Guiding nonconformist overachievers navigating midlife burnout and crisis, seeking peace, purpose, and a renewed sense of direction. If you wish to receive my emails, subscribe below...
When a person is forced to ask this question [almost everybody is]
What am I doing with my life?When a person is forced to ask this question, they usually feel they have only two choices: One, abandon their current pursuits which they no longer resonate with ...but fear that if they do, they'll no longer desire and achieve like before In other words, they feel they'll resign from life (as they know it 😉) Or Two, they turn a blind eye to the question and stay out of alignment by continuing with their current pursuits ...of goals and aspirations they no longer feel are true for them. These legitimately feel like the only two choices. But there's a third choice: Both... Step into new values and priorities while continuing to pursue intentions resonant with who they are becoming. Looking at the third perspective (choice) from the level of the previous two perspectives, it's almost impossible to feel good about this third prospect. It takes courage to try it on. Once accepted, imagining the earlier two perspectives (choices) feels impossible. And there's no going back. Look, I will not get tired of repeating… Sitting with and figuring out the big questions of existence is the main work we are here to do. All the other goals and pursuits we are on are the means through which we create the opportunities to get to these questions… ...and answer only some of them. (because some aren’t meant to be answered… only asked) This one thing I learned in the 50 years of being around changed everything..Life doesn't get more palatable and enjoyable from reading books or taking courses. Life gets more palatable from the slow and painful accumulation of insights... Insights about the big questions always resting in the background of our existence... Why am I here? Where do these insights come from? From navigating personal challenges and adversity (These insights are called "wisdom") The point is... What you consciously don't want in life is exactly what makes life more palatable. Favorite quote...“Life is a banquet. And the tragedy is most people are starving to death.” ~ Anthony De Mello Unpack this 📦 in your spare time 🙂 Joy-full Sunday 💚 Ivan PS: If you want my help implementing any of the concepts and ideas I share here, go to IvanNikolov.com/chat. Here are other ways I can help. IvanNikolov.com | Elev8 Tribe | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook |
Ivan Nikolov
Guiding nonconformist overachievers navigating midlife burnout and crisis, seeking peace, purpose, and a renewed sense of direction. If you wish to receive my emails, subscribe below...
Reader, I've made a decision... This is the last email I am sending to you. Here's why: My KPI these days is: Sense of satisfaction per unit of time (usually minutes) Honestly, I am no longer getting enough sense of satisfaction/fulfillment from crafting these emails every Sunday. Every week, I feel like I'm screaming into an empty, bottomless well. What I put together might be of value to some (and maybe to you). But I don't know about it. These days, I get far more fulfillment and...
Reader, This is the most depressing question. Or is it? Could it be ultimately the most liberating? I'll argue that it is. Two years ago, I had a coaching call with someone I know well. At that point, I would have qualified him as an ambitious overachiever. Not only did he have huge ambitions. He also had huge standards for himself. If he didn't achieve according to his standards, he'd be hard on himself. As usual, his standards arose from witnessing other overachievers crush big goals....
Life is not all roses, unicorns 🦄 and bubblegum. Struggle (challenges, adversity, hardship) is a part of life. Struggle is unavoidable. On the other hand, suffering is entirely optional. We humans suffer for these five reasons: 1 - We want something we DON'T have - and we suffer 2 - We want something, we DO get it, and fail to feel satisfied or complete - and we suffer 3 - We have something we DON'T want - and we suffer 4 - We fear getting something we DON'T want - and we suffer 5 - We suffer...