The world we live in is a dynamic, ever-changing place. To consistently be growing in this world, it is required to be dynamic in your thoughts and actions.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Looking back on the times where I struggled (which have been many times), most of the times were the result of poor planning, having analysis paralysis, and failing to consider new information and experiences seriously.
Lately, I’ve tried to be more present in each moment, consider new information and emotions, and decide to add them to my thoughts, or continue on my path.
Change is not always necessary as well. If a certain set of actions are working for you, keep consistent and continue to reap the benefits of your work!
Also, change is very hard, especially if you’ve been successful in the past and are happy with where you are in life.
But, many times, change is essential to get to where you want to go. Whether managing a massive organization, looking to strengthen friendships, or looking to become healthier, there is always new information and perspectives that you can use to improve.
In this post, I will be talking about change, considering new information, avoiding confirmation bias, and growing as an individual.
Small Tweaks and Improvements for Improving Your Life
There are two areas of life which are huge (and possibly surprising) interests of mine: health and relationships (social dynamics).
Over the past 10 years, I’ve been learning more and more about these two different areas of life, and am always adding to my view of why things happen to me, and how I can understand what’s going on.
Let’s talk about health first.
Growing up, I was taught breakfast is the most important meal of the day, eating foods with carbs were important, and processed foods could be a substitute for real foods.
I didn’t challenge these different things until I started to really dive deep into how I respond to different foods and eating habits.
I realized breakfast might not be necessary for everyone, started incorporating more unprocessed foods into my diet, and focused on balancing fat, protein and carbs. I’ve done a 48 hour fast. I do intermittent fasting. I don’t drink alcohol much anymore, and am trying to find a balance between caffeine, sleep and energy.
Something I never realized growing up is how dehydrated I was. I didn’t realize the importance of water, and instead thought pop, milk and juice were fine substitutes.
I’m still learning each and every day about my body and how I respond to different foods.
If I would have stayed with my habits from childhood, I don’t think I would feel as good as I do today. Some days, I feel unstoppable. Even on my bad days, I still am able to push through boundaries to reach my goals.
Still, there is a lot to learn and understand about my body – but it has been extremely worth it to pursue this path.
Breaking Down Boundaries and Expanding Perspective
Relationships and social dynamics are incredibly interesting to me. I’ve always been very observant in social situations, but also am naturally quiet and introverted (and awkward?).
Something very interesting to me is trying to understand masculine and feminine energies. Put simply, masculine energy is about achievement, and feminine energy is about connection.
With these energies, there’s a spectrum of expectations and outcomes within individuals and groups.
Feminine energy is beautiful. Masculine energy is beautiful. There’s nothing wrong with either, but what is interesting is how the two balance each other to create amazing.
These two energies are cultivated in our youth. Not always, but typically, young girls will play with friends and dolls, imagining social situations and cultivating a strong sense of how to navigate these situations through their words and actions.
Young boys on the other hand will engage in rough housing, sports, and competition.
Again, this is not representative of all situations, but throughout history and in my experience, this is typical.
In my experience, when I was young, I focused on accomplishment and achievement. Likewise, now I’m very focused on achieving my goals through adding value to others.
It’s my Personal Truth: I’m able to provide amazing value to others through my work.
Understanding Energy for Success
In my late teens and early twenties, I didn’t know anything about the masculine and feminine energies.
Our society pushes us to believe men and women are equal in every way, and in my opinion, taken at face value, this is destructive and leads to confusion on an individual level.
Men typically will exhibit more masculine energy, and women typically will exhibit more feminine energy. This is natural.
As our society continues to push towards the middle, we remove what makes us strong and powerful.
What I’m saying here is that both men and women are unique, beautiful, and different.
These differences are what allows individuals who exhibit masculine energy and feminine energy to form such great teams in relationships, working spaces, and institutions.
Opposites attract, do they not?
BOTH are necessary, important, and beautiful for success.
I’m someone who has a lot of masculine energy. When I’m focused on my purpose and what I’m shooting for in life, I’m very happy and can attract amazing people into my life.
When I’m outside of my comfort zone, and not living through my masculinity, I tend to struggle. This is a weakness of mine and I don’t always get the results I want.
But, I’m aware of this weakness and am working on connection and being comfortable in this space. It’s a work in progress 🙂
Getting Out of My Head and Growing through New Experiences
In this post, I’ve been talking about a lot of seemingly unrelated things, but there’s a point to all of this.
Analysis paralysis is a huge detriment to many people – and I’ve definitely struggled with it in the past.
Lately, as I mentioned, I’ve been trying to be more present and live in the moment during my interactions.
Getting out of my head and trusting my intuition has lead to some great experiences.
2 years ago, I trusted my gut and did what felt right and ended up in Vegas for a 2nd date. It turned into an amazing year long relationship.
Recently, I’ve been going on dates with a beautiful and smart 34 year old.
I’m 26. If you would have told me that I would have some great experiences with someone 8 years older than me 1 or 2 years ago, I would have been skeptical and thought you were crazy.
But, instead, through trusting my intuition and doing what feels right to me, it’s lead to happiness, connection and joy.
I’ve learned age is just a number. People have different maturities at different points in their life. A 40 year old can act like a teenager. A 20 year old can act like a 35 year old. It’s a spectrum, where do you want to fall?
Over the last few years, I’ve learned that getting out of my head and trying new things has lead to so many great lessons.
Sitting on my couch and watching TV or playing video games rarely has lead to memorable times. Getting out in the world and growing through new experiences has been much more powerful.
Change is possible if you want it.
Pushing Your Boundaries and Expanding Your Personal Truth
In this post, I’ve been talking a lot about my experience. Now, it’s your turn.
As I’ve discussed in the last couple of posts, authentically living your Personal Truth is powerful and can lead to some great results.
Your Personal Truth can always be ever changing and dynamic. This year, in 5 years, and in 10 years, your Personal Truth will likely be slightly different depending on your career, relationships and financial situation.
With this in mind, recognizing bias is important for staying current and on the path for success. Avoiding confirmation and recency bias is very important for growth – two biases which I try to keep in mind while researching and shaping my thoughts.
When you are on the side of the majority, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and look from the other side. If you are able to look from both sides, you are already in a better spot than the majority and will be thinking critically and making more informed decisions.
My hope through this post is that you can push through some of your analysis paralysis and grow in your life.
Embracing my Personal Truth, tweaking over time, and looking to lead a happy and fulfilling life is what I’m looking to do with my life, and it’s something I want for you as well.
I’m very excited for the next few months. In this abundant world, there is so much opportunity for you, me and all of our friends.
Thank you for reading!
Erik