My friend Dre shares his very personal story that began in the poorest neighborhoods in Oakland. He still works in that area but now has a much different life. The streets have taught him principles he still uses and applies. He is a successful entrepreneur and in this first part of the interview, we meet Dre at his Barbershop where he talks about his journey. The lessons from his life can serve us today as we are trying to adjust to change and adversity.
Just as if a long-term relationship just ended, I have a hard time accepting my new reality. Yet, I realized that this is exactly what I need to do in order to move forward. Wishing for my old life to return keeps me hanging on to a past that will not come back. Without accepting, I can’t move forward. And most importantly, I will miss the opportunity that lies in this moment.
It may feel as though we are a victim in this current pandemic because so much is out of our hands. Stuck at home, all we can do is worry and wait. The Stoics would disagree. Worry is an unproductive emotion that only hinders how we show up for ourselves and others every day. Lets go over some of the ancient Stoic advise and apply it. We can control more than we think.
Our worries take us into the future. While worrying, we miss the beauty of the current moment. Right now, right here, our worries haven’t yet materialized. While the world definitely is NOT ok at the moment, we can find small joys in every day. Lets focus on those.
Breathing well is the most basic form of self care that we can all do in these challenging times. Worry and stress can cause us to hold our breath more than we realize. Combine your conscious inhales with conscious thoughts of peace. What you breathe is also what you breathe out. By taking in more peace, more love will be able to emerge.
Especially in difficult situations, we like to find someone to blame. We are in a pandemic, and yes, its easy to look east and just blame a country or a group of people. But that does not help us get out of the situation we are in. We are in this together. We are all connected. We are all part of the problem and the solution. Its our opportunity to contribute to this solution.
In this uncertain time, we look for any signal from the outside that can give us some peace. We read news, hoping it will get better. Sadly, there are very few lights at the end of what appears to be a long tunnel. We cannot find peace on the outside – peace always come from within. And when we find it within us, we can then carry it outward.
During these challenging times, where we all try to make sense of our life, Monk has a message for us. Its about coming home, not just physically, as we are all forced to do right now, but also in our heart. Come home to yourself, sit with yourself, and in the stillness, discover yourself. Your strength, your wisdom, and love for yourself and the world – its all within you. Allow Monk to teach to you a very critical lesson that can decide how you will overcome the current obstacle.
Every day these days I wake up feeling like its a brand new day. In absence of my regular routine, my plans and my appointments, I need to gather strength and courage to get my days moving along in a productive way. But I can also look at it as a new opportunity to do something different. To use the time I have in a new way. To change my approach, and come out of my routine-driven thinking and think in different, more creative ways.
Does it seem challenging to find an inner connection with ourselves? Our world can be noisy, overwhelming and distracting.
Yet, the direction for our life comes from within us.
The Quest For You Podcast is my mission to help you discover who you are. I will help you challenge yourself through daily guidance, motivation and inspiration. I want to help you find your direction.
