The Dream Pushers are Pushing Hard
Ideas on balancing entrepreneurial drive with wellness, bringing to life new ideas while living well ourselves and making space for what matters in a well-balanced life.
Hi,
These four words keep emerging in my daily pre-dawn journal entries -
Open
Expand
Soften
Connect
They define a lot of what Just Rolling with It’s all about.
Before JRWI, their opposites defined my existence -
Closed
Contracted/Constricted
Harden
Disconnect/Isolate
My default position is still to isolate myself, especially when I feel afraid or threatened. I learned this defense mechanism early and practiced it for 40 years.
It took a lot of work to make the shift. I feel grateful to experience the benefits when I’m able to do it.
It takes constant effort too. That’s why these words continue emerging in my journal. The entries remind me there’s another way to do things.
It’s the reminder that builds the awareness. The awareness opens space. The space allows me to respond in a conscious way.
My meditation practice helps expand that space further. The space feels uncomfortable most of the time. Meditation helps me stay in the space too. Otherwise, habitual reactions get triggered.
The habitual reactions might provide temporary relief. Otherwise, they simply keep me barreling down the same path, caught in the same cycle.
Consciously responding paves the way for different outcomes to emerge. It’s this process that allows me to shift from the first list to the second.
I feel grateful for this.
How about you? What words define your existence? Do they serve you in healthy ways? Would their opposites serve you in healthier ways?
Do so by replying directly to this email.
Catch you next week, with my gratitude,
Chris
P.S. - Please consider forwarding this issue to one person you feel might appreciate it.
Semi-Random Thoughts
I’m giving this section a try for a while. It’s intended to be a collection of things that caught my interest this week. For example, I rediscovered Seth Godin’s blog this week and subscribed to it. I’ve been enjoying Brain Picking’s Wednesday newsletter too. If you’re looking for high quality and affordable merino wool shirts, check out Wooly. They’re my go-to all year round. I buy 2 short sleeve shirts for the warmer weather and 2 long sleeve shirts for colder weather. They’re pretty much the only shirts I wear. It’s one less decision I have to make each day. This referral link gets you $10 off your first order of $50 or more.
Image of the Week
Mid-Workday Walks Around the Block Feel Expansive
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Current Reading List
The Abundance of Less: Lessons in Simple Living from Rural Japan by Andy Couturier
The Abundance of Less has 109 ratings and 26 reviews.
Music of the Week
Tommy Bones - Live From 4-4 Studio's NYC 09.18.18 by djtommybones | Tommy Bones | Free Listening on SoundCloud
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Podcast of the Week
Seth Godin — Life, the Internet, and Everything. | The On Being Project
Seth Godin is wise and infectiously curious about life, the internet, and everything. He was one of the first people to name the “connection economy.” And even as we’re seeing its dark side, he helps us hold on to the highest human potential the digital age still calls us to. His daily blog is indispensable reading for many of us. He’s a long-time mentor to Krista. This interview happened in 2012. Seth now has a new podcast, “Akimbo,” and a new book coming out, “This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See.”