Blog |
By Casey Grey
|
Is your life comfortable? Is it okay? Perhaps it's not bad but it's not great either... What about your job or your business? Is it comfortable or are you being pushed beyond your perceived limits? Does your partner encourage you to reach further? What about your friends? Do they challenge you? Are you doing something that makes you uncomfortable every day? Over the holidays, it's nice to be comfortable. To relax and enjoy what you have. But the rest of the time, comfort will only slow you down. "Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone."
"This is a story about a tiger named Mohini that was in captivity in a zoo, who was rescued from an animal sanctuary. Mohini had been confined to a 10-by-10-foot cage with a concrete floor for 5 or 10 years. They finally released her into this big pasture: With excitement and anticipation, they released Mohini into her new and expensive environment, but it was too late. The tiger immediately sought refuge in a corner of the compound, where she lived for the remainder of her life. She paced and paced in that corner until an area 10-by-10 feet was worn bare of grass. . . . Perhaps the biggest tragedy in our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns."
From Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss ​ This was exactly what I needed to read. I feel like I've been in a 10x10 cell for the last 10 years and I'm about to break out. I've been playing the same old patterns and I'm done! It's scary as shit though... What's out there? What's going to happen to me? Who am I going to meet? What new obstacles will I need to overcome? Who will I become? Only one way to find out...   We all have a vision for our lives. There are things we want to buy, places we want to visit, relationships we want to create, experiences we want to have and a person we want to become.
But most of us keep this vision bottled up. We keep it to ourselves because we think people will think it's dumb and impossible to achieve or, even worse, we think it's dumb and impossible. But look around. People all around us are making their dreams happen. There are amazing people doing phenomenal things from all walks of life. So it's definitely possible... Below is my vision for my life. I'm putting it out there. I'm surrendering to the universe and will act on what the universe puts in front of me to make this happen. I will no longer slow it down.
This WILL happen. Do I know how or when? No. But it does not matter. It's already in the works. The universe is lining everything up perfectly and all I need to do is say YES! What's your vision? When are you going to be courageous enough to share it? The universe is waiting for you. The world is full of labels.
Passive House, Energy Star, R-2000, LEED Certified, FSC Certified, CSA Approved and HVI Certified are ones that come up often for me in the construction world. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo, Raw and Flexitarian are all labels for different types of diets (and I know there's more). Mental disorders are a whole other game. There's a 3" thick book called the DSM-5 that explains all the shit that's "wrong" with us. I'm not a fan of labels but I understand and appreciate the importance they play in our society. As somebody who primarily eats a vegan and gluten-free diet, I appreciate seeing those labels. As somebody who builds healthy and sustainable homes, I see the value in having a third party certify a home and prove that it was built to a certain standard. When labeled with a mental disorder, it can be beneficial in the sense that the person may gain access to additional resources and realize that they are not alone. The issue is that most of us have no idea what the labels mean. If I were to show the general population the Passive House label, chances are they would not know what it meant. If I were to show people at a Green Building Show that same label, most people would likely recognise it but I guarantee you a lot of them would have no idea what was required to get that label. People who do not put a lot of attention into the food they put into their bodies won't necessarily know what vegan is or where gluten comes from or what foods contain what. Personally, I'm still not sure what a paleo diet is... Since I have no education in the mental disorder world, when I hear somebody is labeled with something specific I have to do research if I want to understand what that means (a.k.a. I ask my wife because she does have formal education here). The other important factor to understand is that labels often only account for one aspect. A Passive House does not mean it was built with healthy products (it puts the attention on performance). A LEED Certified house does not mean it is energy efficient (it puts a lot of attention on materials). A Vegan diet does not mean it's healthy (refined sugar and vegetable oil is vegan). A diagnosis of ADHD does not mean the person is not smart or can not focus (most entrepreneurs I know would fall under this category). Don't get caught up in the labels. Although they tell us important information, it's not the whole story. The picture below shows what I see every morning I turn on my computer. It's a reminder that life is too short to waste. Take in every moment and live your fullest life. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. Go after your dreams. Flow with the events that life puts in front of you. Smile, laugh, cry and hug more. Take time for yourself. Find somebody to share with. And remember... "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."  Why do we put so much time into worrying?
We worry about if we're working on the right thing today, who our children will grow up to become, if we made the right investments or if our spouse is happy. We worry about eating the right food and where the next client will come from or, if you are not an entrepreneur, whether or not we will have a job next week. We worry about if we said the right thing at the event yesterday or if we're going to say the right thing tomorrow. We worry about the clothes we wear, the weather and where we're going to be next year or in 10 years or in 25 years. I'm worrying about whether or not this is the right post to write today... What if instead of worrying we decided to trust. Replace the word "worry" with "trust" and watch the beauty of the universe unfold in front of you. Do everything in your power and trust that you are doing the best you can with what you know right now. Because you are. Trust that you are exactly where you are suppose to be, doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing, with the people you are suppose to be with. Trust that life is happening FOR you. I trust it's the right thing to do. "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you mind find, you get what you need." There is a lot of truth and depth to these lyrics.
By wanting something you are acting as if you don't have it so the universe will continue to give you more "wanting" as opposed to the actual thing you want. You need to act as if you already have it. I know... It's confusing... Let's put it this way... You get what you think about most. The issue is that most of us think we need something else as opposed to appreciating what we already have. Does that mean we should not have high aspirations? Absolutely not! That's one of the things that keeps me going. The key is to not be set on how you're going to get there or when it's going to happen. The universe works faster than we think if we allow it to. Let go of the control, put the intention out there and let the energy flow. If you are always thinking about the negative things that "could" happen, then you will get more negative things because that is where your energy is going. If you spend most of your time thinking about the great things that "will" happen, great things will happen because that is now the energy you are putting out there. To some extent this is training the mind to always look on the bright side. I know it's cheesy and may seem like BS but how has the alternative been working for you? I would much rather surround myself with positive people and positive thoughts. But don't be fooled... Positivity does not mean naive. I was just sitting in my usual chair where I do my reading and thinking every morning and I was in the process of listing things out that I could teach or help other people with.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds and when I opened them I had a new perspective on my surroundings. I had a sense of appreciation wash over me. An appreciation for myself. In looking around my home office, I noticed everything that was in my office and realized who I have become and who I am growing into. I really felt good and had a new found respect for myself. In my lap I had my notebook. On the table in front of me I have 6 books (all in the process of being read), my kindle (with more books in the process of being read), a couple audio CDs, a potential real estate investment opportunity and a smoke alarm (needs to be installed haha). On the floor I have binders and forms I received from the Private Investment Club over the weekend. On the cabinet to my left I have notes and pages of current projects we're working on for The Conscious Builder as well as potential projects I'm in the midst of negotiating and helping people with. To my right is the mantel with pictures of Sullivan, Natasha and I, pictures that were drawn by Sullivan and a couple thank you cards from people. On the chair to the right of that is my bag with more plans and notes for projects I'm working on or working towards. Straight ahead of me is my desk with more notes, papers, documents, business cards and other random things like a hot tub jet part, gift cards, window colour samples, an old harddrive (which I think is broken), a gripper, a screwdriver, golf balls and so forth. This is me. To the outsider it may seem like a mess. To me, it's organized chaos. I'm always moving forwards. I'm always growing. I'm always learning. I'm always meeting new people. And it never ends. Am I perfect? No. But I am committed to being better today than I was yesterday. Whatever you have been looking for, you already have it.
Either you have been looking in the wrong place or what you think it looks like is not actually what it looks like. I've been pondering a specific quote that I have heard many times before. "Life will give you what you settle for." The reason I have been pondering this quote is because I feel as though I have been going about it all wrong. Originally I was thinking I have to go out and make things happen. Don't let anything slow me down. Push forward and grind it out! But life is generous. It is always giving. It may not give in the way I was hoping for, though, which is what throws off that voice in my head. Settling is really just a point of view. I know things are happening FOR me. Does it mean that I don't ask for what I want or go after my dreams? Of course not! It means that I can't be married to HOW I'm going to get there or WHAT I'm suppose to do. If something is meant to be it will come to be with flow and ease. Through surrendering and accepting what is on front of me right now. |