Meditations on God

Winning At Conformity
Conformity is easy.

We need only to do what we are told in order to get ahead.

Conformity is easy, that is, up until the moment that we realize that conformity is also a competition.

Once we come to this realization, we quickly begin to understand that we are in trouble.

We are in trouble if we lose because we are easily replaced by others who are better at conforming than we are.

We are in even more trouble if we win, however.

Why?

The only way to win the conformity competition is to have fewer opinions, to have fewer ideas, and to have less of an identity than our fellow competitors.

Winning at the conformity competition means losing ourselves, our hopes, and our dreams.

But, the fact that we had these to begin with means we are at a disadvantage.

Others who did not are already ahead of us and it will probably be easier for them the whole way through.

So what are we to do?

Do we try to win at a competition that requires us to lose who we are?

Or, do we lose what we have by being beat out by others who are willing to sacrifice more than we are in order to race to the bottom?

Neither of these options seems ideal.

Perhaps we feel like we need something else, something different, or something better, but no one is going to give it to us, at least not unless we are willing to play the conformity game to get it.

But, that puts us right back to where we started.

We have to do something.

We have to make something.

We have to lead the way.
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February 9, 2021

conformity, identity, leadership
The Many Deaths Of Change
A life of depth and meaning requires that we die many times over in order to be reborn as better versions of ourselves.

There will be times in our lives when we realize that the beliefs and behaviors we have used to survive up until this point will take us no further.

They will only hold us back.

They will weigh us down and keep us from fulfilling our potential.

In these moments, we have to choose between life and death, between comfort and risk.

The only risk in staying the same is that we stay the same.

If we do nothing, if we do not change, nothing will change.

If we continue to do what we have always done, we will continue to be who we have always been.

On the other hand, if we acknowledge that we can do better, that we are not who we want to be, and that something must change in order for us to grow and progress, our path will not be easy.

We will have to face our fears and risk failure.

Our old selves will have to die in order for our new selves to be born out of the ashes.

And, with all of this, there is no guarantee that our life will improve.

Just because we change does not mean that the world around us will as well.

In fact, we may experience hostility from those around us for setting a higher standard for ourselves, for demanding more from ourselves, and for not settling for what was once perceived as good enough.

We will, at times, be lonely and afraid as we face the death of our old selves and our old lives.

This is the price we must pay, however, if we want to see what is on the other side of where we are now.

If this seems too high a price to pay, perhaps we have not yet suffered enough.

No one changes because it is the easy thing to do.

We do so because we have no other choice.
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February 8, 2021

change, death, evolution, evolve, life, transcendence, transformation
One Footstep
You do not need to know where you are going in order to make progress.

You need only to take the next step in front of you.

This does not require great foresight or prophetic vision.

It does not even require passion or enthusiasm.

It only requires that you see past where you are to where you want to be, and then have enough courage to do something about it.

Do one thing now to move your life in the direction you desire.

Then, do another.

And, another.

You do not need to know what the finish line looks like.

You only need to know where your next footstep needs to land.
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February 7, 2021

courage, growth, progress
Letting Go of Comfort
We all seek and enjoy comfort.

This luxury is more readily available to us now than it ever has been before.

Of course we like to take advantage of it how and when we can.

Unfortunately, comfort hinders growth.

It makes us lazy and complacent.

It keeps us from striving to be better.

Those things that make us the most comfortable are often the things we must let go of in order to grow and improve.

This is never easy.

Comfort, once attained, is easy.

Overcoming the inertia of comfort, in order to break free of stagnation, is not.

But, if we are to live our lives to their fullest potentials, it is necessary.
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February 6, 2021

comfort, growth, improvement, stagnation
Wasted Inspiration
It is important to look outside of ourselves for inspiration.

It is equally important to look inside of ourselves for effort.

We need to see others being creative, innovative, and successful so that we know that it is possible.

But, this alone will not move us forward.

We have to do something with the inspiration we receive.

We have to apply effort.

We have to use inspiration as fuel for the work that we must, ourselves, do.

Without our own labor applied to the inspiration we have received from others, it was all for nothing.

Inspiration without follow-up is a hollow sentiment, a life lived vicariously instead of actually being lived.

All too often, inspiration is wasted on the inspired.

We must not let this be so with us.

We cannot allow the inspiration we receive to wither and die in our possession.

We must do something with it.

At first, what we do may not, itself, feel inspired or inspiring.

But, it is not up to us to decide.

It is up to us to practice, to put in the time and the effort, and to share the results of that effort with the world so that others may be given the same opportunity we have been given.

This is what it means to do generous work.
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February 5, 2021

action, creativity, effort, generosity, Inspiration, muse, practice, work

Winning At Conformity

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The Many Deaths Of Change

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One Footstep

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Letting Go of Comfort

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Wasted Inspiration

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