don't bang the chief's wife

Have a little perspective shift for you today.

This may be helpful to people who are prone to over-comparing themselves to others.

AKA almost everyone lol.

My dad and I had a conversation last week, and he gave me this idea:

He told me to think in terms of territory and not hierarchy.

Let me explain…

The concept of hierarchy is deeply rooted in our DNA.

Back in tribe life, “knowing our place” was essential for survival.

If you overshot and tried to bang the chief’s wife, you’d get exiled or killed.

As such, we humans have developed a keen sense of rank.

We are masters of comparison. We always know where we stand.

This kept us alive back then, but now it kind of sucks.

Social media doesn’t help.

Now we can compare ourselves to a worldwide pool of talent, beauty, and success.

No matter how cool you think your life is, there will always be someone who (appears) to be living it better.

Kind of blows!

Fortunately, there is a remedy.

The remedy is to transform from a hierarchical being to a territorial being.

Territorial beings define themselves by their domain, not their rank.

Your domain comprises the things you commit to mastering.

For me, my domain/territory is my business, playing music, and writing.

That’s it. All I need to do is get better at these things.

This is the way of the artist.

Artists opt out of hierarchies because hierarchies make authentic expression more difficult.

The best artists immerse themselves in their craft with little regard to the "competition".

They carve out their own niche and devote their lives to it.

You can do this too.

1. Define a territory of things you’re committed to.

2. Focus on yourself.

3. Compare yourself only to where you were yesterday.

By the way, this doesn’t mean you don’t get to win.

Life is a competitive game. It’s natural to want to win.

Just have faith that winning is a by-product of mastering your territory.

Winners win through years of devotion to their craft, not fixation upon others.

Think of it this way...

Climbing a hierarchy is like scaling up a crowded, icy mountain.

It’s a cold, slippery, desperate struggle to surpass your peers.

Sounds like a terrible time.

Let's switch to territory.

Being territorial is saying "screw it" to the mountain and building a hot air balloon instead.

It will take immense effort to build a nice balloon. It will not be easy.

But it will be fun. Figuring it out will become a joy in itself.

You’ll forget you’re even in a race until, one day, your balloon inflates.

Up, up, and away you’ll go, far past those struggling on that icy mountain below.

So, get building, and I will see you in the clouds. 🎈🎈

If you found this post helpful/entertaining or know someone who would, I’d love if you could share it with them and invite them to subscribe:

https://www.entreflaneur.com/p/don-t-bang-the-chief-s-wife

Cool things I found during my weekly internet stroll.

Crash course on quantum computing to understand Google’s new quantum chip.

2024 Microsoft Excel World Championship. Just want you to know this exists.

You can thank your driver on Amazon.com by giving them a $5 tip at no cost.

Barcode scanner music. This kind of slaps.

Served up by Spijker & me.

Bebe | Hermeto Pascoal, Doug deVries, James Macauley

Liberate | BODÉ

Not The Same - Black Coffee feat. Shoba Remix | Nitefreak, Imad, Clubhouse

Forbidden City - Khen Remix | DAVI

Haunted - Samm (BE) Remix | Yulia Niko, Tim Engelhardt, 2KY