And that’s my secret job description, as promised: theologian.  Because I do believe in God.  Nothing about human life makes sense otherwise.  But I don’t know the “correct” or “most accurate” way to think about and approach whatever this means, or if it’s even possible to capture by thought or word within the metaphysical frame to which we perpetually unsatisfied humans are consigned.  This too makes me restless, at the very level of being itself. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” Ontological restlessness.

“I believe that self-doubt is always born of what are highly benevolent sensibilities if we trace them to their psychic and metaphysical source within our spirits/souls/essences/etc.  And, as far as I can tell, self-doubt always reduces to just three of these benevolent impulses, all of which imply the fear of some kind of lack.  Here are the three things we fear that we lack…”

“Heroism is a struggle.  You will doubt.  Expect it.  Find your favorite stories and draw nourishment from them along the way.

As I said, self-doubt is a benevolent impulse, so don’t forget that.  It simply means that you care, specifically that you care about three very important metaphysical factors that perpetually define the human condition at its most fundamental level.  When we struggle with self-doubt, it comes down to some combination of those three.  What are these three factors?”

“That’s the power of negativity.  People are in pain.  We have all been, and continue to be, traumatized on so many levels, and mere positivity just doesn’t do the job we need.  Not entirely.  I’m not saying not to stay positive, because I consider myself to be a very positive person.  And my clients find the time they spend with me to be incredibly uplifting and inspiring - they all tell me that.  But you have to know, understand, and see people’s pain to heal it.  And when people dogmatically and inflexibly promote mere positivity it actually does more harm than good.  In fact, the very concept of positivity is only meaningful when we experience negativity for the contrast.”

“So a marriage can never be perfect.

And the fact is that we have gone through hard times.  We have both had to work on ourselves and each other.  And when we did, somehow, the right resources crossed our desks and showed up at our door.  And we’ve been intentionally building and honoring one another ever since, endlessly and perpetually.

And Arthur sees it, which is the most important thing and ultimately what shows us that we’re doing the right things.”

“History is not simply the study of the past, it’s an explanation of the present.”

“The next time you fear the result of an ACTION you are preparing to take, look at it and see if it doesn’t actually conform to one of those 6 A’s.  And remember that everyone else has the same fears, and we’re all helping each other through this existence that we share.  And when people seem difficult to work with, it comes down to one of those too.  So now you can see their motivations as well as yours, and your awareness grows further.  And with more awareness comes more power, freedom, control, foresight, and pretty much everything else that is socially constructive.”

“I think that’s awesome.  And you can really tell that this sensibility shapes his core values and approach to entrepreneurship at its source of origin.  He has an almost child-like sincerity about it, in the best way.

I responded that I, too, have a word like that.  A business jargon word that obscures the often simple and direct inner source of its being, and that word is…”

“Did you think you were past these feelings, this kind of challenge? You may never be, and that’s okay. Because you can’t foresee everything. And the human condition is imperfect. Sometimes it feels this way. Sometimes things don’t go right. Stuff gets complicated. People and situations are unpredictable. You don't catch certain things until it's a little too late. You can see this honestly and not be a victim. If you’re a leader you acknowledge and own these truths. You say “I know, that happens sometimes. I choose to lead anyway, even though these situations cause me to doubt myself.” That’s not the same as failure, and people still admire you, look up to you, look to you, value your feedback and perspective. You have to keep your head up and work with what you’ve been given. I still deserve to be successful, as long as I learn, grow, and show up better on the other side of this.”

“It makes no sense to think BEFORE you feel.  Because how do you even know what to think about unless you know how you want to feel?

Yes, I’ve concluded, through a careful thinking process BTW, that all thinking should be done in service to feeling.  And I’m a thinker, so that should tell you how much I mean what I say here.

Thinking is useless without taking stock of your current feelings and asking which you would like instead.”

“Our cognition is complex, and one of the results of that complexity is the curiosity and drive to understand the process of cognition itself. Humans are the meta species, in so many ways.

Part of that analysis has included a broad dichotomy between thinking and feeling. Certain mental processes seem to involve rationality, and others the valuation of pure experience. If you know Myers-Briggs or related Jungian personality approaches this probably sounds familiar. We all rely on both of these constantly.

Here’s what I’ve come to see though. We tend to collectively overvalue thinking.

Say WHAAAAAAT?!”

“The host notes that he always feels better after spending time on Wikipedia, which he can't say for some of the other mega-successful web properties that fill our digital landscape. I had never thought about it, but I absolutely agree. Every Wikipedia rabbit trail session leaves me feeling peaceful, illuminated, and full of wonder. Wikipedia is a gift, and one that helps us to collectively focus, affirm, celebrate, share, and enjoy our love of knowledge and wisdom. I found the whole interview worthwhile, and I hope you do too.”

“My dream was correct.  Just once I would like to experience a moment unhaunted by competition and loss.  But it isn’t possible.  It can’t be.  All that makes the human condition valuable and worthwhile is haunted by competition and loss.  It has always been and must always be.

Meditate on this and you will cherish that which you love all the more deeply, and also value the friction of competition and how it refines you all the more as well.”

“It’s been a fascinating journey of creation and discovery, one that I could never have predicted even a decade ago, but I have no doubt I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I wake up every day inspired and driven to deepen current relationships, build new ones, and spread my message to a wider audience. It’s joyful and flexible, which tells me that it’s right. And if this is speaking to you, that’s something I can help you find too.”

“The pattern always looks the same, isn’t it?  We wonder what we will do with our time as information technology transforms our cognition and relieves the work burden.  But we keep filling it, don’t we?  We’re not living in the end of Wall-E yet, nor do I think we ever will be, so long as we don’t face some kind of extinction crisis brought about by careening exponential growth.”

“At the end, one of my friends in the group told me she couldn’t believe a computer generated that.  “It sounds EXACTLY like you wrote it.”  One thing I don’t know is whether that particular program studies my writing style, or just pulls from the greater internet.  Either way, I took it as a strange sort of compliment, although I’m not sure why.”