Put more passion in your life

Why you should go to war

photo credit: der_makabere How much do you want to avoid war and conflict? Can you spend your entire life in peace, not raising your voice, not crushing anything nor anyone? Do you even want to? It is only in recent years that most societies started to despise or demonize war. Most major civilizations in history valued war as a noble activity. It was depicted an a way to exercise courage, bravery, loyalty, respect and more. Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself. Francis Meehan I’m not advising you should go to war with your neighbor (after all, he’s taking care of your dogs when you’re away), but maybe you should reconsider war as a valuable activity, especially the ones within yourself. Depending on the circumstances, going go war might be the best thing you can do. I have never advocated war except as a means of peace. Ulysses S. Grant Struggle of Wills According to Carl Von Clausewitz, war is a “struggle of wills”. According to me, it’s a learning experience, an opportunity to be better. Not better than an enemy, but better than oneself (some will argue that oneself is usually one’s worst enemy, but I digress). An internal war is visible as an internal conflict. Maybe you want something but you can’t have it. Or you struggle with a choice, a job, or a relationship. Basically, you desire a life that’s different from the one that you have. You have…

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I’ve been travelin’ on this road too long

by Sylvain

I’ve been travelin’ on this road too long (too long) Just tryna find my way back home (back home) The old me is dead and gone, dead and gone And oh (eyyy) I’ve been travelin’ on this road too long (too long) Just tryna find my way back home (back home) The old me is dead and gone, dead and gone, dead and gone Lyrics from Dead and Gone by T.I. photo credit: geishaboy500 We’ve all chosen different paths because of situations, opportunities, courage and fear. And we’ve all been traveling a path that’s not ours, because of habits and constraints we decided to conform to. But in every life, at one sacred point, there’s a little voice that shouts: What the hell are you doing? It can be because of a workshop, a song, a conversation, a person doing exactly what you want, a layoff, an accident, almost anything that can shake you. All the frustration accumulated over the years brought you to the edge. Then you realize “that’s not what I want, that’s not who am I”. You can’t help yourself thinking about it, and if you’re courageous enough, you also start taking actions. Time to think It’s not that important, I can’t do it anyway, it’s too difficult. But it IS important, and I CAN do it, if I really want to. But I have to make some changes. Maybe you have to change your job, your relationships or take some classes. Whatever you feel or know…

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Step out of your boring life

by Sylvain

Get a job without a challenge, fill your life with enough habits, never confront what frightens you and devise good excuses for everything you do. It’s pretty easy, lots of people do it. Someone’s boring me. I think it’s me. Dylan Thomas Step out of your boring life If you got used to a boring life, puting your desires for adventure in a box and trying very hard to keep it closed, you’ve probably already started to want everyone to do the same. You’ve become disconnected from what really mattered to you, doing things because you’re used to, or because the external rewards seem appropriate. You might run after money, fame, sex, without ever getting really satisfied because you abandoned a part of yourself. Where are your dreams? Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity If you’re at the point where you don’t know what you like or what you really want, the solution isn’t to not do anything, patiently waiting for the answer to come to you. It won’t. Ever. You have to try new, different things, as much as you can. It is only through experience that you will reconnect yourself to your dreams and your unconventional, or more accurately, unexpressed, desires of adventure. You’re not what you do Change jobs, houses, or hobbies if you want to, do anything that will change your life. You are not your job, your money, or your relationships. Be who you want to be, do what you want to do, share all…

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Freedom lies in responsibility

by Sylvain

Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it. Malcolm X Freedom… This word takes you back to your last vacation, where you are reminded of the absence of constraint, the feeling of able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Very rarely this sweet vision includes a crying toddler, a boss or client screaming for changes to be done this very day, or any other pressing commitment. At first sight, freedom is pretty antagonist to the very concept of responsibility. Maybe it’s because we think about it wrong. Freedom lies in responsibility The absence of freedom Let’s say you’re a freelancer, working at home. Your kid is crying, you have to change a whole design before 5, the house is a mess, your in-laws are arriving tonight and your spouse won’t be back from work until 7 or 8. Meaning you’re stuck. You would like to get unstuck, but what’s really interesting is how you feel and why. You don’t decide what you do, you do what you have to, the most urgent, given the situation. You don’t feel free because : You are tied to constraints rooted in external circumstances You believe you have no choice You are unable to change the parameters of your situation You wish things were different And that’s the problem. You believe and wish things could be different, but at the same time you act like you don’t have any…

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Where’s the crowd going? And why you shouldn’t follow.

by Sylvain

It’s starting to get really hot, you’re with a zillion others on the streets, defending your rights, sticking it to The Man, building a better future. You’re chanting. You’re not sure what exactly, with all the noise and lack of coordination (it definitely looked easier on the movie last night), but you’re chanting anyway. You feel proud, and good, and somewhat angry (yeah, I know…). Everything seems to be going great, you’re in the flow, you don’t have to decide anything, it’s as easy as it could ever be. But then, you see at a distance, a small, little shop with a giant poster of your favorite band. It’s getting closer, but you aren’t. A strange feeling arise. You’re starting to wonder. Where’s the crowd going? And why you shouldn’t follow. Following a crowd is exhilarating. As part of a movement, we feel empowered, nothing can stop us. Crowds have overthrown governments, crowds have stopped conflicts, but crowds have also started wars and induced the death of many people. When you’re part of a crowd, there are questions you should be asking yourself, and others. The advantages of being in a crowd You’re powerful You can fight for your rights, or justice You don’t have to decide everything, you can rely on the crowd You’re part of a group with similar values or interests You benefit from what the crowd provides or obtains You share with the crowd, and it shares with you, you’re not alone The disadvantages of being…

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What if you had to do what you love in order to earn money?

by Sylvain

It’s a beautiful summer day, the sun is shining, the clouds are hiding somewhere on the other side of the Earth, you can smell the delicate smell of roses nearby and your only desire is to go out and have fun. Nothing unusual, just taking a little walk alone and working on your paper sculptures (they are so gorgeous you suspect your old neighbor inadvertently transported one into his living room), but.. You have to make money Of course, you have to work. Those damn reports won’t compile themselves, will they? So, you’re struggling, not able to decide with a clear conscience to do one thing or the other. You can’t enjoy the day because you should be working. But you can’t focus on your work either, because, really, you should be enjoying yourself. Who asked for these reports anyway? Will they ever read them? What are you doing? Don’t even think about forgetting all of it and simply relaxing. Make enough money, and then, you can have fun. This phrase is so common, so ingrained into our brains since we’re little kids, we need to make money before we can have fun. Whether it’s on a summer day, or in your life. Finish the reports, then you can chill out. Work for dozens of years, then you may enjoy life (if you still can). But here, I want to propose another paradigm. What if you had to do what you love in order to earn money? I can already…

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How to get unstuck

by Sylvain

Let’s say it’s a day like any other. You’re behind schedule on a big project (who isn’t?), your account balance seems to decrease by the minute, you wonder if it was your turn to grab the kids from school (hopefully they’re your kids), and you hope it wasn’t because the car was making a funny noise on the way to work this morning. Okay, maybe it’s not a day like any other. It’s worse. You feel stuck. Things don’t go as planned, you don’t know how to proceed. In a word, you’re overwhelmed and can’t go forward. You’re lucky, you can stop wondering How to get unstuck Whether it’s a big or a small problem, it doesn’t matter, the process is the same. The first step is always to acknowledge that you have a problem. Do you? Great! Good work. Now, 1. Step back There’s no point trying to dream up a solution standing where you are, if you want to have a chance at making any progress, you have to step back, take a deep breath, then look at the current situation. If you can’t see the beginning or end yet, go further away. 2. Assess the situation From here, you should have a better view of what you’re doing. It’s time to find out where you’re going and if it’s close enough to where you want to be going. If you’re killing yourself working, maybe you shouldn’t. See what’s working, and more importantly, what’s not working. Once you…

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