The Dream Dean

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Meditation: In the Stillness: Liquid Mind – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHbeC8Xj8JU

Question: Write the first memory that comes to mind associated with each of these words (or, if time is tight, choose one):

• magic
• freedom
• conversation
• joy

Answer: This is one of the more interesting questions, especially as it pertains to your past. So, in the context of my past, here’s how I will answer each of the words:

• Magic – When I think of magic, especially as it relates to my past, it makes me think of my cousin, Harold Jr. He was several years older than me, and his favorite things to do was magic. He WAS a magician! And as I reflect on his life (he just recently past away), the thing I remember most about him was his love for magic. Although most people saw it as a hobby, he found a way to turn it into paid work. He loved it and he was great at it! One thing I could say is that he didn’t die with his music inside him because magic was his music!
• Freedom – The first time I truly felt “freedom” was when I graduated from college, knowing that I never had to go home again. I grew up in a house where my dad’s rule was, “if you live in my house, you abide by my rules.” And they were pretty strict. Even when I went off to college, there was an “unwritten” rule that you had to be home by 11pm or else find another place to sleep. And I was very much a law-abiding citizen, honoring his rules. And if you didn’t follow the rule, you were punished (we won’t go into that any deeper). Anyway, when I had to finally learn to fend for myself, I had to hold myself accountable for my actions and decisions. Like any young person, some were good decisions and some were bad decisions. But the important thing was that they were MY DECISIONS!
• Conversation – The things that I’ve always craved in my life (to this day) were meaningful conversations. I was never a fan of superficial conversations; as long as I could remember, I LOVED having these deep conversations until the wee hours of the morning. In fact, earlier today, I had a deep, meaningful conversation with a person that I would now consider a friend. I love it when I get to connect with another like-minded soul…and that happened today. And for the past two days, I’ve explored how I can create this online community of like-minded souls where we can have more of these heart- and soul-driven conversations.
• Joy – I mentioned this in an earlier post…but I’m a fan of contentment, not happiness and joy. Here’s a definition of contentment that I found on Wikipedia: “Contentment is an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental state, maybe drawn from being at ease in one’s situation, body and mind. Colloquially speaking, contentment could be a state of having accepted one’s situation and is a milder and more tentative form of happiness.” Yep, that’s joy for me!

How’s that for an interesting take on those four words?

Other Stuff

And speaking of “magic,” I thought I would share this great article by my side hustle mentor, Chris Guillebeau, my inspiriation to create my Side Hustle 101 course for UNCG students (side note: If you’re interested in creating a side hustle, check out his great book, “Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days” – https://www.amazon.com/Side-Hustle-Idea-Income-Days/dp/1524758841/ref=sr_1_3). In the article, he shares his three-step formula for creating magic. Read the article for the three steps:

• The Three Conditions for Making Ordinary Magic – https://chrisguillebeau.com/the-three-conditions-for-making-ordinary-magic/

I agree with him wholeheartedly, since it’s simple enough to follow. I found the thing that I’m obsessed with and I’m doing something about it. And I hope a few people will join me for the ride! The great thing about his formula is that it can be applied to one project after another, so it’s not limited to one thing and one thing only. You can create magic every day!

Now it’s your turn. What magic will you create for us!