Thank you Dr. Kaufman! As a mostly non-conformist to some evolutions of social media platforms (FB, Insta, etc) & a decades psychotherapist, the steady-push around social networks can result in a inaccurate, “inadequacy” schema of oneself for those of us that love learning, depth, variety, immersive depth in solitude, in the Presence of Life, humans—all sentience! and disinclined to let everyone know about it or have we are going about our lives organically somehow should be a parallel-process on social media broadcasts… thanks again, validating. 😍
Scott, this is a brilliant piece. You have nailed the link between Maslow's early thoughts on solitude and our need to be authentic today.
I am always looking theough the leadership and community lense.
Getting the right people together for the right conversation to do something meaningful doesn't work if they ignore their own inner lives.
To show up and make a real impact, we must be authentic. As you point out, that takes space and time apart. It also takes courage.
Stepping back to focus on ourselves isn't a retreat from the group. It is the groundwork that lets us connect properly, lead creatively, and bring our most human selves to the table.
Thanks for the reminder to protect the part of us that is actually alive. ⛵️
I love all this Scott, AND I wonder if we can give people a measure of what a good inner life feels like? It’s easy to measure connectivity (followers, likes,etc). Maybe if we can show people qualitatively what a good inner life feels like, even if it’s as vague as “my spiritual cup feels full today“, at least we give them a new dashboard, a new signal a new metric to monitor that Rewards spending time in the inner life and also let them know they’re making progress.
Scott- I love that you didn’t say achievement couldn’t align with self-actualization. What I took is that it isn’t so much what you do, it that it is how and why you do something that matters. Great perspective that I hadn’t seen elsewhere.
B and D are not two rooms you move between. I was always good at D, especially at work. Today I do not switch to B instead. Both are there at the same time, in the same day.
Kabbalah already names this. Hesed is openness, without limit. Gevurah is discernment, the judgment that holds a line. Alone, openness without limit becomes excess. Alone, discernment without openness becomes harshness. Together, they make Tiferet. Not a third room. What is there when the other two stop being opposites.
Being does not need you to leave the busy day to find it. It can be recognized right inside it, and this can be developed. Not in a monastery, not on a retreat, not when circumstances are finally right. Here, in the life already being lived. I wrote more about this here: https://newsletter.awarelife.co.il/p/what-was-always-there
Scott - I realize this post isn't truly about productivity even though that is the term used in the title. When examining productivity theory, it is worth taking a look at David Allen's book "Making It All Work" (even just Google's AI summary of the key messages in the book is enough). The culture got overly fixated on his methodology while relegating gate underlying philosophical tenets to an annoyance that slowed down their gamifying it like Tetris for time. The point I hope to convey is that the OG of productivity has actually always been highly aligned with the points you've been making recently about the issues within the cult of productivity.
Thank you Dr. Kaufman! As a mostly non-conformist to some evolutions of social media platforms (FB, Insta, etc) & a decades psychotherapist, the steady-push around social networks can result in a inaccurate, “inadequacy” schema of oneself for those of us that love learning, depth, variety, immersive depth in solitude, in the Presence of Life, humans—all sentience! and disinclined to let everyone know about it or have we are going about our lives organically somehow should be a parallel-process on social media broadcasts… thanks again, validating. 😍
Scott, this is a brilliant piece. You have nailed the link between Maslow's early thoughts on solitude and our need to be authentic today.
I am always looking theough the leadership and community lense.
Getting the right people together for the right conversation to do something meaningful doesn't work if they ignore their own inner lives.
To show up and make a real impact, we must be authentic. As you point out, that takes space and time apart. It also takes courage.
Stepping back to focus on ourselves isn't a retreat from the group. It is the groundwork that lets us connect properly, lead creatively, and bring our most human selves to the table.
Thanks for the reminder to protect the part of us that is actually alive. ⛵️
Thanks buddy!
I love all this Scott, AND I wonder if we can give people a measure of what a good inner life feels like? It’s easy to measure connectivity (followers, likes,etc). Maybe if we can show people qualitatively what a good inner life feels like, even if it’s as vague as “my spiritual cup feels full today“, at least we give them a new dashboard, a new signal a new metric to monitor that Rewards spending time in the inner life and also let them know they’re making progress.
Scott- I love that you didn’t say achievement couldn’t align with self-actualization. What I took is that it isn’t so much what you do, it that it is how and why you do something that matters. Great perspective that I hadn’t seen elsewhere.
exactly
The hyperconnectivity line is exactly right. Connection can look full on the outside and be empty underneath. I wrote about this in an article about loneliness: https://newsletter.awarelife.co.il/p/the-loneliness-that-doesnt-feel-like
B and D are not two rooms you move between. I was always good at D, especially at work. Today I do not switch to B instead. Both are there at the same time, in the same day.
Kabbalah already names this. Hesed is openness, without limit. Gevurah is discernment, the judgment that holds a line. Alone, openness without limit becomes excess. Alone, discernment without openness becomes harshness. Together, they make Tiferet. Not a third room. What is there when the other two stop being opposites.
Being does not need you to leave the busy day to find it. It can be recognized right inside it, and this can be developed. Not in a monastery, not on a retreat, not when circumstances are finally right. Here, in the life already being lived. I wrote more about this here: https://newsletter.awarelife.co.il/p/what-was-always-there
I love this, but of course you must know that I'm not going to tell anyone about it on social media. 🤷♂️
Is catching up on your podcast on Spotify a decent way to support you? Many thanks.
Real wisdom here.
Great read!!!
Maybe we couldn't connect to our "Why" anymore.
Incredible insight
I appreciate this ❤️
This is so timely and relevant. Thank you.
Scott - I realize this post isn't truly about productivity even though that is the term used in the title. When examining productivity theory, it is worth taking a look at David Allen's book "Making It All Work" (even just Google's AI summary of the key messages in the book is enough). The culture got overly fixated on his methodology while relegating gate underlying philosophical tenets to an annoyance that slowed down their gamifying it like Tetris for time. The point I hope to convey is that the OG of productivity has actually always been highly aligned with the points you've been making recently about the issues within the cult of productivity.
Continuing-
Your excellent overview may also be looked at from the Contemplative/ Humanistic Psychologies perspective and the Evolutionary
Biology/Psychology perspectives.
1- Contemplative / Humanistic Domains
This way of being determines how individuals , groups and cultures define SUCCESS.
Some of the sacred values that define and determine success are-
introspection, mindfulness, awareness of virtue signalingparticipation with our internal and external worlds.
The basic needs that Maslow describes , requires quite a bit of transactional interchanges with individuals , small and large groups.
The cultural determinants that facilitate survival and thriving.
Great post. Made me Pause and Reflect about my online behaviour. I preserve my Rich inner Life by Staying Aloof and Detached from the Society.
Thanks Scott for an excellent overview