i'm better than you.

status games. some people spend a lifetime getting over the need to compete on this Hedonic treadmill. i think it's a rather painful way to exist, and certainly no way to live. and yet, so much of what we do in our professional lives, our love lives, and even our inner lives (that voice with whom you conspire when you think no one's listening), is driven by this primal need to COMPETE with the people around us as we hurtle towards some collective and ephemeral projection of SUCCESS. and, for what?

what's that all about? and, is there a way out? i'm still working on trying to understand the potential answer to the former. but, i'm convinced the answer to latter question, is a resounding "yes!" i think i've managed to escape the vortex for now, but i know it's not a one-and-done battle. in fact, i'm finding that it's a daily, and even hourly practice. the goal is to remove one's self from the game, because the game, at its core, is an illusion. the game will keep you running at 100mph forever, in no particular direction. how perverse. the game will leave you feeling empty, unseen and tired. the game is not your friend, because the game has no friends - no loyalties whatsoever. it exists to consume you, until you're spent. the only way to beat the game is to withdraw from it.

here's something to hold onto:

* figure out what you love. when you earn all that money from your next startup, or get that incredible promotion to the top of your company, how are you going to spend all of that money, time, and power you earned? in the honest answer to that, lies the entry path to your exit from the game. spark notes: you probably don't need all/any of the money/power/respect you think you need to access those things you LOVE. get creative; you'll save yourself some heartache, disappointment and TIME. for me, i LOVE Chinese food, watching and producing documentaries, creating/"producing" companies, connecting super-aligned people, and belly laughing with my wife and my brother. turns out i'm blessed to be able to access and do all of those things without being a billionaire. try telling my old self that LOL.

*surround yourself with people that encourage you to take risks towards personal discovery. so many people live scared. you don't have to make them feel ashamed of that, but you certainly shouldn't join them. life is far too short to waste anytime in that mental cul-de-sac. be decided in spending more time with your friends who are challenging themselves to expand their consciousness (and level of empathy and self-understanding), build things that matter to them, and thinking about small and big ideas in interesting and articulable ways. ask these people to hold you accountable on your journey. riff with these people. whiteboard and argue over take-out (or good home-cooked meals) and bourbon. support these people as they reach their goals (big and small). ask them for help and advice and a hug when you feel discouraged or scared. make these people your chosen community. the doubters and skeptics will follow eventually, when it's "safe." the compound interest accrued on the time spent with these kind of people is staggering, and even better, you get to actually enjoy the value as you go along. what a cool asset!

*design your life for you. once you better understand yourself and what it is you love. the next step is try and understand the actual barriers (versus perceived, but unreal) that stand between you and a life that allows you to indulge your deepest and most natural affinities. it then becomes a purposeful challenge to remove those barriers as quickly and deliberately as you can, until you have a life that is pleasing to you and fruitful (spiritually, socially, economically, etc.). don't let shame creep in here. that voice in your head from the game is going to tell you that should be able to get this destination - your ideal life design - more quickly than you are. it's going to try to lead you to compare your rate of progression with that of your friends and frenemies. tell the voice where to shove it. the life design game has a circular path, so it's not a race. there is no winner. you can't win. to be alive, and present in your purpose is the divine victory. and guess what, the first place prize goes to everyone.

p.s. ~ i love to write in abstractions sometimes because it gives me permission to be vague. it also allows me to discover meaning in my own writing after the fact, sifting through word vapor, betraying deeper notions often bubbling below the surface in my subconscious waters.

term of the day: obsequious | it's just not a good look. anyone who makes you feel that this version of yourself is a ticket to their affection, doesn't deserve your affection.

song of the day: 2009 by Mac Miller. RIP Mac Miller. i have so much respect for this next-level artist and human-being. go learn about him and how he treated and invested in the people around him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLb23bTgg3GgWKc53aZ-GAhED0G6iA9T-_&v=nHc_7yeiLvc

also, my schedule for today:

-Daily Prayer Time and Meditation Practice

-ShareThing Team 1-on-1s

-Executive Coaching Session

-Pay ShareThing Legal Bills

-Black Founder Hour Creative Session

-Limited Partner Meeting (Ikoyi Capital)

-JP Morgan Meeting (OnyxTV)

-ShareThing Founders Meeting

-Family Night