The Grasshopper came out from quarantine this morning and had this to say: “The sooner you stop defending it, the sooner you’ll own it.”

It reminded me of the comic strip “The Family Circus.” When the mother or father asked the children who did it, there was a depiction of a ghost off in the frame named “Not Me.”

I think it’s valuable to review our excuses from time to time just to see how full of shit we really are.

We are reasoning machines and we often reason our way away from responsibility. That’s not even “renting” it.

When we own up, we clear away the fog that has been occluding our vision as to what we need to see and go to work on.

I lived in the New England area during the Larry Bird era of the Boston Celtics. One thing I noticed was that if Larry had a weak suit, say, like going to his left, all off-season he would practice going left. The next season when defensive players would make him go left, he would burn them with a basket.

Making excuses is a weak suit. Owning up and going to work makes us more accountable, more believable, and most important, more reliable.

Think of people you hold in the highest esteem. Notice that these are people you can count on. They do what they say they’re going to do, and when they don’t come through, you won’t hear excuses.

Quoting The Grasshopper from many years ago, “Excuses are like bad checks; you can’t cash them.“

It may be time to buy some reliability real estate and then you’ll own it.

All the best,

John

It dawned on me that there is a benefit to social distancing beyond the “stay healthy” recommendations.

What if we committed to staying not 6 feet, but just 6 inches away from our thoughts? The outcome would preserve our mental health.

More scary than the constant media bombardment of Covid-19 news are your thoughts that are close to you even when the TV is off.

Get some distance from your thinking and watch your fears melt and fade away.

One of the best antidotes to thinking is doing. When you’re engaged in doing, your thinking self-distances itself from you. Quoting The Grasshopper from years ago, “Doing diffuses fear.”

Doing is an active meditation. It has you focus on what’s right in front of you rather than mentally creating scenarios that freeze you in a fearful place.

Doing, like the longest journey, begins with the first step. Step in the direction of doing and experience a healthy distancing from your thoughts.

All the best,

John

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I’m all for saying, “Yes” more often because it opens us up to more possibilities. I also say, “No” quite often, not because I’m adamant, but because I’m not yet sure if I would follow through on a “Yes.”

It’s been my experience that it’s easier to go from a No to a Yes than it is to go from a Yes to a No.

If you go from Yes to a No, the disappointment you deliver is palpable. Saying, “No” may also deliver disappointment but it seems the feeling doesn’t last as long.

I’m fond of the Werner Erhard quote: “The reason life doesn’t work is because people don’t keep their agreements.”

If I say, “Yes” to you, I plan to follow through. Sure, I’ve missed the boat a few times but, by and large, I keep my agreements. Please don’t think I’m setting myself up as a pillar of the community. I have enough flaws to fill a concert hall, but saying, “Yes” and not following through is not one of them.

I find that many people say, “Yes” just so they don’t hurt your feelings. What they don’t realize is the pain they ultimately deliver is far worse when they stiff you.

Here’s a suggestion: Say, “Yes” to life more often than you do, but consider saying, “No” a little more frequently too, especially if you have a history of not following through.

All the best,

John

I was out walking yesterday and I overheard two guys having a conversation about working from home during the pandemic. One said, “They think that working from home is a vacation; it’s no vacation.” The other guy succinctly said, “Life is a vacation.”

Their conversation continued as I walked out of earshot, but the words “Life is a vacation” stuck in my mind.

To me, life is a vacation between where we came from and where we are going. I don’t know what vacation season of life you are in – spring, summer, fall, or winter, but you are in one of them. The question I have is similar to the one my fourth grade teacher Miss Wagner asked us on the first day of class: “What did you do on your summer vacation?”

My question is: What are we doing on our vacation?

One of my favorite quotes is an old Chinese aphorism: “Talk doesn’t cook rice.” To me, it signifies all talk and no action. “Doing” is the operative word in my question.

The bigger question is: “What is your purpose?” I’m pretty sure it’s not sitting around thinking about what you want to do, or whiling away the day seeking diversions that keep you from taking action. But, sadly, I think that’s what many folks are doing during this vacation season.

Perhaps it’s time to make this a working vacation by committing to doing something – something with purpose.

Only you can determine what your purpose is, but you won’t find it among your diversions.

Here’s a suggestion: Ask yourself, “What is my purpose?” Then find a quiet space, quiet your activity, and quiet your mind. Once the diversions are out of the way, you make room for the inspiration you are asking for.

So what will you do on your vacation? Perhaps a Grasshopper quote from long ago will give you a nudge. “You came from nothing; you’re returning to nothing; so while you’re here, do something.”

All the best,

John

Two Announcements:

1. For the last 12 1/2 years, in addition to my blog, I have written a weekly essay based ideas that come to me from out of the blue. I call them Grasshopper Notes. It occurred to me that some people would rather listen to rather than read them, so I decided to record these musings and post them from time to time. This week’s Grasshopper Note recording is below. It’s titled: Your Name Is A Label You Put On Your Conditioning.

2. A year and a half ago, I self-published my book. It’s called, “INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change.” I have decided to offer it as a FREE download to anyone who would like a copy. It’s in PDF form. It’s available here on the home page at https://grasshoppernotes.com

Happy reading and listening.

All the best,

John