I’ve become increasingly aware of online noise, and now I struggle to turn it off.
My mind is constantly swirling, trying to figure out what to write next. What is the burning subject in me that I simply must try to process with words? Yet at the same time, I have a migraine, I’m dizzy, and nothing I do seems to provide the rest I need to think more clearly.
The online noise I subject myself to in an attempt to find inspiration sounds deafening right now. It never used to be that way, and I can’t help but feel a sense of innocence lost.
I read an incredible Substack post by The Still Practice yesterday, and I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. It’s about constantly feeling behind, even though you haven’t stopped running in years.
Despite the fact that you keep pushing, feeling behind is always waiting at the door on your way home. It’s also on your pillow in the morning, eager for you to wake up.
The world has made us all feel that somehow, we need to catch up. No matter what the cost. We need to embody this mindset that we can do it.
But catch up to what?
Where is this measuring stick that proves “we’re behind”? Whose is it? Who determines its length? You had to look elsewhere to find it, so it has no connection to your actual life.
We’ve absorbed this state of “being behind” without questioning it. Without rejecting it.
I’m guilty too. I’ve been like a crusty sponge absorbing this narrative.
I’m learning my existence is exactly where it’s meant to be. When you’re present, you’re freer to have ideas that align with who you are, not who you think you should be.
The measuring stick was never mine. It represents someone else’s definition of success, timeline, and pace.
When you put down the measuring stick that was never yours, you don’t become unmotivated. You become more yourself.
The noise is still there. But when you’re not trying to measure up to it, it becomes just noise—something you can choose to tune out while you focus on what actually matters to you.
