If you keep staring the devil in the eye, you’ll only see the devil
People are so often afraid to open the Door to a 'painful' observation about themselves or their reality. They want to go on living in the matrix
Don’t fret while the story’s being written
My mother took me to watch Harry Potter at the cinema for the first time. Though I enjoyed the film, I already knew what happened, having previously enjoyed the books. When Harry and his friends are confronted by devil's snare, a three-headed dog, or a double-headed murderous villain, I don't despair or worry for them. I know how the story goes. Though there are dips along the way, the story is just being written. The same is true in life. The story is just being written. That's not to say that there is not stress — as Sir Winston Churchill once said, 'you can't
Why do we like music?
Ask yourself, why do you like music? Probably because of the way it makes you feel. But it can make you feel many things — sad, sorrowful, jubilant, inspired, calm and collected. You can explain this up to a point, but those you are explaining to need to have some concept of these feelings to understand your love of music. How do you describe to someone what music is? How do you describe Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma or the spectacle of Beyonce? Just the same, explain to me why you laugh. Funny
‘Busy’ is Bullshit
Rule 2/3 of the Constant Student Community is, 'never say the word 'busy' (Joe will lose it)'. In modern society, 'busy' is a state of total distraction from the truth. It's a total distraction from what's important. It's a badge of honor to be able to say 'yeh mate, been busy'. We derive pleasure from being able to say that we don't have time. But what a ridiculous notion, to not have time? A 19 times bestselling author received a manuscript for my book on a Saturday, and sent me back a blurb on the following Wednesday. For me and my co-authors, absolute no-names,
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet? pesters the young child from the back seat. Are. We. There. Yet? But zoom out and we're all that young child, looking to arrive, looking to get somewhere. You can look through the telescope for the fine details but you'll miss the grander view if you do. If you look too hard, you'll see only a fraction of the total picture. If you ask the wrong question, you will never find the right answer. You will always be looking somewhere where the answer is not. Scrutinising things too closely under the microscope. As Alan Watts told us
The book — the ultimate symbol of how our times have changed
Books carry a special place in our world — they move the culture forward. There was a time when you needed permission and approval to write a book. It was not so long ago in fact. A publisher needed to agree to bring your idea into the world and stock it on shelves. There were gatekeepers. There were people who got to decide. People other than you. As Seth Godin says, that barrier has now disappeared. In 2021, you can write a book and put it online any time you like. Did you know that? You can put it on Amazon right now,
Who do you ‘follow’?
Do you follow people you respect? Who enrich your life? Who lift you up? Who push you to aim higher? How do you choose who to follow? If you go to your social media accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and whatever else, take a moment to appreciate who you are following and subscribed to. If a leader is someone who says 'I'm going over here', and a follower is someone who clicks 'follow' for that journey, then you are, through social media, being led by all those people you choose to follow. When you click 'follow', you are clicking a button that says "I
The Doorman
Don't thank me. The magic comes from the people who are in the Room. Not the person who Opens the Door. One Thing. The business books tell you to focus on one thing, and to become world class at it. To the business books I say, my physiotherapist wanted me to do rehab for half and hour each day on my ankle. The problem is, that's too much time to give to my ankle. I have a life to live. In the same way, the focus of my life cannot be to develop myself into a product with high market value. I was not designed for the
Don’t lack clarity on your lack of clarity
When I'm in the groove, ideas flow out of me faster than I can catch them and put them into print. Things feel clear and I can do most anything. I feel indestructible. Every so often, the waters get murky. That's when the tap slows to a drip. Things feel less clear. But worry not. Never lack clarity on your lack of clarity. It is nature's way of telling you that you have something to learn. Something important. Sit with it patiently. If you are willing to see a wide range of possibilities, eventually this lesson will open up and reveal itself to you. But you have to be
What to do when no one is coming to help
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, young Harry finds himself in a predicament towards the story's ending. Having travelled back in time, he is watching past-him being attacked by vicious, ghastly creatures called 'dementors'. Now remember, he's travelled back in time