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You are a Conscious Creator!

90% of everything is crap. 🤷‍♂️

Published almost 3 years ago • 6 min read

What do you think is one of the hardest parts of being human in our high-tech, low-touch, everything virtual society of constant consumption and instant gratification?

Wasn't that a mouth full? 🤭

Hey Reader,

Lately, I'm starting to think the answer to that question is simply: blocking out all the noise.

Because we live in the age of CONTENT OVERLOAD, it's so easy to become seduced by the barrage of information that bombards our waking day.

Our lives are overrun by content.

And when it comes to being productive — this can be overwhelming and leave us feeling paralyzed.

Whether we're working on a goal or learning a new skill, we try to gather and consume every piece of information, tactic, and strategy pertaining to it.

We find ourselves jumping around from one idea to the next, diving into a new strategy every other day hoping it will be the case cracker for what we're working on. 🕵🏻‍♂️

Our unofficial motto might as well be: "when in doubt keep googling".

Beyond our work life, this shows up even in our leisure time — whether it's choosing a movie to watch from the thousands of options at our fingertips, scrolling through news feeds, searching for a recipe to make for dinner, or choosing our next book to read.

Having tons of options is nice but sometimes it's exhausting. 😫

The other day I spent 45 minutes deciding between which plant-based protein powder to buy. 🤷‍♂️

Analyzing. Scrutinizing. Comparing and contrasting.

We're always searching for that "just right" solution to our problem. All the while never considering that maybe we are focusing on the wrong thing.

Maybe though... we already possess the answer or have all the information we need to accomplish what needs to get done today, inch closer to our future goals, or solve the problem that needs solving.

And perhaps if we fully committed to the task at hand and focused only on what is required of us right now from this point in our journey... we'll realize everything that falls outside of that is merely a distraction.

This week I want to share a principle that echoes this idea which was the topic of a recent video on my YouTube channel.

This principle, while unconventional and rarely talked about when it comes to making real, valuable change in our lives — creates a mindset we can use to peacefully tune out all the noise and focus on what matters most to us.

This is Sturgeon's Law — which states:

90% of everything is crap!

It was derived in the 1950s when science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon famously declared that "ninety percent of everything is crud" when defending widespread criticism against science fiction as a genre.

Just think about it for a second. Not to sound overly cynical but this applies to everything.

For example, when it comes to books, Sturgeon’s law would suggest that 90% of the estimated 2,000,000+ books published each year in the US alone are crap.

Forget crap, how many are actually worth reading?

How many hours do we waste scrolling through nonsense on social media?

Of the emails in your inbox right now, how many will you actually open? (thanks for opening this one 😉)

14,000 plus titles on Netflix and it's like a scavenger hunt trying to find something worth watching. It takes longer to finally pick something to watch than to actually watch the dam thing.

Don't even get me started with the number of useless cable TV channels.

The real value of Sturgeon’s Law is not to deem 90% of all creative work as useless or serve as an indictment on our low standard for quality (or intellect) but rather it's the ultimate tool for focus when we are learning and working towards a goal.

It's a mindset for how we consume and filter information, acting as the gatekeeper to what information we allow to dominate our thoughts. 🧠

I like to think of it as a personal liberation because it feels so freeing to intentionally leave things out.

Check out this video I created on how you can use this principle towards improving the way you work and making progress on your goals.



I Know What You Think of Me
Tim Kreider | 6 minutes

I was recently put onto this short essay and it's become one of my all-time favorites. Originally published in the NY Times in 2013, it amazingly describes how cringeworthy it is to hear other people's uncensored opinion of ourselves especially from friends and family. But more importantly, it exposes the hard truth: while this makes us feel angry and betrayed to be talked about behind our backs, we are all guilty of this. Gossiping and making fun of one another behind each other's backs is part of the human condition.

I highly recommend giving it a read. Here are some standout snippets:

  1. 👉 Hearing other people’s uncensored opinions of you is an unpleasant reminder that you’re just another person in the world, and everyone else does not always view you in the forgiving light that you hope they do.
  2. 👉 There’s something existentially alarming about finding out how little room we occupy, and how little allegiance we command, in other people’s heads.
  3. 👉It is simply not pleasant to be objectively observed — it’s like seeing a candid photo of yourself online, not smiling or posing, but simply looking the way you apparently always do, oblivious and mush-faced with your mouth open. It’s proof that we are visible to others, that we are seen, in all our naked silliness and stupidity.
  4. 👉Anyone worth knowing is inevitably also going to be exasperating: making the same obvious mistakes over and over, dating imbeciles, endlessly relapsing into their dumb addictions and self-defeating habits, blind to their own hilarious flaws and blatant contradictions and fiercely devoted to whatever keeps them miserable.
  5. 👉If we want the rewards of being loved we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

// In Case You Missed It ::

How to Get Over The Fear of Being Judged

My friends over at the blog Live Purposefully Now published this post I shared a few months ago about the fear of being judged. You can check it out here on their site.

Thanks to all who shared it.👐


// Inspiring Quote of the Week ⚡ ::

"A butterfly can’t see its own wings. You have no idea how brilliant you are."
— Eric Edmeades

Someone mentioned this quote in a webinar I was in this week and just had to share it.

As Eric Edmeades talks about in this 5-minuet video, opportunities are all around us but it can often feel like they’re invisible. We often work hard to achieve success, only to let our opportunities slip away because “it wasn’t the right time”, we didn’t believe in ourselves, or we fall prey to the "curse of asking how" by obsessing how we will achieve them.

Most of our limitations are self-imposed and once we realize that, we'll notice abilities in ourselves that we never considered — awakening us to the opportunities all around us.

Watch the video ➜


// Keep Your Eyes Peeled 👀

Pink Supermoon Coming Tomorrow 🌕

I've always had a fascination with the moon and tomorrow evening's full moon might be something worth seeing. For one it will be a supermoon which means the moon will be at its closest approach to Earth in its orbit making it appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter.

This supermoon will also be a 'Pink Moon' — and while it doesn't actually change color, this is a term to signify the first full moon of Spring and also corresponds with the early springtime blooms of a certain pink wildflower native to eastern North America commonly called "moss phlox".

The Old Farmer's Almanac cautions not to get our hopes up that it will actually look pink. But if we're lucky, it might appear to have a slightly pinkish hue to it.

The moon will officially become full at 11:32 p.m. ET Monday, April 26, but can be seen all around the world and will look tremendous even when it rises above the horizon early Monday evening.

You check the time for your local area here.


🎬 New videos every week.
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Thanks for reading.

If you have any questions, feedback, or want to share some of your own insights, feel free to hit reply and let me know. I read and reply to every email.

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As Always, Keep Creating,

avl

Anthony V. Lombardo

https://anthonyvlombardo.com
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You are a Conscious Creator!

Anthony V. Lombardo

Inspiration and wisdom to help you navigate your path and consciously create a life of meaning, purpose, and one that you absolutely love.

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