What if we choose this?

I sent this Bonus Thought out to my newsletter subscribers on Monday. I thought it was worth publishing the entire piece, and since then have read several articles and posts that show the data behind this. Without further ado, here we go...

==

I’m going to go a bit off the deep end here for a moment, so hang on.

I read something today that sparked an interesting line of thinking. If we look at all this forced isolation and economic shutdown from a climate perspective, this is going to be a super healing time period for our planet.

What if we all collectively decided to do something like this once a year. We all shut it down and reduce travel, manufacturing and consumption for some short period of time. It could decelerate our carbon footprint by years.

Also, the added bonus of choosing to go into “shelter from home” mode is that we are making the choice. And when have the mindset of making the choice ourselves, it’s much more agreeable and acceptable than someone else forcing it upon us.

So from now on, I’ve decided to take the mindset of all of this isolation and self-sheltering is not only to help flatten the curve and save lives, but to help heal the planet. Times two multiplier for the win!

Am I allowing for synchronicity?

Over the last several years, my non-scientific analysis would lead me to believe that synchronicities in my life were happening with an increasing frequency, and I'm 100% down with this trend.

Every time this happens, it is a beautiful experience and a reminder of the interconnectedness of it all. It reveals something that was previously unseen.

For simplicity, I like this definition of synchronicity:

Synchronicity is an experience of two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally unrelated.

Previous versions of me would either be blind to such connections or write them off as completely random events. I've since learned to pay more attention and be open to what is being shown to me.

Some of my most profound breakthroughs, personal growth and critical decisions have come as a result a of well-timed synchronicity to open my eyes, mind, body and spirit to something that was previously inconceivable.

I have also come to believe that these synchronicities are happening all around us all the time.

It is up to us to put our phones down, not be so busy, avoid the constant rush or hurry to our next obligation. It is up to us to not be overwhelmed or too open or too closed emotionally. It is up to us to not write things off as mere coincidence, as random mathematical probability.

I've developed a self-care routine that has helped me increase the possibility of synchronicities. Meditation, yoga, long walks, nature and introspection have worked well for me.

When we pay attention at a more meta level, I believe the answers are all around us. Let's ensure we are doing our part to be able to receive these synchronicities and the information and magic they hold.

Why is wearing shoes the best starting point?

I have a bad habit that I'm ready to admit. I buy more books than I have been able to read. My book buying eyes are bigger than my book consuming stomach.

I've got some amazing books sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust. One way I have compensated for this in the past is by selecting the smaller, quick reads over the meaty, dense books. That didn't feel good and once I became aware of this, I started picking monsters. The 512 page, uber dense "Ascent of Humanity" by Charles Eisenstein is the current beast.

I'm only 32 pages into this slow-going journey, and I've already found some powerful nuggets, and the groundwork is being laid out for a fundamental paradigm shift.

A beautiful quote from the book: "Seek not to cover the world in leather — just wear shoes." That of course is not the actual quote. I had to dig deeper which of course slows down the reading even further, but I'm glad I did to find the source.

"Where would there be leather enough to cover the entire world? With just the leather of my sandals, it is as if the whole world were covered. Likewise, I am unable to restrain external phenomena, but I shall restrain my own mind. What need is there to restrain anything else?" — an 8th-century Indian Buddhist scholar Shantideva

Entrepreneurs see the world and the future through a different lens. They have a vision for what is possible and are able to see situations and people better and greater than they currently are. While I believe being an optimist is a competitive advantage for entrepreneurs, this quote feels like a nice counter-balance.

Start within first. If you want to change the world, change yourself first. Start with the man in the mirror.

Even if I don't ever get past page 32, I'm jazzed about this quote. In order to have the massive impact in the world that I believe is possible, I'll start by putting on my own shoes first.

What do I do with old thought patterns?

I had a meeting this week with a very dear friend. I wanted to get some feedback from him about a new thing that I'm working on, and some old thought patterns came up.

This friend is a very successful person, and it occurred to me that he had the resources, team and experience. Tiny voice in my head said that he would take this idea and build it without me. This brought forth the thought that I shouldn't share this with him.

What if he takes this idea and runs with it? What if he someone works it into one of the companies that he's running? What if he's able to execute better and faster than I can? A lot of the wrong kind of what ifs.

It was scarcity mindset at the most basic level.

So what if he runs with this idea? Great. That means that it'll get built and I won't have to build it.

I had this internal dialogue before the meeting, recognized this old pattern and share the new thing anyways.

To take it one step further, I shared with him the entire internal dialogue and old thought pattern of scarcity along with a brief moment of not wanting to share it. We shared a beautiful moment, had a good laugh and it ultimately brought us closer together.

Of course I was meant to share this with him as he's been kicking around similar ideas. He mentioned a few investors he has lined up. And he we as far to suggest that we explore the idea of me transforming one his companies to build this internally there. Pretty incredible to see the abundance flow when we move past scarcity.

Recognize the old patterns. Flip it and reverse it. Instead of not sharing something, share the old thought pattern as well.

How do I control the things I can't control?

We humans have been hardwired to desire a perception of control since before there was recorded history. Studies show that control is not only essential for our well-being, but that in earlier times it was a biological imperative for our survival as a species.

So it's no wonder we want to control anything and everything.

And yet we can't.

We can't control the weather. We can't control the color of the sky. We can't control other people's feelings and experiences. In fact, there is actually very little in this world that we as an individual can control.

The simplified version of what we can control from my perspective is this:

• Mindset
• Focus
• Self Care
• How we show up

That's pretty much it.

All of those things within our control are internal, and yet we put some much effort into trying controlling the external world. We spin our wheels and exhaust ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually with virtually nothing to show for it. And it makes sense if we think about it from an evolutionary standpoint. Our ability to control was central to our survival, but now it's almost the opposite.

Today, our ability to let go of the need for control of our external environment is key to our health and happiness. What served our ancestors so well is the very thing that is holding us back today.

When I find myself trying to control the things I cannot control, I go through a simple exercise.

What's the worst that could happen? What's the best that could happen? And what's the most likely thing that could happen? Once I identify these, I make them real in my mind so that I can feel and experience each of these possible paths. From there, I'm able to let go of my need to control the things I can't control. I have prepared myself for whatever will happen, so I can focus on the things I can control.

Trust me, I know this is easier said than done. I'm experiencing this all right now in real time with my father being in the hospital. And I keep coming back to this frame of control. I will control the things that are within my control, and I'll let the rest of it go.