Last week I came across this tweet while preparing to write this piece.
There is a lot of lessons to draw from here.
You can always learn something new from Ryan Holiday. Over the course of this decade, he has been a guiding spirit for millions of professionals, blending ancient wisdom with modern expertise for living a meaningful and productive life.
And yet, I still see a lot of people wallowing in ignorance. Yes I am talking to you my friend. You with so much ambition and drive.
So much to still do. So much to yet accomplish.
This path that I am about to share is for the people who are prepared for a life of perpetual discipline, learning, and apprenticeship. Below are some of the recent discoveries that I have found about contemporary culture and how to escape the competition that is consuming those striving for more.
You can always learn more when you subscribe to the newsletter. Each month I will send you the best recommendations to make the most from my content. No fluff. No buzz. Just the best.
Subscribe here for the latest resources, tools, and more.
Freedom is the real success
|
4:41 AM • Sep 10, 2020
3587 |
Retweets |
20322 |
Likes |
|
|
Now this is what I call a truth seeker.
Naval’s tweets can make you feel that we are at a point where people have complete freedom over who and how they work. Work in this sense simply means expressing your talents and interests without the corporate barriers.
Competition plays a role here. Often what blinds us from the creative opportunities in our work is the need for approval. This goes beyond seeking titles and honours. It is rooted in our mental survival.
You could argue that competition leads to innovation. You could argue that competition is an opportunity for learning and experimentation.
Perhaps that is true. But you could also argue that competition turns you into a barbarian. It’s nature puts you at odds with your most primal instincts. We are still monkeys fighting in the savannah and chasing fireflies.
The only real competition is the one with yourself. Every time you are stepping to the arena, you are working to tame those primal thoughts that consume you like a Roman flame.
Of course most of what we are talking here depends on context. Success is not found in praise and recognition. Success is found in becoming free from your own passions, desires, urges, and instincts.
This is not going to be easy. For most of us this is going to be the hardest challenge we ever embark on.
What I propose is that you make a bet with yourself and commit to a short period of intensive rediscovery. Get clear on what drives you. Then you can slowly work to add some reasoning and logic behind the ambition.
30 days to reset your life
The only way to actually succeed at the game is to become free from it.
You need to rebel against everything and everyone pushing you into a power vacuum. You need to get back to principles and foundations. You need a reset.
Give yourself a month. 30 days of pure learning, reflecting, and building.
For those who have already joined the newsletter, you can expect some recommendations to guide this 30 day reset period:
- Find your meaning of work
- Become a perpetual student
- Pursue your interests and talents
- Embrace authenticity
When you are ready, you can subscribe here.
And that is everything on this one.
Thank you for reading.
-Michael
