Tag: Time

Stuck in the Clouds: On the Danger of Asking Why and How To Overcome Morning Overwhelm

Stuck in the Clouds: On the Danger of Asking Why and How To Overcome Morning Overwhelm

AP2

Hello lovely readers and welcome back to my high-flying newsletter! The only newsletter that believes you shouldn’t peel onions…

Following a 3-2-1 approach, it contains 3 thoughts from me (that you should ignore), 2 quotes from others (that you should read), and 1 joke that’s so bad, it’s good!

Let’s begin!

3 Thoughts:

1) Asking why we are the way we are is like peeling an onion. Under the first layer there might be an important insight. But after that it’s just more onion. You have to be very careful not to keep peeling in a desperate attempt to find some cosmic truth that doesn’t exist. – click to tweet

2) The best way to increase focus is to eliminate distractions. The second best way to increase focus is to compartmentalise your life – to be clear about what you’re suppose to be doing and when. This gives us the best chance to engage in deep work – to harness those coveted flow states.

3)  5 ways to overcome morning overwhelm:

  1. Develop an internal voice that says I can.
  2. Slow things down by meditating.
  3. Lock your phone in a draw.
  4. Remind yourself why you’re doing what you are.
  5. Tackle the most pressing task first.

2 Quotes:

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

— Edward J. Stieglitz

“It is not that we have a short time to live. It is that we waste a lot of it. . . . People are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.”

— Seneca

1 Joke 

If you’re American when you go in the bathroom… and American when you come out, what are you in the bathroom?

European!

For more insightful quotes you should probably ignore you can follow me on twitter here.

You can also sign up for my Stuck in the Clouds newsletter here and receive my free ebook: 66 insights for commanding life. 

The Things That I Will Miss

The Things That I Will Miss

AP2

“The great gift of such periods is that they invite us to question our certitudes, our givens, these seemingly sure foundations that have lulled us into complacency — for it is only by being jolted out of our complacencies, cultural or personal, that we ever reach beyond the horizon, toward new territories of truth, beauty, and flourishing.”

– Maria Popova 

So much of what I’ve heard this year from family and friends has centred around what they miss. The things they took for granted before the pandemic. Wishing and hoping for some return to normality. 

While it’s nice to daydream I believe such thoughts take you away from the present moment. Where you live. Where it’s most important you find things you’re grateful for. 

For that reason I thought I’d turn the topic on it’s head and ask you all what you will miss from this time in your life right now, when this whole pandemic blows over and normality resumes (whatever and whenever that is)?

Allow me to start. 

I will miss the abundance of time I‘ve had with my family this year. I will miss seeing my precious boy grow during such a budding tender age. I will miss the times I’ve spent laughing, playing and being silly. I will miss being able to read him bedtime stories every night. 

I will miss the time spent with my wife. Time that has brought us closer together. I will miss the heartfelt chats every evening before bed. Singing and chatting to her belly, feeling as my second child would wriggle and kick with excitement. A precious gift to bring in the new year. 

I will miss connecting from isolation – long chats with family members and friends from all over the world. I miss the occasional virtual pub quiz.

I will miss the time available to pursue other ventures and pastimes. To read and write copious amounts. Time that has allowed my to both write and publish my first children’s book. Time that has allowed my to start and grow a blog – that has allowed me to connect with so many wonderful likeminded people from all around the world. People who have helped inspire me. Who have challenged me. Who have made me a better person. 

I will miss regular sleep – which for a pilot, I can tell you, is something I never take for granted! I will miss having a stable routine. For having the luxury to take my time and do everything I wish during my days off. 

I will miss the time to myself, the solitude. The time available to meditate at length and be still. To listen deeply. I will miss the way this has helped me gain insights I might never have made otherwise. 

I will miss creating art, playing video games, binge watching NETFLIX and otherwise being a complete slob.

Let me finish by saying how incredibly grateful I am for a year that has challenged me considerably. For a year that has made me wiser and stronger. For a year that has made more integral. For a year that has brought me closer to the values I hold dear.

For a year that has given me something few others have. A much deeper perspective. A much greater resilience. A much deeper love and compassion for both myself and the wider world. 

For a year that has put me in a better position to weather the storm ahead and come out on top. For a year that will make the rest of them that much brighter.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone! I was preoccupied the other day but wanted to take the time to practise some gratitude with you. Out of interest what are some of the things you will miss from this time in your life? If you want to humour me you can tell me some of things you won’t miss as well. Wishing you all the very best. With love, AP2 x