Separating Circumstances from Identity
(This is all Temporary)
I have to remind myself of this on occasion. Even though we can see that the circumstances of today are different than those of yesterday, our tendency is to write today’s story with yesterday’s circumstances.
- We tell this year’s story with last year’s circumstances
- We enter a new relationship with the baggage and bullshit from the old one.
- We start a creative project with judgements and biases of a previous one.
I’m all for wisdom and not repeating history. But it’s about a balance between what you already know and the willingness to look at what lies ahead of you as a blank canvas. If you clutter the canvas with your existing biases, knowledge and judgement you ca leave little room for innovation.
Once you realize that every single moment of your life is temporary, you can finally separate yourself from your circumstances. But sometimes our temporary circumstances last longer than we want them to.
- It takes a bit longer for you to lose the weight
- Your business grows slower than you thought it would
- Debt is not paid off as soon as you’d hoped
- You’re single for longer than you thought you’d be
When our temporary circumstances last longer than we hoped they would, it’s easy to fall back into believing they are your identity.
This is when of the most important times to remember that everything is tempoarary. I know it can be hard to see something that lasts for many years as temporary. But I believe that anyone who has achieved anything of great significance sees their struggle as a temporary thing.
- Business is struggling, but we’re going to make an unmistakable dent in the universe
- I’m single, but the girl of my dreams is what’s next
- I may be at rock bottom but what’s coming is a spectacular take off
You have to believe in a future that doesn’t look like today. I was sitting at a dinner table with my business partner and he said that people who do great things always believe their idea is the best idea in the world (even when it’s not).
They believe so strongly in the future that THIS IS TEMPORARY becomes the lens through which they see the world. As my business partner Greg Hartle says “we live in a world of diminishing permanence.” So when you feel broken, destroyed, damaged and beyond repair….. just remember
THIS IS TEMPORARY
I’m the host and founder of The Unmistakable Creative Podcast, where I have weekly conversations with creative entrepreneurs and other insanely interesting people. Our guests have included bloggers, authors, bank robbers, happiness researchers and world famous cartoonists.