When you trust yourself enough to integrate your strangeness, you bestow a gift on yourself.*
John O’Donohoe

The genius of an individual lies in the inhabitation of their peculiar and particular spirit in conversation with the world. Genuine is something that is itself and no other thing.**
David Whyte

We come to ourselves and to
our contribution through
interaction with the world.

We hope to be seen in
the best possible light,
Admired, thought highly of.

If we push on through this,
We are likely to find our truer self and
boon is viewed as somewhat strange, peculiar, yet:

Love the humble art you have learned and take rest in it.^

*John O’Donohue’s Divine Beauty;
**David Whyte’s Crossing the Unknown Sea;
^Marcus Aurelius, from Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic.

Number one in your life’s blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel like you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance …*
Martin Luther King Jr.

Character, the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which all self-respect springs.**
Joan Didion

Your singular responsibility and mission is to be you
in all of your unrepeatable, imperfect glory and beauty –
I unable to give this to you, and I certainly
cannot take it from you;
It is always yours, awaiting
expression today and
every day.

*Seth Godin’s This Is Strategy;
**Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic.

Find the nerds, the motivated, and the overlooked, and figure out what they need to thrive. That exploration will reveal what others have needed as well but didn’t care enough to speak up about.*
Seth Godin

The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.**
Erich Fromm

We want tried and proven certainty, but
maybe our hope will come from somewhere else –
Seth Godin’s words sound familiar, resonating with
another group of unlikelies, including the poor and mournful and meek and merciful;^
I am an unlikely making space for others to
be recognised and thrive –
Perhaps you are, too.

*Seth Godin’s The Song of Significance;
**Oliver Burkeman’s The Antidote;
^Matthew 5:1-11.

We came here to do something together.

My only “job” – purposeful living – is to find this current and wind and be able to steer within them.*
Victor Strecher

Thank you to those who have recently found and
signed up for Thin|Silence;
I am grateful to all who have connected over the
past twelve years.

The original idea was to turn something from
my daily journaling into something of benefit to others,**
Something to play with each day, without an explanation,
And only posted if I could come up with a doodle.

Thank you, again – I can’t do any of my work
without others, including Thin|Silence,
And if I can help in anything related to my posts,
I’m only an email away.^

*Victor Stretcher’s Life On Purpose;
**I begin with some quotes that I have found interesting, and that may or may not go together, and I try to keep the post as short as possible;
^geoffrey@thinsilence.org.

Coaches and teachers are usually able to provide the knowledge and skills to perform, but the great coaches and teachers help to find the right why in their protégés. In doing so, they teach wisdom.**
Victor Strecher

Mortals must do what they are here to create or they will become cranky.**
Seth Godin

There are many ways, but
not all ways have a why, a way
without a why is only
a roundabout,
A why means nowhere is really
Lost, everywhere can be
here, now, play.

*Victor Stretcher’s Life On Purpose;
**Seth Godin’s Tales of the Revolution.

Work usually represents the area in which the individual’s uniqueness stands in relation to society and thus acquires meaning and value. This meaning and value, however, is attached to the person’s work as contribution to society, not to the actual occupation as such.*
Viktor Frankl

When we bring humanity to the work in a way that others demand, labour is honoured and valued.**
Seth Godin

I was listening to an outreach nurse on the radio earlier,
Telling of how she helped a housebound patient by unblocking
his kitchen sink; it led to him trusting her and allowing her to
help him with his health issues –
Perhaps meaningful and valuable rarely equates to
status and exposure.

Thank you to all those who bring their full
humanity to their work.

*Viktor Frankl’s The Doctor and the Soul;
**Seth Godin’s blog: Productivity, AI and pushback.

We don’t rise to the occasion, we fall to the level of our training.*
Ryan Holiday

Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.**
Chuck Close

I have noticed how work never becomes easier,
Something to do with how it keeps unfolding and
developing when I turn up and put in the effort, so,
Same place, same time tomorrow.

*Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny;
**Oliver Burkeman’s The Antidote.

What aspect of your work is hardest to copy? How can you amplify it?*
James Clear

The goodness inside you is like a small flame, and you are its keeper. It’s your job, today and every day, to make sure that it has enough fuel, that it doesn’t get obstructed or snuffed out.**
Ryan Holiday

It’s not just about talents and abilities,
Each person’s particular goodness amplifies their skills-set, making each
irreplaceable –
So we work on both.

*James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter: On becoming hard to copy, the power of fundamentals, and three qualities that matter;
**Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic.

Eudaemonia requires discovery: Of the things you care most deeply about and that transcend your immediate desires. Of the people you most want to emulate. Of the legacy you want to leave. Of your purpose in life. Of the habitual actions leading to the fulfilment of this purpose.*
Victor Strecher

If you’re caught in a norm that isn’t beneficial, it’s not helpful to think of it as a season or phase … there’s no pre-written ending coming to save you. It’s up to you.**
Gabe Anderson

A norm just is,
If you’re stuck in a norm – and sometimes it’s not easy to recognise,
(The fish wondering what water is and all of that),
This is the way things are going to be for quite a while;
Once recognised, though, there are some things we can do:^
Identify your talents, keep a couple of lists for what
you love and loathe, name your values –
Drop me a line about any of this,
I’m happy to help –
And you will find out whether the norm will transform or be
broken open for something else to take its place.

*Victor Strecher’s Life On Purpose;
**Gabe Anderson’s blog: Seasons. Phases. Norms;
^Doing the things can also tell you whether you’re stuck in a norm or not, if you’re not sure.

Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter if you are freezing or hot, groggy or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or pressed by other demands.*
Marcus Aurelius

When we reject narratives that are counter to our story before we even bother to consider them, our story is getting in the way of our path to better.**
Seth Godin

Awake in the night,
I found myself wondering if I was fooling myself
with the story I am pursuing – I am grateful for
the doubting that brought me to reconsider what I see as
my calling and duty; my journaling shows me that
a year ago I had been pondering the small, bespoke, boutique
nature of my work, allowing me to revisit just why
it can be helpful.

It is possible that consider has a navigational origin:
Observe the stars – to examine and reflect on whether
we are continuing on the right course is critical, to
adjust as necessary, but then to do our duty.

How might you describe your duty?
When did you last reconsider it?

*Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic;
**Seth Godin’s blog: Versions of reality.