Condensing Time

Great Morning Y'all!

Today I want to share an idea that has been coming to me quite often recently.

We all have unwanted weeds that have sprouted within our mind.

These mental weeds sap our energy, stealing vital nutrients from our beautiful flowers,

causing anxiety and unhappiness within a garden normally full of love and light.

Understanding the root causes of our mental weeds enables us to remove them from our garden,

restoring its natural state of beauty.

AWARENESS

Oh man, awareness is one of the trickiest aspects of human nature.

Our level of awareness determines how we feel in every moment.

Let me share a quick story…

As a high school sophomore around age 15,

My mom and I were taking our new goldendoodle puppy, Zoey, for a walk around the block.

I had been telling my mom about the recent exam that I had coming up in my science class (my worst subject),

and I was stressing over the fact that I may fail it.

My mind, like we all do, then creates a roller coaster of "what ifs":

"Well, if I fail this exam, I will probably fail the class.

If I fail this class, that means I'd have to take it all over again.

If I have to take it all over again, that means I won't be in the same class as all my friends.

If I'm not in the same class as all my friends, we won't hang out as much.

If we don't hang out as much, we may not be friends anymore.

If we're not friends anymore, then I'll be alone.

I don't want to be alone."

My mom then chimed in and said something to the tune of…

"You've never failed a class in your life; you're not going to fail this one.

Even if you did, you can just take a completely different science class next year, still on track to graduate.

So even if you fail, (which you won't, you're one of the smartest kids in the class),

you'll be completely fine."

Then she said…

"Will you feel this way in a week from now?

Or will this stress all just go away?"

I took a second to think about it...

"Well, whether I fail or don't fail, I'll have to accept the end result. So a week from now, of course it won't be on my mind.

It'll all be over."

Then she said...

"So why stress about something that will no longer really matter in one week?

If that's the case, does it really even matter at all?"

As she said this, all the fear subsided.

"You're right.

I have nothing to worry about. No matter what happens, everything will be okay."

Ever since my mother told this to me, I've utilized it at least a hundred times over the past decade.

Asking myself if a situation will significantly impact me in a week's time,

helps remove temporary emotions and provides perspective.

Thank you, Momma.

Your gift of awareness has saved me so much stress and anxiety over the years.

The other end of the spectrum of awareness,

where it causes us to see what's possible for ourselves,

can be a double-edged sword.

The internet exposes us to different realities, prompting us to reevaluate our own.

Awareness offers the chance to embrace a higher version of ourselves, if we choose to embrace it.

Countless American teenagers feel trapped in their current circumstances.

Consider our buddy, Timmy, a teen living with his large family in a rural Texas trailer park.

Most of Timmy's family is incredibly overweight,

addicted to video games, junk food, and alcohol.

Timmy views this cycle of unhealthy habits as his inescapable destiny.

He believes, "This is what life is all about."

Until one day, he stumbles upon YouTube.

He's immediately shocked by the huge difference in reality that many are living,

and he begins to become obsessed with seeing the other side of life.

He watches Fitness YouTubers showcase healthy lifestyles and their physical results.

He sees Business YouTubers' "zero-to-millionaire" strategy videos.

He observes college students at a large university pursuing education while having fun.

Timmy now has an expanded awareness of the possibilities of life.

Initially, he's filled with optimism about life beyond his trailer home.

He's excited to know that there's a way out from the endless cycle of destruction that he's felt his whole life.

But after this immediate high that he felt once seeing that there were new horizons,

Timmy began to feel a sense of urgency and anxiety around his current situation.

He knew he needed to work towards getting out of the trailer hood,

but didn't know what to do.

Not only that, what would his family think?

Timmy's mind began to race...

“Should I stay or should I go?

If I want to go, how do I get there?

How do I move to the city?

How do I get into one of those universities?

How do I pay for rent and food?

I just know that a change needs to be made.”

INTEGRATION

This, right here, is one of the hardest parts of all of our lives.

Once we have the awareness that we can do better and be better,

an internal countdown begins, intensifying our anxiety with each passing moment.

The pain often becomes so intense that we wish to forget about the possibility of a better life,

as facing the necessary changes feels intensely overwhelming.

Forgetting is easier than becoming the person necessary to have that new life.

The skills we must cultivate,

the fears we must face,

and the opinions of others we must let go of…

Create a metaphorical wall that we must learn to jump over, to get to the other side.

A side where we integrate,

through our beliefs and actions,

the person capable of a life we now know we're destined to have.

Timmy didn't wander to the silly cat videos or Mr. Beast categories of YouTube…

He gravitated towards videos featuring individuals and environments he aspires to emulate.

This is where all of our highest levels of suffering take place…

The space between Awareness and Integration.

I've noticed it in my own life.

Much of what I do now,

around writing everyday,

building businesses,

being in the best shape of my life,

being in a long-term relationship with a person I deeply love,

are all things that I was aware of being capable of,

but wasn't allowing myself to achieve.

That's where my suffering took place.

HOW WE GET BETTER

After a decade of doing this poorly,

I now understand how to do this well.

We need to condense the time between awareness and integration.

This starts with the little things…

"Oh, that's something I want to write about"

Get out the phone, and write it now.

"I really need to talk to this person about this confronting thing"

Get out the phone, and call them now.

"I want to start this new diet and fitness program"

Sounds like we're going to the grocery store and gym, today.

Its purpose is not allowing for things to be "one day" anymore, and making it "today".

I know this might sound like something a super intense motivational speaker would say,

but there's an immense amount of truth to what they're saying.

If we begin to act on what we know is best for us,

in the exact moment we get that new thought or idea,

we completely rewire what we know to be possible.

When we condense the time between awareness and integration,

this allows us to immediately shift our life in a direction we're proud of.

Before we know it, the right people, places, and opportunities flow to us with ease,

while simultaneously becoming immune to the suffering caused by inaction.

CONCLUSION

I say all this, because we're given certain experiences in our life for a reason.

They're all little hints to guide us towards what we're meant to learn, and who we're meant to be in our lifetime.

The more quickly we apply the lessons from these hints,

the more aligned and easy life will become.

That's what I wish for everyone.

We all possess greatness, kindness, wisdom, and power,

and I'm here to help us remember how to embody it.

That's it for today.

I hope you know that you are loved and enough.

I unconditionally love you all.

-Cameron Hogan