Writing a Book

The Work Paradox Western culture is built around work. One third of your entire life is spent working. With work consuming so much of your time, what are you thinking about when you’re not working? You’re most likely here because you deal with the same struggles as me. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking about work even when you’re not working.  The way I put it is we work so hard so we don’t have to work, but when we aren’t working we think about working because work is the only way we won’t have to work anymore. It’s a mouthful, but this is what I call the Work Paradox. It is the use of time thinking about work even when you aren’t working because you know that work will bring you freedom. But what is freedom? If freedom from having a job we have to show up to is our definition, then yes, eventually work should get you to that point. But what if freedom is something else? What if freedom is an escape from any stressor? That is what I have slowly begun to believe freedom ...

  The Thinking Cost Numerous reasons exist for why you think the way you do about your present life. Hopefully, the past few chapters have resonated. Hopefully, you don’t feel like you are alone in this journey from cynicism to optimism.  For me, the majority of the problems that I face are made up in my mind. They were born as a minor inconvenience, deliberated much more than necessary, and become a major problem in my life I continue to deal with each day. If you feel the same, don’t be upset with yourself. You think a lot because you feel a lot. You want to know that what you are doing is the best thing you can do. You are a perfectionist. Opportunity cost is often thought about among anxious individuals. Anxiety is created because we want to make sure the decision we are making is the best one, and there isn’t anything better out there. The fallback of this thought process: you will never know all the other options, and you will never be able to experience all of them anyw...

  Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice. We are meant to experience pain.  Pain initiates change and change is what keeps us alive. Learn to embrace pain in life. Embracing and expecting pain and change to happen throughout our lives allows us to simply live and never become overwhelmed by the many obstacles that come our way. Refusing pain and change is what creates suffering. You suffer because you do not want to accept the changes that are happening in your life. It is extremely difficult to accept pain and change because our bodies and minds crave comfort, patterns, and routines in life. We want  familiarity because it allows our minds to not have to work as hard. Change and pain spark new processes within the brain which lead to work and difficulty. Life no longer is easy because rather than being able to figuratively shut off your brain and coast, you have to be conscious when simply living. This is why every time we experience a tough life event such as a break...