June 19, 2024
Something I’m Reading
Still working through "The Happiness Advantage” and loving it. Really really excellent book.
Something I Photographed
Went on a long hike with Wilder yesterday. We walked by this log and he said, “Hey, Dad, let’s take a break and talk.” And so we did. It was beautiful.
Something I’m Excited About
I’m excited that Wilder is now at an age where he likes hiking and exploring. We’ve reached the point where we can enjoy these types of activities together and you know, it’s not just me watching a little kid.
Some Thoughts to (Hopefully) Make Your Life Better
This morning I was on a Call with some dudes in my Pod, and the conversation turned to the word “Surrender,” and we talked a lot about what that means, both in the Christian context (like, I’m surrendering to God’s will) and the secular context (like Michael Singer’s book “the Surrender Experiment,” which is awesome.). Here are a few thoughts we discussed, and something I’m still processing:
Surrender is not giving up, at least not in this context. It’s holding the OUTCOME with an open hand, saying “I can only control the inputs, not the output.
So I will surrender the expectations. and outcome that I decided on and not base my happiness or feeling of worth or judge the success based on that outcome. Instead, I will focus on the inputs, the here and now, the present:
The food I eat, not the idealized version of a body I want to have.
I will focus on serving the members of The BetterLife Tribe so that the BLT is the most incredible mastermind on the planet, not stressing about the long-term goal I set for myself.
I will surrender the big goals of buying $10B of real estate at Open Door Capital and instead focus on making the current investments the best they could possibly be and treating our 2,000+ investors with the best service in the industry.
Long term planning helpful, in that it helps set direction for your daily actions, but I think when you base your values and happiness and self worth on the outcome, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Surrendering means working hard on the present but holding the future with an open hand.
Now, ironically, focusing on mastery in the “inputs” is exactly what it takes to master an output. But it’s important to me that I don’t try to use that as a way to “encourage” God into giving me the outcome I want. Like, “oh, I’ll just focus on the actions and… God will give me what I want.” That’s not surrender, that’s manipulation, and it’s still letting expectations drive my happiness and fulfillment. Surrender is saying, “I’m going to focus on the actions REGARDLESS of the outcome. I’m going to do my best, serve others as well as I can, and I may NEVER grow this business but if that’s the case, it’s ok.”
What do YOU think? Let’s have a convo in the comments below.
To your better life,
P.S. Comment below and let me know your thoughts on this week’s BTB! Please be friendly :)