Dave Seah has another interesting post entitled Five Things On My Mind that again mirrors a lot of the thoughts I’ve been having as well over the past few years.
Structure
1. If conforming to structure is hard, maybe I shouldn’t worry about it.
I’ve realized that that the trick isn’t to conform to other’s structure but instead to create your own, as only then will you be happy. Of course, the greater trick is finding out the structure that works for you.
Letting Go
2. I can’t plan the future, so I’ll make it instead and see how it comes out.
Often times I realize that it isn’t so much the need to predict the future but instead just trusting your intuition to going with what "feels" right to you. More often than not, my intuition has made me aware of the things that at the time only "felt" right but I couldn’t "prove" because I often times couldn’t fully explain what I was seeing or understanding, yet again it just "felt" right to me. Later down the road though, the proof that I needed and wanted usually did appear substantiating and making sense of what only "felt" right to me at the time. As the saying goes, all things are revealed in time. Therefore, sometimes it is more important to just start living life instead of continually planning it.
Achieving Balance
3. When I’m off the Internet, am I really fully present in the world?
His statements of going outside and experiencing the world in three dimensions is exactly how I’ve felt. The thing I realized though is that often this happens when I spend too much time inside in front of the computer. Often I’ll think back over the last few days and realize that I actually haven’t gone outside once. This may not seem weird to some people but I’m a person who loves nature and who rejuvenates when immersed within it. Therefore, not going outside, is like cutting off my oxygen supply. As I said, often times I don’t realize it until much later when I starting thinking why do I feel so crappy and cranky. I then think back to what I’ve been doing and slap my forehead to help wake myself up from my stupor. What I find really funny is that so many people are looking for these 3D virtual worlds online, yet the real world outside your window often times can offer you so much more if you just give it a chance.
Points of View
4. Do I really want people to understand me? Or is that a sign that I’m doing the right thing?
Being understood is something that I myself am having troubles with and it is one of my greatest frustrations. However, I do realize why it is occurring. It is simple really. I’m what you would call a "pioneer" or "explorer" (and I’d say Dave fits into this description as well). My intuition lets me see things that others may often not. Some times I actually call it a curse because you feel like a person at the Tower of Babel trying to explain something to someone who just looks at you like you’re a raving lunatic with no sense of reality. The problem is that I actually do see reality quite clearly. The problem is that I seeing glimpses of this new reality that often occurs with paradigm shifts. And of course with paradigm shifts (and as I’ve been repeating over and over again on my site), the future isn’t so much a change of technology but a change of thinking. Often times people won’t see what you’re seeing unless you can give them that one special point of view that lets them see everything as you are seeing it. Again the problem is to figuring out which view is the best view to present to them. I’ve explained some things to some people from many different angles, yet they still don’t grasp what I’m seeing. Therefore sometimes I just decide to shutup and let time reveal things instead (which it eventually does).
The Illusion of Time
5. Is there enough time?
I’m realizing that time is often an illusion. We make our days stressful and fast-paced because we choose to do so. Again this relates to my previous posts relating to distractions. To live in the moment and savour it, you need to let go of those distractions and focus on what you feel is the most important to you. Yes often times this can mean saying no (which is really hard for me) but when you break free, you’ll realize what I mean. It is like I said in an earlier post about looking out my window one day and seeing these white billowing clouds floating through the deep blue sky. For some reason, when I look at this beautiful view, time seemed to stand still and I felt like I could just sit their for eternity. Therefore again, your perception of time is just your point of view. Choose how you wish to perceive it based upon the values and beliefs that are important to you.
Rigidity vs Flexibility
Last but not least I want to throw in a little thing that I’ve realized recently on my own as well. Instead of living your live upon a specific set of rules, instead live it upon your a broader set of principles or beliefs. Why? Because often times rules are very rigid, yet rigidity equal death. We need to be flexibility and adaptive if we want to step into the future as it is everchanging. It is like an explorer who steps out onto the shores of a new world for the first time. All he has with him is what he carries and the knowledge he acquired over the years. Does he turn in fear of the unknown, unsure of what to do if he encounters something new or does it instead step forward ready to see the wonders ahead of him, trusting himself that he’ll be able deal with them as they arise? There are no manuals or rule books for the unknown. You just have take that first leap and trust that you’ll be able to handle whatever you encounter, learning as you go.