Q2 2022 MINDSET
Politics without principles.
Wealth without toil.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without virtue.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Adoration without sacrifice.
Alfredo Jaar “He Ram” 1991
What does it mean to belong? Is it a sense of comfort or security? Is it more overtly entitlement? Ownership? Which places do you identify as “your spots” and what do those places mean - like really mean? Is it geographical or local? Where do you fit in and who accepts you for who you are?
TTS Gang - it’s been awhile. If the paragraph above doesn’t spell it out for you, I’m in the midst of a pretty serious paradigm shift. Maybe it’s a quarter-century crisis, which even typing feels contrite, but more than anything, it’s a total removal from what I deem to be normal as I usher in a new period of my life. I can feel the responsibility coming. I see where my time will be split and how valuable moments of solitude will become. Time is ticking faster than I could ever fathom. Just yesterday, I was waking up in Connecticut much like Tom Hanks in Groundhog’s Day, wondering when life would get back on track. The day before that, I was on vacation with my family in California eager to start my new job in New York City. Now, I sit in a crowded coffee shop in the East Village wondering when things will slow down again so I can catch my breath.
Q1 was a knife fight. Every day was a new challenge and while some sicko mode hardos may say that’s a great thing, for me, it was a struggle. I scrapped and clawed for time to think which was nearly impossible to come by. My life became very executional as a result of the typical chaos of my job, constant travel, and an absolutely atrocious north eastern winter. I hadn’t even put pen to paper outside of “To Dos” and lost the ability to strategically and creatively think. January set the tone and never relented. Well, FUCK, man. Time to right this ship and get back on track.
Q2 is here, and this isn’t some bullshit New Year’s Resolution type decree. It’s a stake in the ground, a flag on the moon, a steel-toed boot stomping the ground - I’m here, motherfuckers. I’m back in full swing and the way I see things, I have 90 days (the entirety of Q2) to change habits and reinforce a winning mindset.
Read through that Jaar example that led the article - I saw it at the MoMa because I’m well-rounded as fuck. In the spirit of modern art, I’m choosing to interpret those words as the natural balance of life - you can’t have something without sacrificing another. How can you expect to be wealthy without working hard? How can you love without sacrificing your own time? This depiction of balance spoke to me as I meandered the halls of a museum I don’t fully understand. It got me thinking of this intense quarter I suffered through and what underlying meaning I may uncover down the road. That stretch exacerbated my greatest fears: executing without critical thinking, normalcy without an outlet, stagnation without a plan. I learned what happens when you long for something without working towards it. In my mind, I would be rescued by some supernatural force before waking up one day and realizing that I am that force.
Nobody saves you in a time of crisis, but with the right support, many can support you. It has to come from within if you truly want to break free. The necessary mettle and determination to smash through that titanium wall requires daily focus, so much like me, start small.
As a writer, a blank page is lowkey sexual. Who knows where my mind will go? In Q1, a.k.a. “No Russian”, it became a task, and so I must start from the ground level. 10 minutes a day of unfettered reflection, poetry, lyric ideation, doodles - whatever. Those are baby steps that I hope to expand to a far lengthier time. My back sucks and inhibits me from reaching my fitness goals. Now I’m seeing a chiropractor for rigorous physical therapy. Building a foundation.
Y’all may think I’m about to drop a word to encapsulate the quarter (formerly, My Monthly Mindset, for any newcomers). No gimmicks. No nonsense. Just work and unrelenting force. Have two playlists for you - one for beastmode, one to unwind. A perfect balance - that’s the Jaar way.