Get out of your head.

Jan 26, 2024

“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.” ~ Virginia Woolf

I’ve been examining it for years, and it has become quite clear (at least to me) that people are becoming increasingly obsessed with the mesmerizing stories of themselves. In fact, many are experiencing life as detached observers of themselves experiencing it. I’m not exactly sure why this is happening (I have my theories), but pay close attention and you’ll discover that most people are either hypnotically focused on their present performance and fantasy futures, anxiously working to cause those futures to happen. Or else they’re consumed by their uniquely significant pasts, which they try desperately to either hold onto or escape, while having them continually recognized and validated by others.

This is utter madness.

The past and the future do not exist. They’re mental concepts that separate us from our experiences and blind us to the energy and potential of existence—to what’s happening, right here right now. But society—our conditioning—has hypnotized us and fixated our minds on self-preservation, on identity, on past failures and violations, and especially on the achievement of future success and happiness. And the sad irony is that obsessing over those concepts is what moves us further and further away from human flourishing—from being wholeheartedly connected and passionately alive. It’s like trying to fall asleep. The more you think about it and the harder you try, the more miserable you become.

So what’s the solution?

The solution is simple (but not easy): Stop obsessing over your reflected image in society’s swirling pool of water. Wake up and realize that you are not the central character in an evolving story about you, and that a full and vibrant life doesn’t happen linearly and coherently, like the plot of a movie. Slow down and be aware. Relax and trust life’s unfolding. Get out of your head and revel in the magic of existence and the spontaneity of human connection. Because each moment reveals the amazing truth and beauty of life, but only if you actually see it and then fearlessly open up and embrace it.