If I Could Tell You Anything

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to run from what feeds the worst in you.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that most of what you see online is fake.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that most of what you see offline is fake, too.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to want what you have, but try to make it better.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to stop tolerating what doesn't work.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that it wasn't about you; it was always about them.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that not everything you hear in your head is you.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that absolutely everyone is suffering. Some deal better than others.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to pay yourself first.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that all the rules are made up, usually to benefit the rule-makers.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to default to saying what you need to say.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that being terrified is normal.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to consume mostly things that people put real time and effort into.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to compliment freely; it lights people up.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that you're going to need to be the one to reach out. Don't take it personally.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be not to take anything personally.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be to forgive yourself freely and instantaneously.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that there is no you; that what you think of is "you" is simply a narrative born from linked impressions; that your consciousness is multiple parts, assumed to be a whole simply because they're all contained inside the same skin; that you, and everyone you will ever know, is constantly changing, in flux, and thus all things are possible - that you could wake up a different person, and, in fact, do wake up a different person all the time, and so to forgive who you were, and to forgive who they were, and to always remember that we are capable of such emphatic and powerful change that you should accept absolutely no limits on the possible, and that the world is both an illusion and completely real and reality is open to you in a way that is shocking like a sudden immersion in ice water, and that when you see it you will be awake, and it will be beautiful.

If I could tell you anything,

It would be that you are

perfect,

whole,

and complete,

just as you are;

not in the fake way that people will sometimes tell you, to make you feel better,

but in

the simple way

that there are no mistakes.

Love,

Dan

SOME THINGS I'M READING:

A classic, applicable far outside of business. I mention this in almost every professional class I teach, and I highly recommend you give it a read.

Teaching Smart People How to Learn

Every company faces a learning dilemma: the smartest people find it the hardest to learn.

Harvard Business ReviewChris Argyris