The Cascading Waterfall

For those following along at home, I front-flipped into the Seine River this morning. The Parisian man looking on remarked (in an impressive Frenglish mix): “Bonne journée. You are strong.” My inner 8-year-old loved that one.

I’m amazed at how many of my beliefs & actions can be traced back to 1 single thought.

I picture it like a cascading waterfall flowing from a tiny stream. Viewed from atop the cliff, the stream - the source - seems so insignificant. But then, when the water reaches the mouth of the cliff… it speeds up… expands… and rains down on the whole of the Earth below it.

The whole stream becomes a manifestation of the OG. All future decisions, beliefs, and actions that follow can be traced back to the single idea I’ve adopted.

(If you don’t like Nature metaphors, then here’s another for you: the original thought is like Head & Shoulders (or hims & hers) shampoo (this newsletter is not sponsored, I swear… no, seriously, I’m not getting paid for these references. These billion dollar companies are just getting free advertising. Maybe I should speak to somebody about this…). Toss it atop your hair and let the soap rain down. The moment the shampoo is on your head (or, “in it”, metaphorically speaking), then there’s no stopping its flow across your whole body. So, once again, metaphorically speaking, choose your shampoo wisely. (And may you choose the one that decides to offer me the most generous compensation package… I’m thinking mostly cash + a lil bit of equity… but we can always talk about it.))

Here’s a recurring example for me:

“I feel out of shape after this weekend”

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“I need to get healthy this week”

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“I should workout everyday”

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“In order to fit it into the schedule, I’ve gotta hit it hard in the AM”

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“Gotta be in bed by 10”

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“Must decline all social plans so I can hit my preset sleep quota”

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No socializing. Worship routine.

Some weeks, the “back-to-baseline” structure is exactly what I want. However, oftentimes, I’m not even conscious that this cascade has taken place. I adopt the original thought and cycle through all of the follow-up behavior without ever realizing how I got there.

“Am I aware of what’s upstream from here?”

If I’m feeling stuck, the moment I ask myself that question, I can usually see, that the source of the stream isn’t what I want it to be.

If I’m rushing around my life, the source might be “I’m currently behind & there’s not enough time.”

If I’m questioning a relationship, the source is likely, “We’re not truly on the same team. This person won’t actually be there for me.”

If my instinct is to be stingy, the source tends to be “I’ll never have enough money.”

I just had writer’s block on a new piece. Turns out, it’s been a doubt-driven thought that’s clouding my creativity: “The sequel won’t be as good as the first.” 

This thought is poisoning the water at the wellspring. Now that I see, why would I let this remain the source of my actions? Why operate from fear and prepare for failure? Instead, I’ll filter out that doubt and drop in a tablet of confidence. I’ll shift my focus on all the reasons why this next piece will be an improvement on the first. Then, I’ll move forward with this purified source.

As you can see, once I do reach the top and see what’s there, the source needn’t stay stagnant. I can insert whatever serves me. 

I can always insert whatever I want the source to be!

That’s why I start my day in such a particular way. It’s a preemptive practice to answer the question of:
What’s the belief that I want to rain down on my life around me?

Will I choose presence or anxiety?
Will I choose Wholeness or insecurity?
Will I choose connection or separation?

What belief are you inserting at the source today?