Topic: The Big Ideas / #95. Quit Comparing Yourself to Others

Hey Brian,

I had just got an email in from someone else that I subscribe too and started negatively comparing myself to that person. Then I dropped down a couple of spaces in my email inbox and found this tip….

Oops! You got me!

Thanks for the forehead smack!
Wily

Topic: The Big Ideas / #34. Abraham Maslow: What Must You Be?

Thank you Brian—what I am loving about your work is your ability to pluck the jewels and present them with Zen-like brevity, humor, humanity, and presence. The ‘white-space’ around the jewels makes them shine all the more. It’s so-ooo nice to get a succinct hit of (ain’t that the) Truth.

I confess that the daily drip-drip of thinkArete Big Ideas have been working their way into me, re-awakening a passion for wisdom. I’m so grateful for that.

Thank you James_in_China—this speaks to me, as I typically feel a need for external validation, and doubt the worth of anything I have to say/offer. Going to to the depths of the heart to see what and whether anything has spread it’s root there… that’s a powerful image to take away. This is the Maslow ‘I Must’ at the core of ‘would I do it, even if no-one else ever saw it or knew about it?’

Guys—When you look at the lives of many of the great creators of history, they were often doing what they ‘must’ do, with scant reward or recognition during their lifetimes. Regardless, they just had to do it.

The scant reward part sounds like it sucks; but I guess big inner rewards from doing what you love. And there’s greater opportunity and know-how today to turn such passions to more profitable ends.

What’s sometimes tricky… particularly with a certain level of exposure to ‘spiritual’ ideas… is the pernicious influence of the shoulds. And that creates an atmosphere of mirages through which you try and see who you really are as opposed to who you think you should be, could be or ought to be.

I guess greater awareness of true spiritual reality, as it is NOW, is the only answer to that one.

And then there’s curiosity.

I read something this morning, and the writer was talking about the oft-asked metaphysical question of why iinfinite undifferentiated being might have ‘left’ that state in order to experience infinite diversity of experiences. No-one could understand why IT would feel the need to do that. And the author had a ‘message’ through that it was CURIOSITY!

Curiosity drove Infinite Being to see what it would be like to experience life from an infinite number of ‘separate’ perspectives.

And I think we too get lost in our curiosity… a fascination for how others are living their lives, what they are doing, and whether we could see ourselves doing that too. While we are fascinated with what others are doing, we aren’t doing what we are here to do. I’ve seen myself doing a thousand different things while searching for that true vocation. Just ended up with more and more confusion with all the possibilities.

Do you think there is a difference between inner purpose and so called outer purpose? The inner shared purpose of rediscovering the Truth, re-uniting with the Source… versus the need for a worldly purpose that will provide a deep sense of meaning, fulfilment AND put bread on the table?

Topic: The Big Ideas / #27. Zigzag Lines

I love this quote from Emerson. I’ve heard the ‘airline pilot navigation’ versions from various personal development speakers. I like knowing that Emerson the wise, had already spoke of it a century ago.

Seeing the line from a sufficient distance seems to be key. How to get that perspective? So much easier to see the life line of other people than of your own.

I like your Marcus Aurelius suggestion… to get what clarity you can get now and take the next step.

Topic: The Big Ideas / #34. Abraham Maslow: What Must You Be?

Are there any processes that you think ‘reveal’ this true nature most clearly to those who feel lost, confused or out of touch with their intrinsic nature?

Some people seem to be very certain of their true nature. They stand and declare themselves.

Others are looking, searching… and not finding.

For the latter, buried under layers of shoulds or coulds, mights and maybes, how can they know what they must be?