One thing this left me thinking about is the importance of task selection (and its relationship with personal myth). I think there are relatively few life/career paths that allow for one to embark upon creating/following personal mythology. The “bullshit jobs” phenomenon is real. Ultimately this is where many will struggle in taking the next step; it is definitely where I struggle.
Thanks for the great read, looking forward to the next one.
A genius who panics under pressure is just an exceptionally smart liability. True superiority belongs to the individual who can keep their heart rate low, their vision sharp, and their options open while the room is actively burning down.
The Japanese tea ceremony practice is a good example of bringing will to daily life. I never looked at it this way, but it trains the practitioner to be intentional with how they live. Because the training never stops.
This post greatly reminds me of the french philosopher Simone Weil. Her concept of Attention resonates with what you refer to here as will
« We have to try to cure our faults by attention and not by will. The will only controls a few movements of a few muscles, and these movements are associated with the idea of the change of position of nearby objects. I can will to put my hand flat on the table. If inner purity, inspiration or truth of thought were necessarily associated with attitudes of this kind, they might be the object of will. As this is not the case, we can only beg for them.
The capacity to drive a thought away once and for all is the gateway to eternity. The infinite in an instant. »
You can't imagine how much your article has affected me! In a good way.
Thank you so much for the time you invested in writing it.
Today, perhaps for the first time in a long time, I've been able to see willpower as I've never seen it before. And so, perhaps I'll begin to use it as I've never used it before.
I believe in synchronicity. I've been searching for an answer for a while, and it seems that with your article I've found it.
Thank you so much, and many blessings upon your life.
'...the human individual thus lives usually far within his limits; he possesses power of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum… his life is contracted like the field of vision of a hysteric subject—but with less excuse, for the poor hysteric is diseased, while in the rest of us, it is only an inveterate habit—the habit of inferiority to our full self...'.
Uhm, thank-you, Public Education...for the inferiority-complex condirioning?
Nothing....NOTHING....is more important than committing to writing the ideas, strwam-of-thought, or....the rewrite of that sentence, paragraph, or entire page you had relagated to the subconscious for refinement.
No phone call, no personal message, no email, no other event is more important than the words that for a moment emerge from the subconscious to consciousness.
Those words (in their respective form)--whether the act of writing involves seconds or minutes--will (likely) be lost forever.
(On a [slightly more] realistic note: I have been known to spontaneously write an entire preface....on seperate occasions....to later discover all...or almost all versions....are equally compelling.
I now try to keep the number of rewrites [prefaces] to four.
Whenever I begin to loose focus, I find that playing, 'British Grenadiers fife and drum', returns my focus to pinpoint acuity (Jackboots and Black Shirt, optional).
I got the notification for this and, after reading, this was most likely the most important thing I could have read today.
Thank you.
This really means a lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to read it!
I will certainly be reading more of you
thank you!
First off, looking absolutely jacked.
One thing this left me thinking about is the importance of task selection (and its relationship with personal myth). I think there are relatively few life/career paths that allow for one to embark upon creating/following personal mythology. The “bullshit jobs” phenomenon is real. Ultimately this is where many will struggle in taking the next step; it is definitely where I struggle.
Thanks for the great read, looking forward to the next one.
Will you be going back to the mythology piece for the next one? Just devoured the first two and looking forward to more.
Really enjoyed this series of articles. Thanks and keep up the good work!
A genius who panics under pressure is just an exceptionally smart liability. True superiority belongs to the individual who can keep their heart rate low, their vision sharp, and their options open while the room is actively burning down.
The Japanese tea ceremony practice is a good example of bringing will to daily life. I never looked at it this way, but it trains the practitioner to be intentional with how they live. Because the training never stops.
A truly amazing read. Needed time at my notebook to process all of the ideas I picked up from it. Very grateful for this thank you
This post greatly reminds me of the french philosopher Simone Weil. Her concept of Attention resonates with what you refer to here as will
« We have to try to cure our faults by attention and not by will. The will only controls a few movements of a few muscles, and these movements are associated with the idea of the change of position of nearby objects. I can will to put my hand flat on the table. If inner purity, inspiration or truth of thought were necessarily associated with attitudes of this kind, they might be the object of will. As this is not the case, we can only beg for them.
The capacity to drive a thought away once and for all is the gateway to eternity. The infinite in an instant. »
Always a great joy reading you
Take care of yourself man !
You can't imagine how much your article has affected me! In a good way.
Thank you so much for the time you invested in writing it.
Today, perhaps for the first time in a long time, I've been able to see willpower as I've never seen it before. And so, perhaps I'll begin to use it as I've never used it before.
I believe in synchronicity. I've been searching for an answer for a while, and it seems that with your article I've found it.
Thank you so much, and many blessings upon your life.
'...the human individual thus lives usually far within his limits; he possesses power of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum… his life is contracted like the field of vision of a hysteric subject—but with less excuse, for the poor hysteric is diseased, while in the rest of us, it is only an inveterate habit—the habit of inferiority to our full self...'.
Uhm, thank-you, Public Education...for the inferiority-complex condirioning?
/sarcasm
My 'Personal Myth':
Nothing....NOTHING....is more important than committing to writing the ideas, strwam-of-thought, or....the rewrite of that sentence, paragraph, or entire page you had relagated to the subconscious for refinement.
No phone call, no personal message, no email, no other event is more important than the words that for a moment emerge from the subconscious to consciousness.
Those words (in their respective form)--whether the act of writing involves seconds or minutes--will (likely) be lost forever.
(On a [slightly more] realistic note: I have been known to spontaneously write an entire preface....on seperate occasions....to later discover all...or almost all versions....are equally compelling.
I now try to keep the number of rewrites [prefaces] to four.
/not sarcasm
)
'...passive will is the problem.'
I must ask myself, is there such a thing?
I posit 'passive will' is...no will.
I tried to revitalize the will with a toothbrush mustache, but it just wasn't working.
/sarcasm
Whenever I begin to loose focus, I find that playing, 'British Grenadiers fife and drum', returns my focus to pinpoint acuity (Jackboots and Black Shirt, optional).
/sarcasm
I find living a more care-free life actually empowers one to press onward, to .
I now care A LOT less about anything or anyone.
At present, I limit my focus to designing car coaches, writing, and caring with peerless devotion....for my cat.
/sarcasm
/not sarcasm