WIGGLE

May 19th, 2018

This episode references episode 15: Firebomb your Life

Drastically changing the situation is nearly certain to bring out a different person.

However.

Most of us cannot firebomb our life, move to a new place, wipe the slate clean and start over.

Most of us are stuck in many ways. Not just mentally and emotionally. But also situational: via responsibilities, loved ones, money, etc.

Often those situational aspects get the brunt of blame for our mental and emotional stagnation. 

But that again is laziness.

Sure, it’s fun to uproot your life, cast to the wind and go explore a new place. This is a big reason why people love to travel. It is exciting and it can have good effects. But often the same problems that get blamed on the situational aspects of home come along for the ride, and anyone who is in that ‘new place’ long enough for the initial excitement to wear off will find those problems cropping up again. Real change still requires dedication and work.

Not just a flashy action.

Applying that same initial excitement to the everyday – that’s difficult. 

But worth it.

Start small, and aim big.

Pick one thing to improve. Once a solution has wings and is flying in a better direction. Pick another. They don’t have to be big.

Say, improve your sleep. 

Identify what is keeping it from quality. Perhaps late meals are screwing with your metabolism at night. Perhaps the early morning sun makes sleeping difficult during those last couple hours. Perhaps your back always hurts. These are all a pain in the ass. But they are low hanging fruit. There are simple solutions to all of these, and implementing just one will improve everyday just a little. Compound enough of these: no more eating after 6pm, black-out drapes for the windows, a firmer mattress… and the positive effects start to add up. Soon great sleep means better performance during the whole day. A couple solutions for one problem have aided other things.

In just the same way that all the negative situational aspects of life have compounded to make us feel stuck.

A box isn’t just pried open. First we have to wiggle that flathead screw driver between the boards and make some space for the crowbar.

Somehow worms make their way through the ground just fine with no arms, legs, or any appendages. You’d think they’d be stuck. It’s amazing how far a little wiggle can get. Like that flathead screw driver.

Don’t expect to blow the lid off a box of full-on, over-night change.

That’s doomed to disappoint.

Find an edge.

An easy problem.

Low hanging fruit.

And wiggle.