On Points of Ubiquity | Something Needs to Change

Red at night, sailor's delight

Most of my inner circle will tell you, I don't wait long to change something when I notice that it needs to change. It could be a painting. It could be my exercise routine. It could be the way I'm communicating with someone, or myself. It could be something in the business. If it needs to change, I generally invest a massive amount of thought and energy in observing and understanding the issue and then I make a change -- any change.

This has many pain points to it. It is part of a seeking pattern I employ when I'm trying to manage the unknown. My brain believes that if I make sudden changes, then maybe I will find the thing I'm looking for -- which right now is stability in my clinical practice. I am very fortunate and I am not suffering any more than I choose to suffer. That's poesy for my bills are paid. But I long to have enough stability that I can take a day or a week off without financial terror.

For all of you out there who are saying, 'trust the process, Slade, and take the day off'. Please remember that sometimes that is not an option. Not for anxiety sake. It is not an option because if you don't work, you don't get paid. My bills are paid, that's it for now. Being self-employed makes the economical concept 'There's no such thing as a free lunch' very real. Like many hard working men and women out there, I pay for everything I enjoy, including a day off.

The next turn in my entry, might feel a little disjointed, but stick with me and I'll make it make sense. Last night, after making my obligatory offering to the algorithm, I scrolled for a bit and thought: When did having a podcast, and a book, and a class become prerequisites for being an entrepreneur? Marketing has always been important since the beginning of commerce, but at the turn of the 20th century the product had to actually measure up with the hype. It is the same today, except in our knowledge based economy we aren't trying out the latest washing machine from Sears, we are listening and being persuaded to think or feel a certain way. And not just about concepts or politics, but more crucially, how we think and feel about ourselves.

The half naked men selling their bodies as much as their fitness routine muddy the mind and make loving a healthy though not 0% body fat body almost impossible. The entrepreneur who callously diminishes slow growth overtime, promoting the 'anyone can and should be a millionaire if you only work hard enough and it's just 12 short months away' confuses the young adult who could be content with their first job, where they will learn important skills that could eventually lead to a very full life, whether or not they die in the top 1% of income earners.

Yes, I'm here, too, sharing out. But I don't want to speak at you. I would rather learn from you. And maybe, while we are learning, we could work together to make really cool things happen.

Time requires me to cut to the chase. What am I changing now? That's the carrot I left you with at the start of today's entry. For one, I'm changing the title of my journal. It is a reference to a group of sparrows. A group of sparrows is called a Ubiquity. Ubiquity means: presence everywhere.

This journal is not a one size fits all solution to your problems or mine. It is a place of questioning, being present, inviting you to join in the thinking, challenging poor behavior, celebrating celebrations, pondering deeply, and making the appropriate changes based on your own values, not mine. It is a place of ubiquity, and if we are better because of this journal, let it be because something about it spoke to something simple and pure inside of your heart and mind. Not because I'm an expert and I have something you only need to pay $9.99 to get.

I am also changing tact on my 'passion project'. I have ideas, and I will share them appropriately, but maybe not here. Here we will save for stillness. Here we will save for honesty without guile. I do not think I can share authentically and tell you about my 'latest product'. Maybe that is a waste of an audience, but you are not my audience. You are not my demographic. You are not my customers. I hope you will be my friends.

Until next week,

Slade