A way of being

When you think about the greats in any field, you get a sense of their personal style. The way they talk, the way they dress, the way they carry themselves.

The way.

Now, the greats all have some idea of how they got where they are. Some even offer formulas and advice, sometimes for money, other times for likes.

But there's a catch: the formulas and advice is offered post hoc, and is relevant mainly to their circumstances.

But you are not them, I am not them, and the advice they offer might be the exact opposite of what you or I need at the moment.

And so, the formulas fail, and the how-tos turn out to be how-not-tos.

I am not, however, saying that there isn't something to learn from them. I believe there is something to be learned from anyone, but most of all from ourselves.

In today's world, it strikes me that many people seek the advice of everyone but themselves. That's a shame, because we are all experts on our own situation, and with a moment of reflection, can form plans and put them into action.

Yet, instead of consulting themselves, many people seek the wisdom of influencers, the gods of modern times.

I think most of us have already consumed all the general information we need. We know the options. We don't need a new how to, we need to. To do, reflect, and do, and reflect. In short, experiment within the context of our own lives, then reflect, and then repeat.

This way, we develop our own way of being. Most of the greatest entrepreneurs, artists, and athletes are extremely in tune with their own nature, and the specifics of their own situation. They don't spend 8 hours on YouTube watching others doing things. They are doing things and learning about themselves and how the world really works, instead of merely falling under the illusion of knowledge that seeing someone else do something provides.

So that's what I want to do. Focus on who I think I am at the moment and where I am at the moment, while recognizing that both of those conditions can and will change.

Others are a source of inspiration, not instruction. The more general their advice, the more likely it doesn't apply. It's generic, whereas the conclusions I can make as a thinking individual are specific to my own situation.

I just have to ask:
What is my way of doing this?
What is my way of being?

But enough about me. What is your way?