energy

Dum De Dum Dum Dee Da (David Deida)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I’m blue da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die, da ba dee da ba die.

When I was a boy, I thought that was a cool song. But when I was a boy, I thought a lot of things were cool, and boy was I wrong. Luckily for all of us, I grew up, and along the way I learned a few things about desire, love, spirituality, and work.

And thankfully, I am no longer blue. Because who wants to be blue when you can be green? (read: my True Colors test results).

Pursuing knowledge, gaining insights, becoming closer to the truth of the matter. These are the things that those of us with “masculine” energy should chasing after at all times.

Worldwide Trainings

I first decided to pursue personal enlightenment back in 2007, just after I had graduated from University, but before I had really settled into any discernable sort of full-time work. I’ve read books on science, philosophy, business, psychology, sociology, history, biography, and the ever popular self-improvement. Now I’ll admit, the first few years of reading were purely based on whimsy, recommendations from friends, and whatever I came across.

But one summer in 2010, a friend of mine lent me a copy of this book by David Deida, and I realized that I knew little to nothing about anything beyond what I could see.

You see, David Deida is an American author and life coach who specializes in books about relationships between men and women as they relate to each other through spirituality and sexuality. At this point, Deida is an interntational bestselling author with many of his books being published in various languages.

He is also known for hosting workshops on spiritual growth and intimacy, and is one of the many founding associates at the Integral Institute. Some of his more popular books on human spirituality include The Way of the Superior Man, Finding God Through Sex, and Blue Truth and the autobiographical novel Wild Nights.

And back in 2010, he taught me something about women, that I’ll never forget.

Superiority Complex

I decided to reread The Way of the Superior Man this month because I know what my purpose in life is, but oh so many of us refuse to acknowledge it.

Coming to terms with the notion that you may be doing everything wrong in your life is hard to accept, but Deida teaches that it is only when we are in moments of quiet reflection that our purpose presents itself. And it will do this over and over again if we need a refresher, all we have to do is sit in quiet reflection. In fact, it needs to be more important than any relationship you will ever have with a woman, and if you stick to your purpose, the woman you are with will be all the more attracted to you.

Deida has jam packed his book full of tidbits such as this, and while at times it seems overwhelming to read, it slowly starts to make more and more sense.

Masculine energy is about consistency, while feminine energy is constantly moving, it is life itself. He goes on to explain further that no matter what gender we are, we all have both kinds of energy, a sort of yin an yang of sexual identity. Where it gets complicated is in understanding that as a man, in a relationship with a woman (which can easily apply to gay men and women as well as sexual identities) it becomes your responsibility to provide the masculine energy so that the woman may focus on feminine energy, where balance is created in the differences.

Ideas of masculine energy leading the relationship, living according to a persona code, seeking freedom at all times, and seeking challenges constantly are some of the things that Deida expects of an evolved male.

That means learning to enjoy the drama in a relationship, working on your sexual identity and skill-set, while living outside of your personal comfort zone. What that means is allowing the woman in your life to communicate with you. Talk about the problem, but do not seek to solve it. Have fun, bring humour to the situation without making fun of her, and love her as she is.

 

theories Summarized

 

I could spend a lot more time outlining the details of this book, but that would betray it’s intent. It’s about spending time with the ideas contained therein, reflecting upon them, and then introducing them into your own life. I’ll leave you with this thought – You need to be both erect and at peace simultaneously, so that she may crush you with emotion, dance, and sexuality. And that’s no theory.

Tim!motiv

Someone Is Feeling Salty (National Nutrition Month)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Nutrition is important to me. It should be to you too.

And here’s why.

According to pretty much every nutritionist and health professional ever, food is vital for us to live because it provides us with nutrients. Nutrients are essential for every day life because they give us energy and good health (when taken in the correct quantities and varieties). If you pick the right foods, you can boost your happiness, get better mental functions, and maintain a healthy body weight. But that’s not all, nutrients also help with prevention and treatment of illnesses.

Some foods are better at supplying energy (carbohydrates, proteins, fat) while others are better at regulating our bodily functions (vitamins, minerals, water).

Staple foods like rice, wheat, potatoes and plantains are relatively cheap and supply energy with good regularity. I’ll call out protein in particular, because it is needed to build, maintain and repair muscle, blood, skin and bones and other tissues and organs in the body. Because good nutrition is important in leading a healthy lifestyle your diet is key to this end; when combined with physical activity a lot more can be accomplished to keep the engine running, so to speak.

Now with all of that shared, eating a varied, well-balanced diet is no simple task. It means eating a variety of foods daily AND in recommended amounts. On top of that, different foods provide different types and volumes of nutrients. Which is frustrating to investigate, and that’s putting it simply.

Salt of the Earth

You’re probably wondering why I even mention this, because this is a creativity and arts based blog.

But the harsh reality is that we too as creative types need all the support we can get. It’s really easy to fall into bad health habits, eating quick and easy to prepare foods that provide little to no health benefits. Or worse, buying from the drive-thru. Once you get into a cycle of bad health, it can be difficult to climb out of it. Believe me when I say that I STILL struggle with this one.

Fortunately for me and for you, it’s National Nutrition Month, which means that there is a bunch of literature out there right now which we can all take advantage of and better ourselves with. You absolutely need to eat right for your lifestyle because there is no one correct diet for everyone. This article covers the essentials rather well, but if you don’t want to spend the time rooting through 3500+ words right now, I’ll summarize my thoughts with short list of tips and tricks now

  1. eat lots of different fruit and vegetables. cooked or raw depending on your needs. (7-10 servings a day)
  2. whole grains are not the enemy. whole grains have fibre and are not the same as white bread or pasta. (wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal, hulled barley)
  3. protein, protein, protein. This is so important I’m putting it in the middle. Eat fish, beans and lentils, dairy and lean meats EVERY SINGLE DAY to get your daily protein (between 45-60 grams, based on weight)
  4. sugar definitely is the enemy, especially in drinks. unsweetened coffee, tea, tea or milk for beverages are best. fruit juice has almost as much sugar as soda
  5. say no to processed food. if its not from the ground, walks around or flies, its no bon.

I’ll leave you with this timely thought for now. It doesn’t matter what you change, only that you make the change yourself and from within. I hope you have an excellent weekend creative cuties, no more theories from me.

I’ll see you on Sunday with an updated LOGO(s).

Tim!

Strike A Fine Balance (Ryan Andrade preview interview)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

After a long day at the office, salt mines or looking after the rug rat(s), we all need a bit of a breather, something to rejuvenate the mind, heart, and spirit. And that dear readers, is what we in the creative industry like to call striking a work/life balance.

Well to be honest, in any industry they would call it same thing, but some industries don’t realize the creative potential to be had in learning the art of balancing all of your responsibilities so that you can be fulfilled. Which is why I’ve spent some time thinking on this topic and ever vigilant to see if I can dig up any theories on balance.

That we way can all learn how to address it proper.

Luckily for you, my friends, I’m in the habit of making friends with people that are experts in exactly these types of skill sets. As the buddhist saying goes, when the student is willing, the teacher will appear.

25bcafc9b46b6818eb112033ff2d500bab71ae66cfc55bcd04403693983b3811

You must be suspecting a pattern here. That I’m going to share a theory I unraveled all on my own, without any effort on my part, and which I’m building up to sharing, aren’t you folks?

No of course you aren’t, you read the title and so there isn’t a ton of mystery to be had here. After all, even though the website is called timotheories, you don’t need to expect everything to come from my own cranial activity.

Just like you, I need to spend time in recovery every once and a while, and it’s important for me to do this in order to maintain a healthy balance in my life.

Which is where Ryan Andrade comes in. He is a creative professional who is in the process of completing his bachelor of fine arts. He is also a journeyman welder. Ryan has found a way to make art and find creativity in everything he does, but this is not what I’m excited to share with you today, I’m sharing a single question from our interview that highlights his uncanny ability to combine separate concepts and strike a balance among them.

I’m incredibly stoked to be sharing this preview of episode 11 of timotheories interviews, you’re in for a treat!

Friends it really is time for you to sneak a peek of the Ryan Andrade interview… and don’t worry, you’ll still get the full meal deal, but for now, enjoy our brief Q&A interlude and the rest of your Sunday. It is the long weekend after all, so that means no work tomorrow!

I’m out of theories for now, dear readers! Have a fantastic night, and I’ll see you tomorrow with something featuring glass animals, and I’m not writing about porcelain.

Tim!

This Art Is On Fire (Dealing With Burn Out)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Sometimes you work really hard on a project and then you see it take off! Which is amazing and inspiring and has all the good feelings that make creativity worthwhile. Recognition in other words, dear readers!

No matter how many artists I speak with, whether musicians, actors, visual artists or otherwise, they all say similar things about the importance of digging into the form you love with everything you’ve got and expecting a slow climb up that hill. Because while you may find opportunities right away, you also might be a victim of chance and have to wait for those accolades.

Which is legit.

6b1cc1e094d25ec2bf90a2352bae038f9a6710c155d69b16b400b8f14e31000e

This post is for those artists, the ones who wanted to succeed right away and didn’t, who work hard night and day to find their place in the world and put up their own time, potentially sacrificing their mental and physical health to do so. To carry that torch for the arts.

For everyone who has the courage to go the distance and shoot for their dreams, no matter what, this one’s for you.

Now, my original plan to start this post off right was to simply include a couple of lyrics from famous songs with the word fire in the song itself and then make a joke about the nature of fire and how it relates to success as a metaphor.

But fuck – there were like 150 plus songs to choose from, and I started to feel old once I realized that all of my “cool and new” references were from the 2000s and now effectively outdated (For instance, one of the examples I was thinking about was from the 2003 album Fire by Electric Six). So you’ll just have to accept this string of GIFs as my effort at peacekeeping – Because I’m also feeling burnt out from this process. Pun semi-intentional.

Mi6sWRs                                   gifyh1c46                                                william

Funny right?

Well, interestingly enough each of those GIFs represents a different scenario of burn out. Yeah, burn out. I’m switching to something serious.

A scary topic that not a lot of people talk about because they don’t understand the full-reaching effects it can have on an individual.

Burnout is the state in which one discovers they have chronic fatigue – It usually starts with a lack of energy and feeling tired quite often. But they will likely experience other symptoms too, which might include insomnia, forgetfulness and/or impaired concentration, physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, headaches and stomach pain, weakened immune system, loss of appetite, anxiety, anger, and depression. More on the symptoms in this article.

You see, the 1st image is the guy/gal/person who decides to embrace the pain and lean into it as it overtakes them. Then you have 2nd person who experiences the loss and complains about it while not doing anything either, the 3rd person sees the signs but pretends there is nothing wrong, and the 4th person, appropriately might I add, freaks out and does something about it.

Dear readers, let me say this in the most common of terms, you want to be that 4th person. Take the time to honestly assess the state you are in, the amount of stress in your life, and find ways to reduce it before it becomes too much. While burn out is a physical problem, unlike a cold or a hangover, it doesn’t go away over a matter of days, it can take much longer, because it hits two fronts at the same time – your mind and your body.

So what’s an artist to do about it?

Well you need to douse that fire quick or if you’ve already experienced burn out, clean up the ashes and start rebuilding. But for the sake of constructive criticism and because I hate to leave you without some wisdom, I’ll give you a short list of remedies you can use (taken from this article).

  1. Self-care. Get your energy back through salt baths, yoga, deep breathing, long walks in nature, and positive affirmations.
  2. Take a break. Dial back from what you aren’t interested about and take a break until you are ready to come back. Whether it’s days, weeks, or months.
  3. Check your trophy room. Look back at your history and identify your successes. Stop comparing yourself to others.
  4. Enlist support. Hiring someone or get a friend to help out.
  5. Reassess your goals. Rethink your dreams, visions, and goals.
  6. Seek new inspiration. Visit places you normally avoid or spend time with creatives you haven’t considered before. Children for example.
  7. Community. Find a tribe through a class, seminar, meet-up or a studio visit.

And if you want some more resources, look here for suggestions (1 2 3 4). There is definitely a lot more to be written about this subject, and I’ve just scratched the surface, but at the end of the day, no matter what your creative role, you HAVE to take care of yourself. Inspiration and passion are good motivators but discipline requires attention as well.

Now I’m out of theories for the day friends. I hope this post finds you well, and if not, it helps you get back in shape. I’ll see you tomorrow with something timely.

Tim!

You’re Gonna Love DiSSS (The 4-Hour Chef)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Believe it or not, a large part of becoming a better artist is incorporating skills into other areas of your life, one that make those areas more efficient, allowing you to focus your creative energy on making work, and the marketing of said work.

That means that health matters! It is essential to build good habits to maintain your greatest resource, which is in fact you, dear readers! By honing your diet, getting your sleep, caring for your mental state, and also your spirits, you’re on the road to success.

Today’s wisdom comes from James J. Lachard (real name John James Brown), an English writer who served in the military, worked as an editor, and then at a greeting card company before joining World Vision in the 1960’s. He never published the short story titled, An Interview with God, which the excerpt below is from, because it was rejected by publishers at the time, but I think it’s quite relevant for us today and I’m glad it escaped onto the internet, and will serve as an anchor for the rest of this post.

What surprises you most about mankind?

Many things.
That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up,
and then long to be children again.
That they lose their health to make money and then lose their
money to restore health.
That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, and
live neither for the present nor for the future.
That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they had never lived.

– James J. Lachard

Whether you’re a monotheist, polytheist, henotheist or atheist, we can all recognize the value of those words in the quote above, dear readers. It’s important to take care of your health so that you can do the things you’re passionate to do. Which leads to a question I’ve continuously asked and pursued for the better part of my late teens and throughout my life since I started down the road of adulthood and career.

How the hell do you put everything you’ve got into your career if you also need to manage your health, your finances, and your relationships too?

Well we are definitely going to explore that question today, and down the road too! In future Wisdom Wednesday posts, of course! But for now let’s focus on one specific area to highlight the incredible acrobatics at stake here.

Let’s consider your diet. Diet is incredibly important to maintaining your energy levels.

I’ve been saying this for years, but if I could figure out a way to avoid food preparation and meal planning, I would be so much more productive at my art. Especially considering how hard it is to motivate yourself to do anything after a long day of work at a day job.

Supposedly you have to choose. Eat well and pay the bills or eat poorly and make your art. The reality is that neither leads towards fulfillment.

But that’s why today’s book, The 4-Hour Chef, just might be genius. A friend of mine recently recommended it to me, because I was talking with him about the incredible burden associated with building multiple businesses, holding a day job, having a relationship/family/friends, and fitting in the basics of health.

Designed as both a “cookbook” for people who don’t cook and also manual for accelerated learning of any subject, Tim Ferris’ The 4-Hour Chef provides you with 14 key meals to serve as a foundation in your culinary tool belt and get you spending less time on thinking about what to eat and more time on other things.

Is it perfect? Well no, because it does seem to cater to a certain kind of diet, which might not work for those who are vegan or vegetarian, but the concept of teaching you how to navigate a kitchen is what’s crucial here. And it’s not entirely a cookbook, it also is about 20% self-improvement on the subject of learning (explained via his DiSSS and CaFe principles), but learning to love learning is another part of it.

Give it a try. I think you’ll like it. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow for something timely dear readers! Please comment! Please subscribe!

Tim!