Brilliance in drought

How brilliant are you at what you do?

How well do others understand this?

How well are you communicating?

How complex is the topic?

Often, the best people have little work.

And the mediocre have full books.

Brilliance can easily suffer a drought.

Excelling is complex like a habitat.

Yet all it needs is a lack of one thing to kill it.

A drought will kill any ecosystem.

The allure of opportunity

How easily do opportunities sidetrack you?

When does the allure of them strike strongest?

How often are they worth pursuing?

What are the consequences when not?

Opportunities often lure us off our path.

Like that mushroom in the forest, by the path.

Sometimes, they are worth the detour.

Often, they simply are a distraction.

Sometimes, they might also define your path.

Are you sure of your destination?

How easily do opportunities sidetrack you?

When does the allure of them strike strongest?

How often are they worth pursuing?

What are the consequences when not?

Opportunities often lure us off our path.

Like that mushroom in the forest, by the path.

Sometimes, they are worth the detour.

Often, they simply are a distraction.

Sometimes, they might also define your path.

Are you sure of your destination?

How much does your mood swing?

How strong do other people swing?

Why do these swings occur?

What else in life is like a pendulum?

Life is a pendulum.

People are a pendulum.

One day we may be on a high,

the next we experience a low.

Don't fret the pendulum,

for it swings forth and back.

For you, for me, for them, for everyone.

How much effort do you spend on your home?

How well can you relax at home?

How well can you cook at home?

How well can you sleep at home?

Our home is where we spend the most time.

Yet, many of us do not optimize it.

Yet, optimizing it is easy.

A good bed, good curtains, a good kitchen, etc.

Do you want to be at your best?

Whom could you forgive?

How terrible is the deed?

Why might you be inclined to forgive?

How often do you forget as well?

What is the consequence of this?

Forgiving people is pure bliss.

Yet. never forget.

Forgetting leads to repeat offences.

Often, the ones we need to forgive the most,

are the ones that will not change.

Where were you born?

In which country?

Into which family?

With which physical features?

If you read this, you probably won life's Lottery.

Not many of us win in all categories.

Yet, if you are born in the developed world,

you have a huge head start.

If you have a nice family, little can rattle you.

If your appearance is appealing, you will be adored.

Don't squander what the universe has given you.

Which problems are you solving right now?

Why are you solving these problems?

Are they your problems?

If not, what do you get out of it?

Often, we have problems pushed onto us.

These are not our responsibilities.

Nor do we suffer consequences from them.

We let this happen for many reasons,

we want to help,

we feel responsible,

we can't say no,

etc.

Make sure you have a good reason.

What happens when you truly relax?

When do you tend to get your best ideas?

Do you do this enough?

Do you relax enough?

When we relax we tend to have ideas.

While we shower,

While we meditate,

While we have a massage,

While we watch a sunset,

Etc.

To remove your problems you need solutions.

Solutions come through ideas.

Therefore, relax more often.

Where do you practice abstinence?

Why do you practice it?

Where else could you practice it?

Why do you still stick to these habits?

Most of us practice abstinence somewhere.

Alcohol is just one substance where you can do it.

It can also apply to activities, thoughts, and people.

With Abstinence you choose the long-term over the short-term.

You choose development over pleasure.

You choose health over toxicity.

Do you tend to ask for things?

How do you react to what you are served?

How easily do you accept without complaint?

Why not ask for a change politely?

We often are dealt things in life, we do not like.

Many of us accept what we are given without question.

Everyone has different tastes, so ask for a change.

The worst that can happen, is that it is not possible.

Euphoria or Dysphoria,

Which is your modus operandi?

Do you go from one extreme to the other?

With which one do you tend to lead?

We will often be initially excited,

and then end up in catastrophic thoughts.

Or the other way around.

We might obsess about what can go wrong,

to jump into excitement at the first good news.

Look for the golden middle and stay settled.

Only then will neither good nor bad news sway you.

How flexible can you be?

How important are plans for you?

How well do you follow plans?

How well do you react to change?

Change is all around us.

Change will affect us and our plans.

How much are your plans at change's mercy?

We control little of what happens.

Be ready to change plans when needed.

Not every change warrants a change of plan.

What could happen, that is a matter of time?

Which things are you ignoring right now?

What is bound to happen due to that?

Which things in life are inevitable?

Many things in life are just a matter of time.

We can do nothing about some of these.

Many events however we can anticipate.

And some are within our control to prevent.

So what is there you can prevent?

What do you need to do?

How do you react to political opinions?

How do you react when they are extreme?

How does this impact your opinion of a person?

How important is politics to you?

Different opinions are nothing unusual.

How different they are can matter.

It is hard to accept people with extreme views.

Especially, when they are close: family, friends, or colleagues.

Sometimes it is a reason to distance yourself.

Often, it is better to agree to disagree.

How much is age difference a problem for you?

How do the opinions of people older or younger than you differ?

How much does this differ with the age difference?

How do you deal with the issue?

The higher the age difference, the more we may struggle.

Times change, and opinions often do not.

You can easily fall into this trap too.

Remember how you felt with your elders.

This is how the younger might feel about you.

Can you adapt your opinion to changing times?

How much do you help others?

How much resources can you afford?

Do you tend to give too much?

How do you tend to feel afterward?

We often exploit ourselves.

We listen more than we want.

We spend more time than we should.

We spend more money than is wise.

This leaves us exhausted.

Sustainable help comes from wise allocation.

Which hardships are recurring?

For you and for others?

Whom can you help with your experience?

Who can help you with theirs?

The same hardships repeat around us.

If we pay attention we can,

prepare for when it strikes us,

help others after we experienced it.

Helping with your experience is fulfilling.

What do you remember?

Do you remember all your good deeds?

Do you remember all your bad deeds?

How do you remember your deeds in general?

Our memories are faulty.

Influenced by biases, past experiences and whatnot.

Many of our deeds we will forget.

However, others will remember, for better and for worse.

Apologize where and when necessary.

Accept gratitude where and when appropriate.

Who might surprise you?

What would you least expect from someone?

How do you expect them to behave?

What might they be hiding?

We usually missinterpret people.

This is why we often get surprised.

In both the negative and positive.

Play the game of audacious imagining.

And more often you might find a golden nugget.