Category: Outside the Box

Non-mainstream thoughts and musings

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Success And Failure

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”

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How I Joined The Fraternity Of Excellence

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”

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The Deplatforming Has Begun In Earnest

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”

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The Nine Laws: Part Nine

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.

  • Narcissism: Infinite prerogative of power.
  • Machiavellianism: Infinite freedom of posture.
  • Psychopathy: The Mind and Eyes of God.

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”

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Idolatry in Worship

As I wrote about recently, I have come to the conclusion that the modern church has turned their worship service production into an idol.

Strong words, I know. But I can, and will, back them up. Strap in, kids: it’s Unpopular Opinion time.

First, some background. What we see in “modern worship” today largely came out of a small handful of churches, most notably Hillsong Church in Australia. I remember when Hillsong was new on the scene: the sounds were fresh, hip, and not stuffy like the old hymns we were used to singing. The words were mostly fluffy and filled with metaphorical imagery, but wow! They had passion and fire, and they loved Jesus! Before long, mega-church Bethel, in California, had joined in.

Fast forward 30 years: Hillsong and Bethel have both repeatedly touted false doctrine, been embroiled in scandals, and left the Assemblies of God association under questionable circumstances. And they’re raking in money by the tens of millions of dollars.

“So what does that have to do with church production?” Continue reading “Idolatry in Worship”

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Tired Of The Grind

For the last few years, I’ve been comfortably working in a regular, ordinary, desk job. It has allowed me to focus on family time and not worry too much about paying bills and hustling.

But sadly, it doesn’t afford me the ability to do what I want or what I love. You know the old saying- “you work to make your employer rich.” You won’t find financial independence working for someone else. But I don’t really want to start a business, either.

So I have to make a decision: do I start a business again, or plug along with barely enough? Continue reading “Tired Of The Grind”

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To Do, Or Not To Do?

For more than ten years, this blog has been a place of introspection and thought. (Probably some randomness too.) But when I posted recently about wanting to get officially diagnosed with ADHD, it made me realize: if I’ve been feeling alone all these years, and have been struggling my whole life, would it be possible that some of my readers could be too? I mean, I originally chose the name “Living Outside The Box” because that’s just how my brain works. I knew it even back then.

I wouldn’t be called an “expert” on ADHD, unless you consider the fact that I’ve lived with it and developed coping mechanisms for it for the last 40+ years. I see ADHD “coaches” on Youtube, which is awesome, and I think about how much I’ve already learned on my own. Most of these coaches aren’t doctors and don’t have degrees in psychology- they’re just really experienced in dealing with it. I’ve learned to live with ADHD without even realizing it. Maybe some of those skills and observations could help someone else!

The first problem that comes to my mind is: How do I reach people with this? Obviously, just blogging here isn’t doing much for exposure (I get almost no traffic). But what else can I do?Maybe Youtube? LBRY.tv? Vimeo? GabTV? Bitchute? Continue reading “To Do, Or Not To Do?”

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Spirituality and Mental Disorders

Recently, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of Jessica McCabe called “How to ADHD.” And like a true ADHD Brain, I binge watched for hours. And then had to go back and re-watch most of them, because I got distracted.
*sigh*
In one video in particular, Jessica addresses the stigma of having to take ADHD medications. It’s a very sensitive subject, and the object of much scrutiny. I’ll be honest- I’ve avoided being diagnosed with ADHD because of the cost, and the (assumed) danger of taking medications for it. The last thing I want is to make things worse. And hey, I’ve made it this far without help, right?

But not too long ago, I had a major meltdown. My meltdowns don’t look like a child’s- I’m not throwing fits or sobbing. When I am overwhelmed, it spirals into depression, self-criticism, anger, and shame. And then I just shut down. I quit thinking, I quit talking, I quit caring. I just turn everything off and exist until I can function again. Sometimes it takes days, or even weeks, for me to be able to perform executive functions again, like making important decisions.

This obviously isn’t a good thing. Especially since, when The Overwhelm happens, it’s usually because I am being forced to make an important decision.

The biggest question I have, now that I understand this about myself, is: “How does this affect my spiritual life?”

Hooo boy. How do you even answer a question like that? And regardless of your thoughts on ADHD or spirituality, it’s something that *I* have to be able to bring into agreement. And I’m not 100% sure of some of it. Continue reading “Spirituality and Mental Disorders”

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How Do We Make Hard Decisions?

Since I’ve been looking at all-in-one guitar things, naturally, I’ve done research and considered all the options. There are units going from $200 all the way up to $3000, and everything in between. But truth be told, even the cheaper ones are still pretty good. So what am I looking for in an all-in-one guitar/bass effect unit? How do you make a choice when there’s so many good choices?

I’m basically going to walk you through the decision making process of how to buy a piece of music gear- or anything, really. This is a lesson on how to wade through choice overload. This is a critical skill for becoming a minimalist.

What do you need?

Let’s say I’m shopping for a pedalboard upgrade. The first question I need to ask is “What am I going to be using it for?” And the second question is related: “What will this allow me to do that I can’t do now?” Because if it doesn’t do more than my current one, it’s not an upgrade, is it? Continue reading “How Do We Make Hard Decisions?”

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Still In Love… With The World

You know what this world has to offer?

  • Self-help programs
  • Politics
  • Humanitarian aid
  • Advertising
  • “Your Best Life Now”
  • Toys (the big, expensive, adult kind)
  • Popularity
  • Sexual deviancy
  • Self-medication
  • Subjective reality
  • Victimhood

John the Disciple said:

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 15-17

I don’t know about you, but I want to do the will of God. I don’t want to be in love with the Dark World, or anything it provides. I hate that my flesh likes some of those things. I don’t want to lust after popularity, or recognition, or fun toys, or whatever. But my flesh is always trying to draw me back into the world.

Why do I run a blog, or a YouTube channel? It’s because I want to be seen, to be heard, and understood. I want to share my thoughts and music with people. I want to be recognized for it! I want to be seen as someone who contributes to the benefit of those who ask hard questions, and don’t settle for easy, pat answers.

But is that really “doing the will of God?” Continue reading “Still In Love… With The World”