The Hit List - What's glory got to do with it?

The finish line. You visualize it. You see yourself in that winner’s circle, with a crown on your head and the adoring public at your feet.

You can taste the glory and the acclaim.

And then you reach that pinnacle. You’re there. You’ve done it!

Woo hoo!

But what happens after you’ve reached that place? Maybe the accolades and afterglow will continue indefinitely. But, in most cases, life goes on, even after a perfect game.

People move on to the next thing. And so should you.

If you’re pragmatic, you know that’s the way it goes. Fame, glory, attention, applause…none of that matters.

Because it’s never truly about that ego stuff.

It’s about the work.

It’s the service, the art and the hustle that matters (or, in the case of Limp Biskit, the “nookie”). Never, ever the kudos.

If your only focus is on the praise or besting everyone else, you’re going to be bummed out. You won’t be able to celebrate anyone else’s wins because you’ll be too busy stewing and wondering why that spotlight isn’t on you (you deserve it so much more than they do). You’ll seethe inside or fake a “congrats” through clenched teeth or you’ll ignore their moment in the sun (or their excitement on Facebook). Or you’ll go passive-aggressive and slyly downplay their success and talent to anyone you can.

Because you’ll think that you’re the one that deserves that moment. You’re the one with the “real” merit.

You’ll grasp for that glory-gasm feeling again and again – especially if you tasted it once and liked it. It’s addictive stuff, that ego.

But for those who are committed to their grind, they know that honors and greatness are often fleeting and not that important in the long run. They are aware that they are here for so much more than occupying center stage. They collect the awards when they come, take their bow, exit stage right, and then get back to work.

No matter how big the win, do not get too attached to it. No matter how big your loss, do not get attached to it.

The service, the art, the mission, the joy of doing….that’s it. Stay there.

“The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.” ― Criss Jami

Nature…now that’s glorious!

Other stuff:

Ready to come out of the tarot closet? Robin Robinson has some advice for you.

Loved this fascinating interview with Occultist + Artist Micki Pellerano.

What goes on in those “pregnancy crisis centers”? This woman pretended to be pregnant to find out.

Pace Smith has a fabulous new workbook just for you: Find Your Path Now. Psst…it’s FREE.

Cool pics from a 17th century shipwreck. This sucker was carrying a ton of swords, bolts of cloth and more.

Wanna learn tarot? Little Red Tarot has her list of free resources.

If you would like to learn tarot in a three-hour live immersion, your wish is granted: I’m teaching a crash-course called Hack Your World With Tarot as part of the World Domination Summit. You don’t have to sign up for WDS, all you need is to be in Portland in July. Grab your spot before they are all gone (it’s almost 50% sold out as of this post.) PS it is going to rock!

Tumblr has a meth scene? Yep, it’s true. Creepy but fascinating.

Racism is alive and well. Erin Giles writes this thoughtful post after someone said to her husband: “We don’t have black people over to our house…we have too much expensive stuff.” Seriously WTF?!

My favorite blog post of the week: How to take a selfie with your cat.

It’s the end of the world and I feel fine. So much poetic wisdom from Paige Zaferiou!

Fast Company’s list of the 50 most innovative companies for 2015.

Susan Sontag’s 10 rules for raising a child. I especially like #9.

Wanna know how to spot a con artist? Dreadlock Tarot’s Ashley Oppon wrote a great post you’ll want to read.

I’m busy as all get out but I try to make time to read every day. Tips on how to find time to read.

There are many paths to the same destination. YES.

An entire class drops out in protest. Right on!

RIP BB King.

I’m getting a new iPhone today. Hoping I can find a snazzy case like this Hello Kitty one: LliVEER 3D Lovely Hello Kitty Soft Silicone Skin Case Cover Shell Protector for Iphone 6 4.7” Pink

This book looks fascinating: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

I love cookbooks – this one is gorgeous: What Katie Ate on the Weekend