*Typing*

Nothing is a fixed experience because nothing stays the same. We tend to forget this. When an experience is especially good, we place unrealistic expectations on it to remain the same forever. Because of this, the good experiences inevitably disappoint us.

Think of it like going on the most gorgeous vacation of your life. It’s so gorgeous, it breaks your heart to leave. You return to the same destination the following year expecting the same gorgeous experience, but the vacation leaves you disappointed. This disappointment is because no vacation is the same. Even if you replicate every aspect of the vacation––the destination, the people, the rituals, the restaurants, the conversations, etc––it's never the same.

Why? Because you aren’t the same. Your preferences have changed. Your thoughts have changed. Your philosophies have changed. Your beliefs have changed.

We should hold onto good experiences with loose grips. We should hold onto them just long enough to allow them the chance to take our breath away and then, we should let them go. And, with this letting go, we should let go of our expectations for future experiences. Expectations are simply a side-effect of comparing two separate experiences. Never compare experiences. Treat each experience as if it is new.

There is a fundamental difference between practice and performance. You should never get them confused. Practice is preparation. Performance is action. Practice is where you improve. Performance is where you execute. When practicing, you are working outside your abilities. When performing, you are working within your abilities. Think of it like a box. The box is your ability. When practicing, you are working outside the confines of that box so that you can, hopefully, increase the parameters with time. When performing, you are working entirely inside the confines of that box so that you can execute at your best and highest ability. The difference is very subtle but it exists and shouldn't be taken lightly. Practice is where you expand what you know. Performance is where you apply what you know.

It's only natural to make gods out of women and men. Humankind has been doing so for centuries. I don't see anything wrong with idolization, as long it serves as inspiration rather than religion.

Every aspiring artist, writer and entrepreneur has a Mount Rushmore comprised of extraordinary individuals whose work and talent they hope to emulate. Idolization only becomes dangerous when it causes the individual doing the idolizing to walk too closely in the steps of those who came before them.

The painter Robert Henri once wrote...

Know what the old masters did. Know how they composed their pictures, but do not fall into the conventions they established. These conventions were right for them, and they are wonderful. They made their language. You make yours.

Think of the winter traveler, following the impressions in the snow of another winter traveler who came before him. While he can follow these impressions for a time, if he wishes to discover something new, he must find the courage to step away from the comforting tracks left before him and journey somewhere else.

Open-source Software (OSS) allows users to study, change and improve upon software and its source code. Think of it like a house where anyone is allowed to remodel the kitchen, patch a hole in the drywall, fix the leaky roof, tear out the carpets, install hardwood, add on a three-car garage, etc. "Open-source" is the very reason why software has advanced at such an alarming pace. It has allowed software engineers to meld minds.

This idea of "Open-source" is powerful and should be applied to all areas of our lives where we feel we are operating in the dark. We should Open-source mental health. We should Open-source imposter syndrome. We should Open-source addiction (why do you Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful?). We should Open-source relationship challenges.

By Open-sourcing our life's probelms, we open ourselves up to wisdom far beyond our own. Open-source isn't jumping on Reddit or asking Quora. It's asking people you love and trust about what they've learned about "X".

While Open-source Software runs on computers, Open-source Life runs on vulnerability.

Self-control is the ability to control oneself from giving into one's impulses. When resources were scarce, self-control meant survival. If a person couldn't control themselves, they would die of starvation or dehydration or find themselves exiled from the tribe. When resources became less scarce (but not necessarily abundant), self-control meant long-term gain. If a person couldn't control themselves, they would miss out on future opportunity.

Today, we live in an age of abundance, where we can have just about everything we could ever want in less than an hour with little to no long-term repercussions. It's interesting to consider what role self-control plays in this more modern era. These days, it seems, self-control is less a practice in survival or long-term gain but instead a practice in spiritual sacrifice.