Episode 43 - Suffering Well

Whether we want to admit it or not…we live in one of the easiest times in human history. The struggles we face today in the US are different than most of the world and different than most of history. Which means, for most of us, we get to choose what we plan to struggle with. And if we don’t choose, we will find things with less meaning to struggle with. We require struggle like we require sustenance…so what do we choose to struggle with?

Noticed something during a recent workout that sparked a thought. The sooner we learn to suffer well, the better off we will be. Meaning trumps all things…even times of joy. If we begin to understand this and give our suffering meaning…it makes the suffering so much easier to endure.

Bitcoin, Doge, Shiba Inu…we’ve all probably heard these words over the last 6 months but how many of us know what they actually mean? Is crypto the future…or just a gamble?

Should the 4th of July be celebrated by all Americans? Were the sins of early America unique to only America? Was the vision from the founders and the system they created unique the world over?

We are often taught to spread out our risk, but that also means we must spread our potential rewards. There aren’t many areas in our life where we follow this logic…so why do we do it?

With the flaws of our own current system, is it in our best interest to have a “great reset”? Are our systems flawed to the point that replacement is impossible…and if so, what do we replace them with? If the United States is the only large population country with any significant level of diversity…are our battles with racism unique to only us, as we are the rare large country with such a diverse population?

We all want to be better at something. From improving or learning a skill to getting in better shape…we all have aspirations to improve. But often we seek the result, we seek the destination and reward over the journey. But the journey is where we learn and the learning is what allows us to keep the reward.

Quarantine caused a lot of change...change we didn’t plan for, didn’t prep for and didn’t choose. It ripped a lot of things from our hands...we adapted...and we can learn from that. What things could we voluntarily let go of that would serve us better?

Our minds are the most powerful things have. Do we use them to rationalize why we shouldn’t do things...or do we use our minds to solve problems from the things we do?

Stock market madness...minimum wage increase...how can these things be connected? We are living in a new world and the game has changed, so we best change with it.