distracted.
We have no attachment to what's important.
We are kids in a candy store.
I wonder if we are the only ones?
Is this a modern phenomenon?
Anyway...
Back to work.
"The goal is to keep the goal the goal; to keep the path the path." Dan John
We have lots of passion.
We are motivated.
We do the work.
And we do this again and again.
So what's wrong?
We are easily distracted.
We have no attachment to what's important.
We are kids in a candy store.
I wonder if we are the only ones?
Is this a modern phenomenon?
Anyway...
Back to work.
"The goal is to keep the goal the goal; to keep the path the path." Dan John
Friday, October 20, 2017
Why rush?
Rushing to _____.
A 'chicken running around with it's head cut off'.
Every morning.
Why?
Where are you going?
There are NO, ZILCH, NINGUNO, ZERO benefits to rushed.
Theory:
Long-term perspective (don't chase the shinny thing)
+
Priorities in order (only so many fucks to give)
=
No rush.
A 'chicken running around with it's head cut off'.
Every morning.
Why?
Where are you going?
There are NO, ZILCH, NINGUNO, ZERO benefits to rushed.
Theory:
Long-term perspective (don't chase the shinny thing)
+
Priorities in order (only so many fucks to give)
=
No rush.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
"Over the handlebars"
There are so many 'what meditation is like' analogies.
One more.
You wreck
You go over the handle bars.
Kind stranger: "Are you ok?"
You: "I think so."
But you don't really know.
Yet.
There is too much adrenaline.
To feel much of anything.
To know the answer to "Are you ok?"
One more.
You wreck
You go over the handle bars.
Kind stranger: "Are you ok?"
You: "I think so."
But you don't really know.
Yet.
There is too much adrenaline.
To feel much of anything.
To know the answer to "Are you ok?"
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Chess Philosophy of Life
i - Facing attack, ask the question, "Defend or Counter?".
ii - Don't chase with only one piece. Develop your pieces. They are stronger working together.
ii - Don't chase with only one piece. Develop your pieces. They are stronger working together.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
I want to like you...
Help me out.
I'm angry.
Many options:
i - Be angry. Never go back.
ii - Be angry. Leave yelp review. Never go back (unless they give you a gift certificate).
iii - Be angry. Calm down. Go Back. Remember your anger. Be angry AGAIN. Repeat. (my default)
iv - Go back tomorrow and say PLEASE....I WANT TO LIKE YOU. Help me out? I'm not too angry.
v -
vi -
.
.
.
.
.
.
I'm angry.
Many options:
i - Be angry. Never go back.
ii - Be angry. Leave yelp review. Never go back (unless they give you a gift certificate).
iii - Be angry. Calm down. Go Back. Remember your anger. Be angry AGAIN. Repeat. (my default)
iv - Go back tomorrow and say PLEASE....I WANT TO LIKE YOU. Help me out? I'm not too angry.
v -
vi -
.
.
.
.
.
.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Five Thought About This Daily Blog
1 - No using "I".
2 - My favorite blogger when asked his job says "To notice things". Cool job.
3 - What was this blog saying 6 years ago?
4 - Maybe this will help with The Goal - "The goal is to keep the goal the goal; to keep the path the path." (Dan John)
5 - A way to clear your cluttered head, crystallize your mushy ideas, test your biased predictions, laugh at your silly anxieties, and to remember your adventure.
2 - My favorite blogger when asked his job says "To notice things". Cool job.
3 - What was this blog saying 6 years ago?
4 - Maybe this will help with The Goal - "The goal is to keep the goal the goal; to keep the path the path." (Dan John)
5 - A way to clear your cluttered head, crystallize your mushy ideas, test your biased predictions, laugh at your silly anxieties, and to remember your adventure.
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