Productive/Creative – Analog Man in a Digital World
Non-mainstream thoughts and musings
Every day that I spend scrolling through never-ending feeds of inane drivel is one more day that I’m not enjoying life.
Hi. My name is Jeff, and I hate the internet.
More specifically: I hate social media, and the effects it has on my brain, to the point where I’m considering whether I should even be using the internet at all.
Yes, really. Here’s why: Continue reading “Creativity Vs. Distractions”
Recently, I was privy to a conversation about the rising economic and political crisis between the United States and everyone else, and it got me thinking.
Can we really be hopeful in today’s society? A lot of evidence points to everything in this world inevitably falling apart. But do we, as Christians, really have to worry about it?
Well, yes and no.
A friend of mine used to say “Some people are so heavenly minded, they’re of no earthly good.” What I think he meant by this is that people can focus so intently on being Godly (and looking towards Heaven) that they can’t be bothered with practical, day-to-day issues. If you tell someone “I’m really struggling right now with this issue” and the only answer they ever give you is “You just need Jesus!” that’s not actually helpful at all. Yes, in the greater sense, we all need Jesus… but I need practical help with a practical problem right now, and praying isn’t going to miraculously fix my hurting back, or my relationship problems, or fill my car’s gas tank.
The Truth
We live in a very broken, sinful world. There’s nothing we can do that will change that. We suffer and groan under the weight of imperfect mortality, and all the pain and joy that comes along with that. Just praying for something doesn’t automatically make it happen. According to the Bible, people since the Garden of Eden are not inherently good. And we live in a society that reflects that. Continue reading “Is There Really Hope?”
Over the last week, I’ve been examining my Core Values, and let me tell you, it’s been harder than I expected it to be. You might think “What’s so hard about writing down what you value?” Well, give it a try, and see for yourself.
Ultimately, it boils down to what things drive your decisions and relationships, and whether or not your daily actions line up with where you want to go, and who you want to be.
As I wrote about previously, it’s easy to get caught up in feeling like your worth is tied into what you can do. But sometimes that’s out of your control, so why should you feel inferior for not being able to do something you had no control over? Continue reading “Purpose Redux”
There are times when you will go through the most unimaginable trials. These are the times when you find out what really drives you.
For the last 18 months, I’ve been going through wave after wave of difficulties, each one progressively harder than the last. I’m halfway expecting to come up on a “Final Boss” and win some sort of game, and then the credits will run and I can finally rest.
“Why so down?” you might ask. You’d be right in assuming I’m struggling with things- it hasn’t been easy. I’m currently writing this blog post on my phone as I wait to be allowed back into my state. We just survived Hurricane Ida, which directly hit my hometown. There’s massive wind damage everywhere. There probably won’t be power there for weeks. I have no way of knowing how bad the damage to my house is.
It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago we were evacuating for Hurricane Katrina. But 16 years to the day, and here we are.
Everyone will face some sort of storm in their lives, and I’m no exception. Mine are oftentimes physical storms, but the principal is the same- you find out what you’re really made of, and your deficits are quickly revealed.
Everyone has shortcomings. But most people are content to just admit they do, and go on with life, never knowing what they could do or be if they’d just admit they need help.
“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.“
Psalms 121:1-2
Over the last few weeks, I’ve discovered something about myself: I have an analog brain.
By “analog” I mean that in the figurative, not literal, sense of the word. My brain functions by sending and receiving electrical signals, but those signals don’t really determine how my brain processes that information.
Interestingly, the idea of having a figuratively “analog brain” means that you think in analog patterns, and process information in very non-digital ways.
So what does that have to do with Productivity and Creativity? Everything. Continue reading “Analog Brain In a Digital World”
Years ago, when I was a young adult, “accountability partners” were a popular thing. Our church leaders would encourage us to find someone we could share our struggles with, and use that relationship to hold each other to higher standards- in a way that was private, but effective.
If you asked someone today who their accountability partner is, you might get a blank stare, a puzzled look, or even a scowl. It seems like people, especially church leaders, have forgotten what accountability is for.
Accountability is defined as “Explainable, answerable, an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.”
Throughout history, we see the effects of leaders who didn’t have accountability, and the disastrous effects it led to. But most people won’t accept a rebuke from just anyone; there needs to be a level of trust there that most people just don’t want to commit to. Continue reading “The Importance Of Accountability”
Have you ever felt like a failure?
I know I have. More than I’d like to admit, honestly.
And if you feel like you’re not successful in life, it’s easy to blame circumstances and try to absolve yourself of any responsibility. But you know who’s really responsible for your failures?
That’s right… you know who it is. Look in the mirror.
For years, I told myself I wasn’t a success because I hadn’t succeeded. I blamed plenty of things, including stuff that wasn’t true and didn’t exist. I just assumed the world had it in for me, and that no matter how smart or creative I was, I couldn’t succeed. Because if I could succeed, why wasn’t I?
So what’s changed? I didn’t just wake up and become an advice guru. Didn’t dive into self-help books and “your best life now.” I had to define what the word “success” meant. Plenty of people want to “succeed.” But what does that mean? Continue reading “Success And Failure”
Years ago, back in 2010, I wrote a brief article about how much I desperately wanted to live a life of significance, but couldn’t, because I didn’t know how.
I said things like this-
“I can see myself in the near future breaking out of the corporate mold that has held me in prison for so long. It has provided a living for my family, yes, but has stripped me of the ability to do anything but work 8 to 5.”
-Me, 2010
I realize now just how long I’ve been wanting to break free from that mold, and how long I’ve struggled with it. When I say “I’ve been in a rut for over ten years,” I’m not kidding. The proof is right here.
Looking back on this now, in January of 2021, I realize this was really the origin of the journey to where I am now. Even back then, I knew I had to do something. But I was unprepared, and uneducated on how to get where I wanted to go. And nobody was urging me onward to do it.
Right then, I decided I was going to do something about it. I started bike commuting to work, lost a bunch of weight, and was (physically, at least) making a lot of progress. I wrote about how I wanted to start working on blogging and writing professionally, and started taking steps towards that. I was logging over 100 miles a week on the bike, and was in the best shape of my life.
All good things, right? I was on the way to making it happen. I was moving forward. I was “crushing it.”
Then, in July of 2011, I was severely injured in a cycling accident. Everything in my life came to a screeching halt. I was bedridden for weeks, and on crutches for 3 months. The doctors said I might never walk without a limp. I was absolutely, utterly devastated. Continue reading “How I Joined The Fraternity Of Excellence”
Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t right about so many things. When I thought about the internet being controlled by people that hate conservative values, I wasn’t alone- there were many voices in the wilderness, calling for repentance.
Now, we’re seeing companies banning the active sitting President of the United States from every online platform they can.
This isn’t new, by any means. But what surprised me was how, immediately afterwards, all the same big tech companies started banning everyone who had posted about the 2020 Presidential election not being fair. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of people. Continue reading “The Deplatforming Has Begun In Earnest”
In this (very lengthy) discussion of Ivan Throne’s The Nine Laws, we’ve covered a lot of ground. You can read my review of the book here, and the rest of the parts are here:
Today we’re going to discuss the Ninth Law: No Laws.
I already know what you’re thinking. “What the heck! No Laws? What kind of trick is this?”
No tricks. “There are no laws” refers to the fact that the Dark World doesn’t care what the laws are. It just does what it does. Man-made laws mean nothing to the Dark World, or those who live by it. Man’s Law is a simple mental construct, with nothing of binding value unless you can back it up with force. The law itself is simply an idea, a concept, a deterrent, and has no power in and of itself, unless someone acts on it.
We chose our paths, we decide to pursue something, and we pay for it, one way or the other. Sometimes God intervenes, and we just don’t recognize it. If we don’t recognize it, it’s not that God wasn’t there… we just weren’t paying attention.
When we finally put ego to death and can exercise the Dark Triad in its fullness, then we achieve the fullness of who God made us to be. Not ignoring God’s laws- but only listening to God’s laws. In reality, when we follow God’s purpose 100%, we will come in direct conflict with the Dark World’s laws. The Dark World, by nature, is opposed to things of God. Continue reading “The Nine Laws: Part Nine”