In a group you tend to conform. To not stick out too much. To try to be the same as everyone else.

We hesitate to see what others in the group will do. So we don’t have to make ourselves uncomfortable by being different. It’s the reason people don’t speak up when they see something wrong. That something might just be a typo on a screen during a presentation. That something could be the bullying of someone weaker.

The only thing we can do about this is to find the right group to conform to. Find a group that makes you brave, that’s makes you capable, that empowers you.

Over time we drift off course. At the beginning the drift is so small that we don’t notice. Left uncorrected, in time, the gap grows. First small, then large, then we can no longer the course we were on. To get back on course takes time. Days maybe, or years. Sometimes we drift much too far and give up on ever getting back on course.

Drift at your peril.

Wake up. You’re asleep at the wheel.

You’re eyes may be open but you’re not awake. You’re not watching where you’re going. You’re not steering. Wake up, you’re asleep at the wheel.

Life can be lived without your hands on the steering wheel. If that’s what you choose expect lots of crashes, lots of damage, and never to get on the right road.

Or you can steer. You need your hands on the wheel and you need to be awake. Look where you’re going. See the obstacles ahead. Choose the road you want to drive on. You can’t do that asleep.

You’re asleep at the wheel. Wake up.

Death and birth describe the same thing. That event you’re describing was either the start of something or the end of something. The only difference is perspective. The only difference is how you view it.

Your choice of description, death or birth, depends on how you see the event. If you see a good thing ending you see it die. If you see a good thing starting, you see it born. Death is not inherently evil, nor is birth inherently good. Both can be traumatic events or joyous. It simply depends on what that event is.

All events are both. Choose the perspective that helps you the most. Death or birth? Birth or death?

Revisit your work. Don’t just finish it and ignore it.

Leave some time go by, then go back and look at it. Examine it. See it for what it is, flaws and all.

Your work, viewed from the distance of time passed, can educate you. It can show you how you’ve grown. What would you do differently now that you have grown in knowledge and skill since you completed that work? Your old work can inspire you. It can suggest new paths for your work. Paths you couldn’t travel down then because you were less equipped. Paths you couldn’t even see before are no longer hidden to your eyes.

Your past work is a resource. Revisit it. Use it.

Life is better if you mingle. Don’t just stick to the same old formula. Mix it up.

Mingle and meet more people. It will help you meet more ideas, more thoughts, more opinions. The more different people and things you are introduced to, the richer your mind.

Find a way to mingle.