Essential Life Lessons. Me, Myself and I.

There are many essential life lessons that we know but forgot. Practicing stillness is one of them. You may be one of those people who are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the well-intended advice that is flowing freely on all social media platforms. There is an abundance of therapists, dieticians, life coaches, gurus, motivators who will happily share with you their best advice, and a list of 15 inspirational life lessons that you must learn and practice every day. But by the time you arrive at number 7 on that list you forgot the first 4 pieces of advice.

Instead of trying to remember 15 life lessons in one go and try to implement them all at once, I propose focusing on one life lesson at one time. This is the first article in a series of articles where I will be sharing essential life lessons you know but forgot. People know what’s good and what’s bad for them, the only problem is that they lack conviction and willpower. Constant repetition carries conviction. So, my mission in this article is to kindly remind you of something you already know but fail to act upon and push you in a gentle kind of way to take the first step towards practicing those life lessons more regularly and consistently.

Essential Life lesson number 1: Me, myself and I. Practice Stillness

Practicing stillness is an essential life lesson that is being taught by wise men. Let’s be guided by the words of two wise men, Socrates, and Blaise Pascal.

According to Socrates: “The source of all wisdom and clarity is to know thyself.” And according to Blaise Pascal “, All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”.

Too often our minds are caught in a cycle of stimulus and mindless distractions, practicing the art of being still will definitely help you unclutter your mind and help you get accustomed to being in your own company, free to let your mind wander wherever it wants to go.

Essential Life Lessons. Me, Myself and I. Photo by Mallivan via freepik.com

Being still is not an easy state of being, humans are social creatures by nature, we dread boredom, and we are unfit to endure extreme cases of isolation. If we are alone for too long our mental faculties can degrade leading to a state of insanity and deep despair. The use of solitary confinement and exile are effective tools of punishment.

But our modern-day fears are not restricted to extreme cases of isolation, rather many of us fear being alone for any period of time, and being alone is something to be avoided at all costs. Not only are we afraid of being alone individually, but we are also afraid of those around us who seem to be very happy in their own company. We see them as dangerous, unsocial, or maybe even unwanted.

The paradox these days is that we have never been so connected to each other and feeling so alone at the same time. Information technology is everywhere, the invention of the radio, the telephone, television, mobile phone, and the internet has brought us closer together allowing anyone in the world instant access to another person via video conference call. These days, you just have to press a button and instantaneously you are transported to the other side of the world. The problem is, we now live in a world where we are connected to everyone except ourselves.

Life lesson number 1.1: Stillness and solitude allow you to tune into your intuition.

The question is: why would I want to be alone when I don’t have to? Because it is only in solitude that you will learn to know yourself and learn how to tune into your intuition. An essential life lesson is that practicing stillness allows you to tune into your intuition. It can be uncomfortable to sit quietly in a room by ourselves and most of us will use all the noise of the outside world to block out that discomfort; except that this discomfort will not go away, it is still there and will remain there until you address it.

Moments of solitude allow us to be more tuned into our intuition. Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning. Intuition and insights can come to us through many forms, a deep inner feeling, an image, a word, an inspirational thought, or from a book, whatever form they take, it always gives us a deep sense of inner knowing that brings clarity and joy. If we are operating in a state of constant agitation, hustling and bustling constantly, we will not be tuned in the right frequency to pick up those insights and receive such gifts.

Essential Life Lessons. Practice Stillness. Tune into your intuition. Photo by Mallivan via freepik.com

Moments of solitude put us in the right state of mind, ready to accept the gift of insight with gratitude, humility, and appreciation.

“Solitude for the mind is as essential as food is for the body. In solitude we can forge our character away from the often-constricted external demands of others and maintain our independence in the relationships we cultivate this ensuring we do not, like many today, lose our identity in them.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Essential Life lesson number 1.2: Stillness is the key

What does stillness mean? Stillness means to be steady while the world spins around you. Socrates tells us that philosophy begins with wonder, and wonder is rooted in stillness. Other philosophers from various schools of thought have come to a similar conclusion, namely that the ultimate destination in our life journey is to master the stillness that is required to become masters of our own life. Ryan Holiday’s book Stillness Is the Key, describes the philosophy of stillness, or the art of being still, and how important stillness is for self-mastery, discipline, and focus in our modern noisy world.

Stillness is an attainable path to enlightenment, excellence, greatness, and happiness, it can inspire new ideas, sharpens perspective, and illuminate the mind. Stillness slows the ball down so we can hit it, it generates a vision, helps us resist the passion of the mob, and makes space for gratitude and wonder. Stillness allows us to persevere, to succeed, a key to unlock the insights of genius.

Stillness is not some soft, new-age nonsense of the domain of the monks or sages but in fact an essential component to peak performance in every domain of life. Among the various philosophical and religious schools, such as Buddhism, stoicism, Epicureanism, Christianity, Hinduism, etc., it is impossible not to find a philosophy of stillness that does not venerate inner peace or stillness of the mind.

A paradox of stillness is that it requires you to think very deeply, but also clear your mind. In fact, this is not a paradox as once our mind is cleared and emptied insights and breakthroughs can occur. Muddy waters clear themselves through stillness; if we let them settle the truth will be revealed to us. Another paradox is that stillness does not require that you stop moving or even to be somewhere quiet, stillness can be cultivated while chaos swirls around you. Those moments, in a busy shopping mall or airport, when somehow all the external noise is filtered out and you feel a sense of calm and can focus on what is in your control, that is stillness.“If solitude is the school of genius, then the crowded, busy world is the purgatory of the idiot” Edward Gibbon, Historian.

Stillness is an important tool on your journey to find clarity. The ability to see clearly not only when you are meditating, but in the midst of conflict when you are frustrated, angry, or scared, will help you find a more logical, less emotional response, and give you choices to do things differently, or do nothing at all.

Learn the art of being able to sit quietly somewhere and be still with just you and yourself for company.

And this my dear friend is your Quest.

DDI Chat – Personal Growth – One-to-one Chat with Joanne Reed

In addition to publishing my articles on my website, I have also been publishing on Medium. I have been working closely for the past months with Data-Driven Investor (DDI) Publication.  DDI has recently launched a new marketplace/platform where people can book a paid one-to-one session with an expert of their choice.  DDI asked me to join their panel of advisors/experts in the Leadership, Coaching, and Personal Growth category.  Here is my profile. If you wish to book a one-to-one chat with me you can do so on this platform.

For more on this subject you can purchase my book This is Your Quest online at BookLocker, from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble.  The Ebook version is available on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Apple (iBooks) & Kobo. Check out my Amazon Author Page here or my listing on Booksradar.com.

The audio version of my book “This Is your Quest ” is available. Feel free to check it out and use this special Promotion code.

How to Introduce Just Me Myself and I

How to introduce just me myself and I

Writing your own bio feels strange. How to write an author biography without sounding like a narcissistic-egocentric-wannabe-somebody desperate for attention?  This blog article, just me myself and I, was originally to introduce myself for the About Me Stories on the Medium website. After all, how will your readers know who wrote your wonderful articles if you don’t tell them!

The short version of my story reads like this. I am a contract lawyer by profession. I currently live in Seoul, South Korea, with my husband, two teenage daughters, dogs, and two cats. I stepped out of the legal world a couple of years ago into the literary arena and am now a published author, blogger, and newbie YouTuber.

For those unsatiated by that rather brief introduction, please read on. There is more meat-on-the-bones below if you’d like to connect with me as a regular human being, rather than just a very accomplished celebrity (ahem).

Me; the author who considers herself an artist

I became an author following the advice of Toni Morrison:

“If there is a book that you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it”.

Toni Morrison

There wasn’t a book that dealt with all the subjects I was interested in. I couldn’t find a book that inspired me but challenged me all the same, a book that could act as a compass when I was feeling lost, a book that could educate, heal and illuminate the mind. So, I decided that I should write such a book myself.

The title of my book is This Is your Quest: Your Mission: To Experience Happiness Along the Way. The book itself is a journey, it guides and coaches the reader to adopt an explorer mindset in their own Quest towards happiness through the trifecta of money, love, and health. The book provides valuable lessons from history, philosophy, and economics.

If you decide to read my book, you will be exposed to concepts, philosophies, and a way of thinking that was perhaps not so obvious before. I see my book as a small beam of light that shines in the distance, a guide for curious and lost souls. I hope it helps them find some clarity, comfort, and the inspiration to become the best version of themselves. This is my wish, and This Is My Quest.

What makes someone an artist?

“An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”

Charles Bukowski

There’s no easy way to define what makes someone an artist, but I enjoy describing myself as one. If you want people to see you as an artist, you must introduce yourself as one, even if you make a living in another way. Artists use their hands and mind to create new things. They appreciate beauty, unstructured activities, and variety. They enjoy interesting and unusual people, sights, textures, and sounds: these unstructured situations and the chance to use my creativity and imagination suit my current state of mind.

I am an artist

I am a creator of ideas.
Swimming in a sparkling see of imagination,
A magician of sorts,
Turning thoughts of,
Wonderment into pieces of originality,
Each creation showcases,
My own personal journey,
My worries, dreams, and ambitions,
Everything I love and everything I fear,
All that I was yesterday and all that I’ll be tomorrow,
Is neatly contained in my glorious creations,
When you glance over my work, you are catching,
A glimpse of my soul,
For a part of me is each piece I create,
I march to my own beat and wildly dance to my own rhythm,
Passion runs through my veins,
As emotions are fuel for my craft,
Certain pieces I protect and keep to myself,
While others I’ll share with the world,
I am a creative beacon shining my light brightly,
For all the universe to see.

The Artist

Myself; the blogger and wannabe YouTuber

Blogging is a new passion of mine. It is not always easy to know what to blog about as an author, but blogging gives me a platform to express myself and write about anything I feel like. Things that nourish and educate, a dash of philosophy, plenty of good vibes, and a little je ne sais quoi.

And that is where storytelling comes into the frame.

Authors, bloggers, and YouTubers are first and foremost storytellers. There are many ways to learn valuable life lessons that help us become a little smarter and wiser. One method is through trial, error, and personal experience. Another is through storytelling.

A downside of having to learn things firsthand is the suffering that accompanies it. Learning from someone else’s struggle and ordeals is a much less painful way to go get the same benefit. And that’s why storytelling is such an important art. Stories teach us about life, about ourselves, and about others.

Below a few samples of my recent blog articles. Please consume without moderation (and feel free to share them with your friends and family).

  1. The six most important lessons I learned this year.
  2. Should you take the path of least resistance?
  3. Why you should never let a good crisis go to waste.
  4. My thanksgiving message be like a wild turkey.
  5. How to gain wisdom? Read some Aesop’s Fables.
  6. How to find Meaning in Life. The Secret is revealed…
  7. When Life gives you, lemons make whatever you want
  8. Want to break social distancing? Feel the power of music

I; the person behind the author, blogger and wannabe YouTuber

I’m a biker girl. I like motorbikes for several reasons, but the key is the oneness I feel between me and the machine. Riding a motorbike makes me happy. There is no mindlessness when ride. I am alert and focused; my inner child is activated. I enjoy the thrill, the vulnerability, the freedom, and the wind blowing through my hair.

Me, Myself, and I. “Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.”

Wonder Woman is my favorite superhero movie. The main character is a kick-ass female demigod raised by a tribe of powerful female warriors. These women, or Amazons, display exceptional riding skills, courage and excel in combat and the art of self-defense. Wonder Woman herself symbolizes strength, self-reliance, sisterhood, and mutual support among women. 

As a woman and the mother of two teenage daughters, I completely adhere to the principle that women should be self-reliant and that women can be feminine and strong at the same time. The old Barbie Girl stereotype that I grew up with when I was a child didn’t do it for me; it was too narrow, it portrayed women as one-dimensional characters, pretty and accessorized to impress her boyfriend, Ken. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is a much better role model. I am also a martial artist. I practice Muay Thai several times a week. A woman who displays a multi-dimensional side to her, soft and hard, compassionate and ruthless when necessary. Girls feel empowered, Practice martial art.

Me, Myself and I. Girl Power. Kaboom!

I hope this article has helped you see me person through a new, more personal lens. Thank you for taking the time to read about just me myself and I.

If you liked this post you can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, or you may also like:

For more on this subject you can purchase my book This is Your Quest online at BookLocker, from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble.  The Ebook version is available on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Apple (iBooks) & Kobo. Check out my Amazon Author Page here or my listing on Booksradar.com.

The audio version of my book “This Is your Quest ” is available. Feel free to check it out and use this special Promotion code just me myself and I.