A Panda's Journey
“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
– Aristotle
Where are you going?
What’s the rush?
Sometimes a sense of urgency is necessary, and sometimes it’s not.
And sometimes we’re all so busy rushing around that we forget the joy in this moment.
Take a deep breath.
Be here, now.
And from here, you can go anywhere.
“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu
What dream do you have?
Are you taking actions towards your dream?
What is one thing you can do today to begin turning dreams into reality?
It won’t happen overnight, but it won’t happen until you first have the dream.
“How will you serve the world? What do they need that your talent can provide? That’s all you have to figure out.”
– Jim Carrey
You have something the world not only wants, but needs.
If you haven’t found it yet, keep going, knowing that it is near.
It’s sometimes just around the corner.
When I landed an editorial internship with Ryan Holiday in 2018, I felt like I made it. Fame and wealth were on the way!
At the time, I felt like I had accomplished what was necessary and was on my way to the top. What I didn’t know at the time was the heroic responsibility that comes with this type of work, and I momentarily lost sight of my purpose.
What I learned is that the life-changing writing work we do as authors, writers, transformers, and creators is why we do it.
It’s not about getting famous and wealthy. It’s truly not.
It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves and creating work that helps others do the same. The fame and wealth, if meant to be, are by-products.
Now, as you adventure toward your purpose, your why, here are four things I learned while interning with Ryan Holiday that may serve as guides.
This article was first published on the Collective World website.
“If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there”
― Lewis Carroll
Alice wandered around wonderland for awhile, not knowing where she was going. She experienced extraordinary wonders beyond belief, but she didn’t know what they all meant.
She didn’t know where she was going – she didn’t have a planned destination, so that is exactly what she experienced in wonderland.
Once you realize your dream, keep them with you. Your dreams are roadmaps on route to your destination, and they are yours for a reason.
Believe in your dreams, and watch them come true.
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
—Ernest Hemingway
Personally, I’m just thinking about whether to break from writing every day to writing once a week – or something like that.
But in relation to the Hemingway quote, yes, the world breaks us all.
“Life is suffering” said Buddha.
& it’s true. Life hurts. We all go through it. Your pain is valid.
The question is, where will you go from here?
What did you learn from your pain?
What are you still learning from it?
We are never too old to learn something new.
An old dog can learn new tricks.
It’s a matter of patience, persistence, and humility, to name a few, but the list goes on.
The gossip.
The news.
The futile words that don’t get you anywhere.
So then, where should you focus?
Culture wants you to conform.
It wants you to blindly obey.
But you were born to be free.
You were born with a mind to think for yourself.
This is extremely difficult in societies that aggressively attack non-conformists.
“For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
This choice is yours.
And yes, if you choose to think for yourself you will lose friends. Some family members may disown you. But what you will find in this process is the truth.
You will find genuine support from the few who are living their truths as well.
It is a risk, but it is a risk worth taking, and a risk that might possibly save the world.
“Rest and be kind, you don’t have to prove anything.”
—Jack Kerouac
Those words – rest & be kind, are some of the most important words in the human language.
Rest & be kind.
I’ll leave it there.
With Ken Thompson 