47 Comments
User's avatar
Culture Designer's avatar

brother you need to get out of my head or start paying rent. What a powerful collection of tools you are creating. I don't imagine my compliments mean much, but I am extremely impacted by your work... so thank you for being an ember in the fire of resistance

Philipp's avatar

It actually means lot to me. And I’m not saying this lightly… If my work has a positive impact on your life, it’s the best compliment I could get. Thank you brother!

Culture Designer's avatar

Thank you!

Alexandria DeVito's avatar

This distinction between self-actualization and self-transcendence is an important one. It seems to me that these things are sequential. In the first stage of life, we self-actualize. We build our identity / ego to function effectively in the world. Then, in the second stage of life, we transcend that ego in service of a more fulfilling and contributory life.

Philipp's avatar

I like that two phase idea. Are you familiar with the work of Carl Jung?

Alexandria DeVito's avatar

At a high level. I haven’t studied his work deeply. Is there something from him in particular that stands out for you?

Philipp's avatar

Yes, he's talking a lot about that two-stage process you mentioned.

The first half focuses on ego formation through external achievements, while the second emphasizes individuation (and meaning). If I would have to point you to one off his books it would be probably: Man and His Symbols.

Ryan Maxwell's avatar

The immortality project section stopped me cold.

I left a 23-year corporate career to build something that actually mattered to me, and I didn’t realize how much of that decision I’ve been trying to justify with every piece I write.

Philipp's avatar

That's interesting to see. The Immortality Project is indeed an uncomfortable but profound realization.

The Lemon Diary's avatar

This is exactly what I needed to read at this point in my writing journey. Thank you for sharing.

Anne Alexander's avatar

This is awesome. You’re on a beautiful bender!!!

Yvette Lans's avatar

It feels like you took a look inside my brain. Wow, just wow ❤️

Kay's avatar

“The cure is to take the chaos of your life and turn it into a body of work.” Loved this!

Tomás Juárez Goñi's avatar

I just came from a previous lecture from you, and they just keep getting better. Thanks for finding the exact words to express what my brains going through at the moment. I'm more convinced than before to start creating, really appreciate your reflection!

Sambit Mohanty's avatar

In today’s world, everyone is selling you something (a course, a mindset, a blueprint, a “proven system”). It gets exhausting. It’s hard to know what is actually helpful and what is just noise dressed up as advice. My brain has become so accustomed to it that I was looking for the part where you sell a program or a course at the end, and you called it out in the post! Thanks for sharing this!

Lake Filter/Rain P. Filter's avatar

All the fancy words hurts my brain. But I think I agree with the summary. Fame and fortune is a thing beyond my control. The quality of my work is well within.

I don't do the foolish thing and try to control the things I can't. I work on things under my control and try to make it sustainable because it takes a lot of work time for me to improve my writing.

My goal has always been to reach the three people, somewhere out there in the vast universe, who truly gets my work. I hope they are patient enough.

Austin Gates's avatar

What a bad ass read. Great prognosis on what keeps most intelligent people from putting themselves out there and expressing the gifts. Very insightful and inspiring - thank you

Anthony Flood's avatar

Phillipp, I'm having difficulty using WhatsApp, which I rarely used even before I had to factory-reset my phone last month. Please email me (see my eponymous site. Thanks for your inspiring notes. I read every one, and this week started off with a bang. Tony (AnthonyGFlood.com)

Philipp's avatar

That wasn't me, it was an impersonification. I banned the person. Do not interact on Whatsapp with anyone pretending to be me. I will NEVER share my Whatsapp publicly.

Pepe Kurzstrumpf's avatar

Great article! Just found out that i'm a magician...i allways knew it, now i feel it. :)

Philipp's avatar

Glad to have another Magician here :)

Cory Degnen Psy.D.'s avatar

Ah, that was that aweful feeling I got when I first started posting on Substack. Now it makes sense!!

Christin Slade's avatar

This was gold. Thank you so much.

Andrew Calvert's avatar

Reminds me that the effect of a thing we "learn" can only be proved by the behavior change we apply. No change in our behavior = no proof we learned a thing that will have any effect on the world by our own hands.

Philipp's avatar

That’s a very great approach. Most learning is forgotten within a year or two.