Intrinsics
Current location:
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Reading:
Breath
by James Nestor
Listening:
Forever, and No Time At All
by Nat Bartsch
(if you have a moment, reply with your own 3-item status)
Intrinsics
I've spent most of the past 12 years reassessing and realigning.
In essence, I've been trying to better understand myself and what I want out of life: what I think is important, how I want to spend my time, who I want to spend my time with, how I want to feel, what I want to be capable of.
I've also been considering how to apply this knowledge so my reality, over time, better aligns with those ideals.
This is an iterative process, and not one that can be completed. I don't expect to wake up one day and realize, oh wow, I'm done! Everything is perfect. Now I can rest.
The journey—not some theoretical, perfect-me destination—is the point.
If I ever feel I've mastered this process and it's no longer necessary, that will likely mean I've stagnated as a person. If I'm growing I'm changing, and if I'm changing, my needs and priorities and perspectives and everything else are changing, too.
I'll need to keep interrogating and reinterrogating the outcomes of my iterative tweaks and irregular revolutions if I want to maintain an accurate sense of myself, and if I want my lifestyle to harmonize with my needs, mindset, and aspirations.
Thus, the journey continues.
Over the past handful of years in particular, I've come to appreciate that not all needs and wants are created equal.
Some of my ambitions are intrinsically motivated, while others are extrinsic in origin.
Intrinsic motivations tend to materialize from vital beliefs or fundamental components of our character.
Extrinsic motivations are more likely to have been gleaned from outside sources.
When I was younger, I wanted to become a successful entrepreneur and make a lot of money. There were multiple catalysts for this desire, but most of them were external: the challenge of such an undertaking appealed to core elements of who I am, but the parallel pursuits of monetary success and social recognition were borrowed from outside entities.
Making things, learning everything about everything, sharing my enthusiasm and what I've learned with others, and doing my best to leave other people and the world better than I found them—these are red threads woven throughout my desires and enthusiasms; they're structurally entwined with my character and sense of self.
There's nothing inherently wrong with extrinsic motivations or values, but it's prudent to know the difference, as we're more susceptible to manipulation and the pursuit of hollow objectives if we can be convinced specific outcomes, metrics of success, or agglomerations of ambitions are superior to others.
We may well-meaningly ignore deeply held beliefs or dreams because they don't seem to line up with what society is telling us we should care about and prioritize.
In addition to determining what we want, then, it may be prudent to ask who planted the seeds upon which our dreams are based, what might grow if we earnestly and enthusiastically cultivate them, and whether what blooms will actually fulfill us in the way we may otherwise unquestioningly assume.
If you found some value in this essay, consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee :)
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Projects
Select, recent works from across my project portfolio.
Aspiring Generalist: Untapped Opportunities
Brain Lenses: Citogenesis
I Will Read To You: Poems by Li Bai
Let’s Know Things: Lebanon & Saudi Arabia
Never Not Curious: Nov 9, 2021
One Sentence News: Nov 10, 2021 (podcast version)
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Interesting & Useful
Some things to click (I curate & share similar links weekly via Never Not Curious and daily on Twitter):
Everything You Didn't Know About the Trusty Tape Measure
Even if you’re not a master carpenter, you likely have a tape measure on hand. It’s one of the 12 essential tools to keep in your toolbox.
Japan's 13th Annual Wara Art Festival Features Giant Straw Sculptures Japan's Niigita prefecture celebrated it's 13th annual Wara Art Festival by constructing numerous straw sculptures of animals and insects.
A chain comic by 543 artists.
Positano, Amalfi Coast Photography,Architecture
A Look at Some Wild 1980s Digital Dashboards
When the intent was to dazzle rather than provide good UX.
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Outro
It's been a lot of fun re-integrating baking into my routine, but I have noticed a shift in my energy levels after adding that many carbs back into my diet (or maybe it's something more specific to flour? I have no idea).
My goal is to meet more of my neighbors so I have people upon whom I can foist most of my baked-creations, as otherwise I feel compelled to eat just a silly amount of bread, pizza, (and soon) biscuits, scones, and the like (because I don't like wasting food, but it's also impractical to produce some of these things at smaller scales). This feels like a pro-social means of keeping my blood-sugar levels balanced while still being able to practice my baking skills.
Also! I've been in an overall cooking rut, of late, mostly making the same dozen-or-so recipes over and over, and I'm looking for inspiration. Have a favorite recipe you wouldn't mind sharing? I'm mostly vegetarian, but open to the periodic non-veggie dish, as well.
If you have a moment, consider sending me a quick hello and telling me something about yourself. I respond to every message I receive and would love to hear from you :)
You can reach me by replying directly to this newsletter, or at colin@exilelifestyle.com.
You can also communicate via the typical methods: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or 248 megapixel photo of the sun.
If you’re finding some value in what I’m doing here, consider supporting my work via one of these methods: Become an Understandary member / Buy me a coffee / Buy me a monthly coffee