Some Words of Wisdom

Hello again. I was reading a new article from a newly found blog and I thought the words were so insightful and simple so I decided to post it here. Although I believe we should not just 'fly solo' but fly to the flight plan of Christ but it's a good reminder anyway of where we DON'T find our worth. It's only in Christ that we can find any worth or satisfaction.

On Simplicity

Post: September 16th, 2008

I’m way more knowledgeable than the average person on a couple of pretty arcane topics. (Doesn’t everyone?) Does that impress you?

No? Well, in that case why don’t you come to my house and check out the artistically displayed books on these random subjects. Are you impressed now?

No? Well, crap. See, a bit of my identity is tied up people seeing those signifiers and thinking I’m well-educated and culturally sophisticated.

For me, these books are a form of social proof. They attempt tell the world who I am and why I deserve to be listened to in the absence of any other information. The problem is, to the rest of the world I’m intent on impressing, they’re just books. No one reads the messages that I assume they’re sending. Their only true purpose at this point is to comfort me and prop up my self-esteem.

The Message Your Stuff Is (Or Isn’t) Sending

If you’re surrounded by stuff with the sole purpose of conveying a message to the world about your worth, it’s time to rethink the true value of those items. These things don’t show our imagined audience anything. In fact, they may even hinder us from actually creating the impression we wish to.

Instead of actually going out and learning new things and being genuinely interesting, I use these social proofs as a crutch and don’t bother to learn new things that would actually be interesting. Instead of talking to people and engaging with them, I’m counting on inanimate objects to tell the world my story. How stupid is that?

The Joy of Flying Solo


In essence, the concept I’m talking about is flying without a net. Could you go into the world without any evidence of your talents or success and be confident that people would be able to recognize who “you” are? If not, it’s time to go out and become that person you want the world to see. Stop hiding behind books, playlists, friend counts, and designer labels. Because in the end, your jeans don’t make your sassy, your books don’t make you smart, and your friend count doesn’t make you popular. They’re just meager byproducts of you.

Try flying without a net, and discover that your own wings take you farther and higher than any social proof ever could.

photo credit: ClevelandSGS

photo credit: Photo_Mind