Interesting Times

The past few weeks have been some of the best (and craziest) of the year.

In early August I found myself in New York City, at 4 in the morning, sitting in the hallway on the 36th floor of the Hilton eating a sandwich and talking to my friend Benny about life and goals. In late August I found myself in San Diego’s Gaslamp District, enjoying the gorgeous weather and thinking… wow, I’ve got it pretty good – I live an interesting life.

Right now I’m sitting in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at SFO, about to fly to London for what’s going to be a completely life-changing trip. More details to come later

I’ve recently been reading Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz – it’s all about self-image and the notion that we become that picture of ourselves that we have in our mind. This could not be more true. It’s probably the basis of all self growth and development. A year ago I could not picture myself doing any of the things I’ve done this year, nor would I have imagined that my “job” involves traveling the world and hanging out in cafes building websites (an oversimplification, but you get the point). But something changed over October-November-December last year… I had this burst of clarity, and formed a vivid and descriptive picture of what I thought my life would look like… and it’s pretty much the life I’m living now.

I feel like I’m at a point again where that self-image needs to be updated. Over the next couple of months I am going to be doing some truly amazing things, and my life will be better for it. I will come out the other side a different person, with a different idealised view of myself to hold in mind. In order to do that, I’m going to have shed myself of my old self-image, and burn some bridges. This is deep. It’s an idea that came out of discussions with my friend Andrew. We noticed that in our lives, as we became successful, we habitually went back and burnt our bridges. In my case, when my business became cash-positive I burnt my resume, and deleted all copies I had of it. I made a promise and gesture to myself to never need it again. In one sense, this is a sort of mental & spiritual separation between your past and yourself. But I feel that it’s also something practical – if you’re devoting energy to some past notion, idea or belief… even if it’s only a splinter in your awareness, it’s still there. And it’s holding you back. Cut it loose, and don’t be afraid to step into the unknown. Be the trapeze artist that lets go of one swing before knowing if she can grab the next one.

Your life can be whatever you want it to be – it’s just up to you to imagine it first.

- Aaron P

Tagged as: Benny, bridges, Gaslamp District, goals, life, Maxwell Maltz, New York City, Relationships, San Diego, self-image, Wealth