168 hours have passed. Our lives are 168 hours shorter, what have we done, changed, or achieved? In what way did we grow? Stronger? Happier? Or Wiser?
I planned for this newsletter to be sort of an update, a weekly review of what's on in my world in the past 168 hours– hence the name. But it turned out the last time I posted this update was in week 19, and now? It's week 30.
One can only imagine what has happened to time, my life, and the stars. So much happening so quickly but it feels as if not much had changed.
5 themes I immersed in this week.
In fact, the only theme that swept me off my feet in these past few weeks was–
Disruption.
- First, I went to a 10-day Vipassana meditation after a month's pause due to family duty. It took me a while before I could get back into the work momentum to begin my day-to-day life in the same manner again after almost two months of no proper work routine. I did write one article though after I got back from the meditation, in case you're considering going, read it here first so you'll find your first time less intimidating.
- Then there was the uncertainty of the future regarding a career path that re-entered my life again, and it kept me waiting high and dry– yet again. I thought the opportunity might happen, I really did but I realized that if it was meant to happen, it would have happened already. I then came to a decision to stop waiting and come back to focus on my writing again.
This disruption has caused me a great deal of my precious time and energy, but that's the price I had to pay for placing a high bet on trust– and trust alone. This took me a while to accept, sit with, and learn from it, and it brought me to one thing I always return to when shit like this happens. And that is, mental fortitude is the only thing that will get me out of the grave I dug for myself. - Then I went back home to Thailand for about a week. Reconnecting with some of my family members for the first time after the COVID rush in 2020, made me think of re-publish this article again. This is one of the first few articles I posted when I started on this website last year because it is the importance of the basics, the beginning point of getting to know who we are. I wrote it to reconfirm what I know, and hopefully, it will shed some light or bring your attention to the subject when you feel that the time to actualize your true Self has come. Read it here
- On this trip, as I conversed with my forty-ish siblings and friends, a profound desire emerged within me. I felt so strongly that this was the time to begin compiling all of the knowledge and experiences I have gathered on the subject of guiding our souls through liminality. Midlife as we may have heard of, but not in the context of crisis. My hope is to present it in the context of the esteemed teaching of Depth Psychology by Carl Jung as readily comprehensible as possible to folks like ourselves who do not have a degree in psychology. Read it here
- And of course, coming hand in hand with a long pause of being away from work is a disruption in the day-to-day routine. At times it feels almost like I have to start over again, learning how to schedule my day, and prioritizing what I need to do– all again! And here is the reminder I wrote for myself to master the art of showing up in the smallest way. Read it here
We need strength to push through while maintaining sanity, and to feel proud every time when we fight the force that pulls us down when the world gets bloody cloudy from outside in.
2 of this week's theme quotes.
"As we live our lives, we find ourselves confronted with a brute fact about how little we can know about our futures—just when it is most important to us that we do know. For many big life choices, we only learn what we need to know after we've done it, and we change ourselves in the process of doing it. I'll argue that, in the end, the best response to this situation is to choose based on whether we want to discover who we'll become." ― L.A. Paul, Transformative Experience.
“goal-directed self-imposed delay of gratification" is perhaps the essence of emotional self-regulation: the ability to deny impulse in the service of a goal, whether it be building a business, solving an algebraic equation, or pursuing the Stanley Cup. His finding underscores the role of emotional intelligence as a meta-ability, determining how well or how poorly people are able to use their other mental capacities.”― Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence.
1 self-reminder.
If it's not a good day, at least, how much good can I get out of today?
And what do I need to do?
Well, do that.
Hope you all have a great week.
