Wisdom Book: January 10, 2020
For those who missed last week’s post: Basically, my Wisdom Book is where I write down a list of things I learned that past week each Friday. I then flesh out the list to really get to the core of what I learned. This list is what I use to record my weekly podcast episode of It’s All Mahalo with Camille, my girlfriend. Here’s my list for what I learned this week.
January 10, 2020
Light Shines in the Darkness…
And darkness has not overcome it. Fr. Ruff, whom I work with on campus to produce his podcast, Ruffly Speaking, says that this one verse in the beginning of John all but sums up the entire New Testament. Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. At mass this past Sunday, Fr. Francesco said that light isn’t important, but the service the light provides is important: to show us what’s right in front of us. To show us the truth of who we are. Aubrey Marcus opened my eyes to see that if God was a color, God would probably be black because black contains all colors. So if light, which is Jesus, shines in the darkness, we can see God, who is Truth. I’ve started to appreciate light a little more.
How to Love Myself
Aubrey Marcus Podcast #239 How to Practice Self Love with Kamal Ravikantwas one of the most meaningful and practical podcasts I’ve ever heard. During the episode, Kamal shared wisdom he gained from embarking on a journey of loving himself after a difficult stretch in his life. He came up with a formula which he shared during this podcast and in his recent re-released book, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It. I’ve been listening to this book and am blown away at every chapter. It’s worth the purchase. I’m going to begin implementing the following practice into my daily rituals.
Basically, there’s four steps to living yourself:
- 10 Breath Mental Loop: Say “I love Myself” on the inhale and exhale whatever comes, be it good or bad. Do this whenever you remember. Say “I love Myself” throughout the day as many times as possible. Soon, you’ll begin to remember it’s actually true.
- Meditate: choose a song, preferably a piece of instrumental music. Sit in a quiet place and do the mental loop while listening to the song. Do this every day. You will subconsciously begin identifying loving yourself with that song, and it will become an anchor for your meditation practice.
- Mirror: Stand in front of the mirror and stare at yourself while repeating the mental loop. Look into your eyes (it helps to focus on one). Know what it looks like when you’re loving other people by beginning with loving yourself. Do this for 5 minutes.
- One Question: when in a moment of distress or before an important decision, ask yourself the following question: “If I loved myself truly and deeply, would I let myself experience this?” Another rendition is: “If I loved myself, what would I do?” The key here is the “if” – it allows for possibilities and opportunities instead of regret and shame.
Buy a Stock Pot
I’ve been making bone broth (chicken stock) for a few years now. Camille and I eat chicken legs and then freeze the bones. To make bone broth, you need chicken bones and a while chicken, along with some veggies. In the past I’ve had to use two separate pots to make all the bone broth. That was tedious and more expensive. So I decided to buy a real stock pot – a 16 quart stock pot. It wasn’t too expensive ($25) but the purchase was justified because of the use I’ll get out of it in my life. I’m going to put a lot of miles (or quarts) on that stock pot. And I can’t wait for it. I’ll make a purchase if it will bring me joy for a long time. That’s the commitment I decided to make to myself this year.