I stumbled upon Outside’s Do It Better columns by Brad Stulberg. I read six of his pieces, and I savored every word. I want to be his friend. I wish I had seen it earlier! It’s exciting to find someone you appreciate, isn’t it? To celebrate, I decided to explore his thoughts from the column titled, “The Dark Horse Path to Happiness.”
According to Mr. Stulberg, we must know our core values to decide who and what we want to be. Then practice living those values, even if it means going against societal norms.
What do I love? Words. I know, how strange. Reading and writing has always been my thing. I love observing what may appear to be mundane, but exquisite once described using lyrical imagination. I like watching people grow. I like spending time outdoors when no one else is around. I have insatiable hunger for knowledge. My values? Growing and developing, as well as getting to know more about myself and the world is important to me. I like getting things done and moving on. I hate routines, except self-imposed ones, like doing squats and taking multivitamins every morning. I also hate chaos and so, I put routines in place to reduce mental exhaustion. I operate in the extremes.
Do I practice my values? Somewhat.
Is there room for improvement? Always.
Do I get stuck? Often.
Do I need help to get myself unstuck from time to time? Absolutely.
“In his latest book, “A New Republic of the Heart”, [Terry] Patten writes that life satisfaction is a byproduct of transitioning from being a seeker, or someone who wants a certain lifestyle, to a practitioner, or someone who lives that lifestyle day in and day out. “Practice,” Patten writes, “is about waking up again and again, and choosing to show up in life in alignment with one’s highest intelligence,” or what matters most… whenever you find yourself seeking, or wanting a certain outcome out of life, note what you’re doing and then refocus on practicing your core values. “When it comes, happiness is most often caused indirectly,” writes Patten. It’s the result of repeatedly practicing the actions that work in service of your core values, a lifestyle that compounds with consistency and over time.”
Seeker vs. Practitioner. It’s easy to remember.
As I already mentioned in my previous post, I just signed up for an 8-week writing course to surround myself with like-minded lunatics and drive up personal accountability. Instead of wishing/seeking, I’m on my way to doing/practicing.
I’m excited.