We all have a personal library of experience and we do ourselves a disservice when that’s the only place we do research.

Our experiences, as rich as they are, pale by comparison to the data that’s available to us, yet we go back to the same book expecting a different ending.

There is a very famous, successful spiritual author, perhaps the most successful, who writes wonderfully about the spiritual experience, yet I don’t find him to be very spiritual. I find him doing all his research in the library.

He forever tells me what other people said and I don’t feel I get access to his wisdom when reading his works. I’m delighted that he writes so well and I’ve gleaned a lot of information from his books, but I don’t feel him.

I once worked with a wonderful broadcaster that I got the same feeling about. This person had all the requisite skills of a top-notch broadcaster and a paycheck to match, but I was left with a feeling of hollowness when I interacted with them.

In both of the above people, I never felt like I got access to their depth.

When my library and your library compete, we argue about who has better information; when we plumb our depth, there’s no room for argument.

Depth is quieter than a library and, there, we have access to all that’s available, not just what’s on our shelves.

If you keep bumping up against the same things in life, chances are your library card is outdated and you need to go elsewhere for inspiration. May I recommend your own depth.

When you fathom your own depth, you add to and enrich whatever experiences you own. They become imbued with a life energy that’s authentically yours, not borrowed like a book.

You’re deeper than your experiences; you’re more than your story. To find that out, you have to get out of the library, breathe some fresh air and go for a swim in the deep end of the pool.

All the best,

John