How Far We've Come
Level 3: Master of the Mundane
Dear Future Guardian,
I started writing something to finish out the year, and in doing so took a look at last year's end of the year article.
I realized something which shouldn't have been a shock.
It's all the same. Nothing changes. This isn't surprising since we're basically synthesizing 4000+ year old life philosophy into modern day.
Yet,
We've managed to take all that which doesn't change, and change ourselves with it to come so so far in the past year.
What we publish here is therefore not anything new - but rather new perspectives on old ideas, filtered through unique individual experiences.
As long as we are taking action, learning and growing, we'll be able to learn and grow from the same lessons over and over.
"No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it is not the same river and he is not the same man." - Heraclitus
To end this year, I want to reflect on the themes I can see that emerged looking back through all that I've written over the past 12 months.
I CAN tell you, none of this was planned.
I go into each week (or set of weeks if I'm really organized) nurturing the garden and seeing what grows in the moment.
What I end up writing and publishing is that which sprouts and shows up for me at the time.
I recommend actually starting with the article which finished last year (written by Nic):
What's in there is as true today as it was then.
Now let's see what we can discover by looking through the themes over the past year (as I see them now unfolded).
There are many overlaps, but these are the themes I can see repeating (and will probably continue to do so), and which come to my mind when I think about everything I've written.
One thing that is new about this year is the birth of The Arena and our clearer focus on taking action through the learning process.
Know Thyself
If you've read any of my articles, this shouldn't be a surprise. Every lesson road through TGA always seems to arrive to this same point. When you know yourself ... who you are, what you really want, and why ... everything becomes clearer and easier. Happiness becomes more obvious. Building a life of exponential potential becomes possible.
We often come back to this focus - intentionally crafting the life you desire. It all starts from this point ... knowing yourself. Here are several articles from this past year which focus on this idea in various ways:
Embrace Uncertainty
I was actually surprised to discover that I could only identify 3 articles which focused on this point. It's an idea which I think actually gets woven through a ton of everything else I'm writing, because uncertainty is fundamentally is necessary in order to change yourself and get something new.
So, instead of fighting it or dreading it or sweating it ... why not embrace it?
Figure out what you want and why
This is a core concept which repeats through everything and bears exploring as much as I can. It is not possible to achieve the life you desire with certainty ... if you don't know what you want. It's very hard to know what you want, if you don't understand why you want it.
If you're going through anything that we're doing in The Guardian Academy, you MUST face this at some point.
Take Action - birth of The Arena
At our Guardian Academy Event in March, Nic said 3 words which would change the course of everything.
Engage the Field.
Looking back, it all seems obvious now. Of course. In order to learn, you have to put new ideas into action, to get data from engaging the field, and then to return into the process over and over with what you discover.
Learning is "same situation, different behavior." It requires action to demonstrate this.
That action is the learning process we talk about, and the structure which is the core of The Arena. No one needs more information. What we need is a place to put that information into action in a way which increases our ability to get what we want.
Presence
This is another core idea which has been incredibly important to me personally, and which has therefore woven it's way through everything I write - and naturally I've written on this idea specifically a few times. What you don't see in all this is the behind the scenes.
Being in The Guardian Academy makes you connected with some really incredible people. If you ever come to our live events, or even watch the live streams, you'll have seen and heard from Jason Campbell. He is one of the founders of Zen Wellness and is intricately involved in the ... shall we call it ... higher levels of TGA - The Gray Wolf (something I'm sure you'll hear more about in 2025).
Jason runs a live qigong breath workshop via zoom, mon-thurs mornings. The point of it all can be boiled down to one word (in my current opinion) - presence. Since our March TGA event, I've been personally participating in this workshop. The impact of that can be seen in everything I write ... if you know what to look for ;)
Fundamental Frameworks
Lastly, there are a few key super powerful ideas which include all of the above but which I felt fit into this category of "fundamental frameworks." These are stand alone evergreen concepts which we routinely refer back to and which certainly influence everything I write and do.
The End
Rather than try to end the year by giving you something even more, I figured the most useful thing I could do right now is look back, reflect, see how far we've come, and give you a little bit more of a framework to navigate what you currently need.
Feel like you want to work on knowing yourself? Embracing uncertainty? Figuring out what you really want? Taking action? Being more present?
Well, you've got plenty to work on above there :)
But do yourself a favor ...
Start by identifying a behavior you want to change first ...
Then take ONE thing and apply it - engage the field.
Gather that data.
Reflect on it.
And repeat.
Do this, and I promise by this time next year you'll be shocked at how far you've come.
Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.
Joseph Robertson, CMO The Guardian Academy
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Ready to apply your ideas to reality? You may find our Engage the Field Handbook a useful and effective resource.
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