The Graffiti Machine

Most have probably seen that illustration of the guy walking away from digging, with diamonds just inches away. He gave up just before hitting it big. The idea of pushing forward versus quitting can be complicated. "Never give up" is not a be-all-end-all.   There could easily be another version of this illustration showing miles of rock with no diamonds at all. He could dig for the rest of his life and never accomplish anything. Maybe the idea of never quitting is more about not giving up on something you believe in just because it's hard.   Even then, you could decide to never quit and dig the wrong hole forever. How do we know when to keep going or quit?   This podcast is also available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

Sometimes, it may feel like the way we feel at any given time defines who we are. Statements like "I'm an anxious person" or "I'm a stressed-out guy" do not capture our whole reality. Instead of thinking of ourselves as these things, we should realize that they are just moments. We are not inherently anxious or stressed-out people; we experience anxiety and stress, as well as other low-frequency states. Remember that we also exist in high-frequency states, like happiness.   This podcast is also on YouTube if you're interested in checking that out. https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

Sometimes it takes just one more effort for everything to change. Many people have experienced struggles, only to have one moment, meeting, phone call, or social media post transform their lives. With this in mind, the more attempts you make, the greater your chances for success. It might be the thousandth try that succeeds, but it took the 999 failures or misses to get there. These episodes along with other content are now on YouTube if you want to check out video versions. https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

I've been super stressed out over the last month or so. Business is weird and there are a great deal more complexities than I'm used to. This started to lead to a bit of paralysis on my part. I was working all day, but not really getting much done.   There are certain things I've known I need to be doing, but haven't been doing them due to overthinking. Today, I just started taking aggressive action on those things. The more I did, the more momentum I built up. The more momentum I built, the lower my stress levels became.   My mind cleared and the path forward was revealed. Shit's still crazy, but as of right now, I know what I need to do. Every day, stay focused and continue to take massive action and I will win. The actions are different for everyone, but starting and being aggressive about moving forward will generate the momentum you need to clear the path.   If you want to see the video version of this show, it's now on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

I've been thinking about how our thought patterns can become addicting. Just like a thermostat keeps your house at a set temperature, your brain can maintain a baseline of negative thoughts if that's what it's used to. Can we reprogram our brains for positive thinking? I believe so. Negative thoughts release chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol, which can be addicting. So why not create the habit of thinking positive? It's easier said than done, but it's definitely doable.   Link to the breathing exercise I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZKIupBUuc   This podcast is now in video format as well. Check out the YouTube channel if you'd be interested in that. https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

An interesting section of the book How to Win Friends and Influence People discusses the value of being comfortable with the possibility of being wrong. Even if you 'know' you're right, starting a sentence with "I may be wrong, but this is how I see it" seems to be a much better way to have a conversation.   I put 'know' in quotes because even if you feel very strongly about being right, it's hard to really know for sure. One thing that comes to mind is the viral photo of a dress that circulated some years back. You may have seen it. It's a striped dress that stirred up a lot of arguments because people were roughly divided in half on what colors the stripes were: black and blue, or white and gold?   There are other examples of these visual and auditory phenomena where two people can see and hear completely different things. Can't the same be said about our perception of information we receive? It's possible for two people to perceive the same information in completely different ways, so it's hard to definitively say who is right.   Being okay with being wrong demonstrates humility and—in my opinion—can turn many conversations into learning opportunities rather than arguments.   This is a little longer than usual, but I wanted to end this with a quote from Socrates “All I Know Is That I Know Nothing” -- These podcasts (starting with this episode) also now have video. If you want to check out the episodes with video, check them out on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@busmsk

I'm going to start doing interviews with graffiti writers and have a question for you. Would you like to see/hear this kind of content on this show, or would you prefer it just stays the way it is? Right now, what I'm thinking is, I'll start releasing two episodes per week. One personal development style like we've been doing, and one graffiti interview style episode.   Would love your feedback. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @bus166, or if you're seeing this on YouTube, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. I appreciate all of your support over the years and am trying to find ways to make this project better than ever.

There's a part of your brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). It acts as a sort of filter. If you think about something a lot, the RAS will show you more of it. For example, if you want to buy a certain car, you might start seeing that car everywhere.   If you regularly think negative thoughts, your RAS may reveal more negativity that you might not have noticed otherwise. On the other hand, thinking more positive thoughts, like the goals you want to accomplish, can program your RAS to help reveal steps and ideas to move you toward those goals.   What are you programming your reticular activating system to show you?

It's easy to put so much pressure on ourselves when trying to get something perfect. Sometimes the desire to get something exactly right can lead to not finishing at all. Sometimes striving for finished is better than striving for perfection. Don't half-ass it, but get it done.

If we want things to get better, whether that is in our community, family, or even the world, it starts with improving ourselves. It may not seem like making ourselves better will help anything, but you never know who's watching.   No matter who you are, it's likely that you improving yourself will influence another to do the same. That person improving can influence others. Who knows what kind of chain reaction that can cause?