en(light.)ened

 The dangers of not giving a darn. I really want to use a word stronger than "darn", but I feel some responsibility to keeping this blog PG, at least. It's possibly the most dangerous mental space any human can be in.  Indifference.  [1a : marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something : apathetic indifferent to  suffering and poverty .  b : marked by no special liking for or dislike of something; indifferent about which task he was given.] What a head-space. Working hard because that's the back-bone you were born with; always giving your best because you have a strong work ethic, but hating so much of what you do and the reasons for doing it because you have a moral streak and you can do better for other people. Catch 22?  Maybe we just shouldn't have morals. Perhaps we're better off not wanting better, for ourselves or the world. With global warming and the chaos with a pandemic, maybe it's wiser trying not to live longer, the world m...

Iconic and binge-worthy series F.R.I.E.N.D.S has an episode in season 3, where Rachel realises she hates her job and she quits, quite impulsively. The guys talk her into it by persuading her she needs "The Fear" to make work of getting a new job that she might actually like.  I feel a lot like Rachel at the moment. Many times we become complacent and static and stuck without the fear.  The Fear is about more than just getting the motivation to start a new job or career path; The Fear presents in many forms, like different monsters hiding in your closet. The New-Job-Fear is one thing. The I'm-Scared-Of-Failing-Fear is a totally other thing. So too is the What-If-They-Don't-Like-Me-Fear. The latter is applicable outside of a work-space, but still relevant. I'm learning and processing the thinking around these fears - and figuring out how to deal with it. You need to shift that fear - out of yourself, into your competition. Even into your allies - they need to know t...

 We live in a world where we get rewarded financially the harder we work. If you're in a corporate environment, this is usually with bonuses and additional incentives to meet sales targets and earn commission. Competition breeds productivity, right?  While we all love the idea of having more money and a slightly less financially-stressful life, is that the point? Is that why we work? Is that why we earned qualifications, degrees, worked 20hrs a day to make student dead-lines? Is that why we now adhere to an 8-5 schedule, with little to no time for ourselves? I suppose for many, yes - that is why. Good education equals a good job equals a good salary equals financial stability. Are they satisfied with that life? I don't know - are you? I have been in a space where I had nearly that, in a couple of small businesses - the stability was 50/50; small businesses in a growing economy don't have all that much security (a fact I face as a future small business owner). I've also ...

 The spectacular Ayn Rand wrote, in Atlas Shrugged, a novel I've read only once in my life: “Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.” This was my life motto for the ensuing years; I read Atlas Shrugged while in the UK in 2008/2009 and I had that extract printed and taped to my monitor at work after that; I read it many times a day. Life took a turn for the busy sometime around 2015 and I got lost in many things, avoiding dealing with my mental and physical health and most aspects of personal growth.  This morning, fresh into the new year of 2022, I started listening The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma, on Audible. (I was not up at 5am to do so, that's the blessing of my commute.) That...