I agree, the visuals were great. I wondered which one I was, because I felt like I could relate to both camps. However, the explanation at the end, about the swinging, made so much sense.
Thank you so much, Mika! I also was trying to figure out which camp I was in as I was writing it, then I remembered that I would bounce back and forth. I’m glad it made sense in the end 🙏
Nice discussion of personality tendencies. I appreciated the clarity and thoughtfulness of this post.
One complicating factor I thought of while reading is that some causes can be addressed and potentially changed (e.g. poor exercise habits) whereas some simply need to be accepted (e.g. adverse childhood events). Distinguishing what levers to press may fall outside of the internal/external/middle breakdown. I'm reminded of the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God [or not addressed to God for the atheists], grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Dan, I sincerely appreciate your feedback here. As I was editing this post, I had the same thought as you. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to distinguish between problems that could easily be solved through lifestyle changes and those outside our control. I briefly tried to address this issue at the end of idea #4, but I honestly wasn’t fully satisfied with how I did it.
Now I know for next time that if something isn’t sitting right with me, it will probably affect a reader similarly.
Your feedback is immensely beneficial - thank you, thank you, thank you!
Also, I love the serenity prayer. I appreciate you adding that to your response 🙏♥️
It’s a pleasure to be in conversation with you. I think these sorts of models provide value when they shed light on my situation. If I expect any model to fully encompass all the subtleties of my life, they are bound to fail short and I’ll end up skewing my insights to fit the model. Perfection is the enemy of the good. 😊
One of the best articles I have ever read. In African social science and economics literature, there is also a huge discussion around internalists versus externalists (blaming everything wrong in the continent on colonisation) as causes of chronic poverty, poor governance, extremes between the rich and the poor etc. I feel this was such an honest and excellent piece..Loved it.. the visuals are so good too.
Dr Faith, thank you so much for your kind and generous response! Also, I’d love to read more into the externalist/internalist discussion in African social science! If you have any quality research to share on the topic, please do send those my way. 🙏
Magnificent! Love the visuals, the symmetrical breakdown, and 'The Way'. These are very powerful truths when put into practice are completely life changing. There is something to be said about the immense influence that hidden beliefs (eg victim mindset) have on our lives and well being. The process of uncovering those and addressing the experiences that created those beliefs is some serious inner work.
It is always in the extremes where we create our worst. The Center, where we accept the things we cannot change and move beyond victimhood, is indeed the path forward - the way.
Humans have been stuck in extreme patterns for decades. Entire marketing schemes and criminal minds keep us stuck by not only pointing out "the problems", but offering "solutions"...that don't actually solve the problem, but keep people stuck in order to make profits.
Unfortunately, the extremes in any situation make lots of noise and distract from the actual solution - centering ourselves.
The visuals were helpful and did not distract at all.
Kimberly, thank you so much for your thoughtful and generous response!
I’d contend that humans have been stuck in the extremes for centuries, not just decades! But, of course, we’ve seen an uptick in living on the edges (and not in a good/healthy way).
I appreciate you being along on this journey with me 🤗
I have so much to say here. First - I am amazed at how often I read about certain topics and then you end up writing on those same topics within the next week or two. It’s really remarkable. I think this is the 3rd time it has happened. We are just on the same wavelength I guess. Second - this is by far my favorite article I have read of yours so far. Fascinating topic (as I said I was just reading about it) and again, I love the vulnerability and personal connection. I imagine that you sharing these details about your life and the drawing took a lot of courage and bravery. I am sure a lot of personal work has happened for you to get there. Third - I really like the visuals, they add to your writing and give an extra element that helped connect me to your work and thoughts. Lastly - I found myself laughing at a few of the comments with criticism and “advice.” I am in awe (and somewhat jealous 😉)at your astronomical rise and engagement that you get on substack. You do interesting and fascinating work. Pay them no mind and keep inspiring all of us who enjoy reading your articles.
Thank you so much for this incredibly kind compliment! I sincerely appreciate you! As you know better than most, it did take a lot of inner work to go beyond some of my big problems. And it takes even more work to maintain my center.
Also - all feedback is open and welcome here. I’m grateful to see how my writing is perceived from every perspective, and I find it all helpful 🤗
Thanks for looking out for me. I appreciate you greatly.
Interesting take vis-à-vis internalities and externalities. I feel understanding those dimensions would assist in directing efforts towards resolving issues. Personal experience says, both prey on each other to a large extent. The middle approach, as always, strikes the balance between dualities. The visuals provided clarity on first look.
thank you for that one. Please don’t mind my strait, blunt criticism, Jen.
Step back for grander view and check whether the approach via Externalits / Internalists is helpful to precisely contain, define and explain the way out of the core challenge –-> PROBLEM (small/big)?
Your winding exemplifying is making readers tired, and you may Lose Your Audience. Try and by short and precise. Let tension grow. You may also leave some advice void to provoke questioning. Entering a communication and possible teamwork. This will help growing your audience and followership.
An excellent round-up is your Tao Te Ching Mastering:
1.) When we oscillate between extremes, we deplete our energy
2.) The Way through our problems lies not in the extremes but in the center.
Joe-Kwame, this is some of the best advice I’ve received thus far. Thank you!
I had similar feelings as you on this particular article and wasn’t sure what I needed to do, but it definitely needed to be tightened up for greater clarity. I’m still in the process of testing and learning, so I greatly appreciate your advice. I know it takes guts to provide constructive feedback, and I’m grateful that you were willing to do that for me. Thank you for being here on this journey with me.
I loved reading this! Really liked the illustrations, a great visual for helping to understand the spectrum of how we see our problems. Also completely agree that our problems are much more complex than one internal/ external factor, at any one time 😊
I thought the visuals worked well. They supported but didn’t overwhelm the writing.
I agree, the visuals were great. I wondered which one I was, because I felt like I could relate to both camps. However, the explanation at the end, about the swinging, made so much sense.
Thank you so much, Mika! I also was trying to figure out which camp I was in as I was writing it, then I remembered that I would bounce back and forth. I’m glad it made sense in the end 🙏
Yes
I also think the visuals worked out really really well.
Thank you, Goshen! 🤗
Thank you, Craig! I sincerely appreciate your feedback
Thank you, Jesse!
Nothing to add or correct here. I thought it was well written and enjoyed it. Thanks 👍
Thank you, Jeffrey! That’s such a kind compliment 🤗
Nice discussion of personality tendencies. I appreciated the clarity and thoughtfulness of this post.
One complicating factor I thought of while reading is that some causes can be addressed and potentially changed (e.g. poor exercise habits) whereas some simply need to be accepted (e.g. adverse childhood events). Distinguishing what levers to press may fall outside of the internal/external/middle breakdown. I'm reminded of the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God [or not addressed to God for the atheists], grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Dan, I sincerely appreciate your feedback here. As I was editing this post, I had the same thought as you. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to distinguish between problems that could easily be solved through lifestyle changes and those outside our control. I briefly tried to address this issue at the end of idea #4, but I honestly wasn’t fully satisfied with how I did it.
Now I know for next time that if something isn’t sitting right with me, it will probably affect a reader similarly.
Your feedback is immensely beneficial - thank you, thank you, thank you!
Also, I love the serenity prayer. I appreciate you adding that to your response 🙏♥️
It’s a pleasure to be in conversation with you. I think these sorts of models provide value when they shed light on my situation. If I expect any model to fully encompass all the subtleties of my life, they are bound to fail short and I’ll end up skewing my insights to fit the model. Perfection is the enemy of the good. 😊
Likewise, Dan.
Well said 🙏
One of the best articles I have ever read. In African social science and economics literature, there is also a huge discussion around internalists versus externalists (blaming everything wrong in the continent on colonisation) as causes of chronic poverty, poor governance, extremes between the rich and the poor etc. I feel this was such an honest and excellent piece..Loved it.. the visuals are so good too.
Dr Faith, thank you so much for your kind and generous response! Also, I’d love to read more into the externalist/internalist discussion in African social science! If you have any quality research to share on the topic, please do send those my way. 🙏
Most work by George Ayittey such as Africa in Chaos: https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/08/books/scapegoating-history.html
Thank you 🙏
Magnificent! Love the visuals, the symmetrical breakdown, and 'The Way'. These are very powerful truths when put into practice are completely life changing. There is something to be said about the immense influence that hidden beliefs (eg victim mindset) have on our lives and well being. The process of uncovering those and addressing the experiences that created those beliefs is some serious inner work.
It absolutely is, as you know 🙏
Thank you so much, Jeremy. I appreciate you immensely
This was an excellent read for my Sunday morning.
Thank you, Rena! 🤗
So good! How do you always know just what to say just when I needed it? Thank you for leading the way! Bless you Jen 🙏❤️
Thank you so much, Jamie! I appreciate you 🤗
It is always in the extremes where we create our worst. The Center, where we accept the things we cannot change and move beyond victimhood, is indeed the path forward - the way.
Humans have been stuck in extreme patterns for decades. Entire marketing schemes and criminal minds keep us stuck by not only pointing out "the problems", but offering "solutions"...that don't actually solve the problem, but keep people stuck in order to make profits.
Unfortunately, the extremes in any situation make lots of noise and distract from the actual solution - centering ourselves.
The visuals were helpful and did not distract at all.
I very much appreciate your writing.
Kimberly, thank you so much for your thoughtful and generous response!
I’d contend that humans have been stuck in the extremes for centuries, not just decades! But, of course, we’ve seen an uptick in living on the edges (and not in a good/healthy way).
I appreciate you being along on this journey with me 🤗
Enlightened! 🙌
Great observation and insights, as always!
Thank you kindly, Nibir! 🤗
I have so much to say here. First - I am amazed at how often I read about certain topics and then you end up writing on those same topics within the next week or two. It’s really remarkable. I think this is the 3rd time it has happened. We are just on the same wavelength I guess. Second - this is by far my favorite article I have read of yours so far. Fascinating topic (as I said I was just reading about it) and again, I love the vulnerability and personal connection. I imagine that you sharing these details about your life and the drawing took a lot of courage and bravery. I am sure a lot of personal work has happened for you to get there. Third - I really like the visuals, they add to your writing and give an extra element that helped connect me to your work and thoughts. Lastly - I found myself laughing at a few of the comments with criticism and “advice.” I am in awe (and somewhat jealous 😉)at your astronomical rise and engagement that you get on substack. You do interesting and fascinating work. Pay them no mind and keep inspiring all of us who enjoy reading your articles.
Cody,
Thank you so much for this incredibly kind compliment! I sincerely appreciate you! As you know better than most, it did take a lot of inner work to go beyond some of my big problems. And it takes even more work to maintain my center.
Also - all feedback is open and welcome here. I’m grateful to see how my writing is perceived from every perspective, and I find it all helpful 🤗
Thanks for looking out for me. I appreciate you greatly.
Interesting take vis-à-vis internalities and externalities. I feel understanding those dimensions would assist in directing efforts towards resolving issues. Personal experience says, both prey on each other to a large extent. The middle approach, as always, strikes the balance between dualities. The visuals provided clarity on first look.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback and reflection, Bhavana. I appreciate you!
SMALL / BIG PROBLEM RESOLUTION – DAO THE WAY
Jen Hitze /Joe-Kwame,
thank you for that one. Please don’t mind my strait, blunt criticism, Jen.
Step back for grander view and check whether the approach via Externalits / Internalists is helpful to precisely contain, define and explain the way out of the core challenge –-> PROBLEM (small/big)?
Your winding exemplifying is making readers tired, and you may Lose Your Audience. Try and by short and precise. Let tension grow. You may also leave some advice void to provoke questioning. Entering a communication and possible teamwork. This will help growing your audience and followership.
An excellent round-up is your Tao Te Ching Mastering:
1.) When we oscillate between extremes, we deplete our energy
2.) The Way through our problems lies not in the extremes but in the center.
Again,… walking the Tightrope of Life.
Thank you, Jen!
Namasté, Joe-Kwame
Joe-Kwame, this is some of the best advice I’ve received thus far. Thank you!
I had similar feelings as you on this particular article and wasn’t sure what I needed to do, but it definitely needed to be tightened up for greater clarity. I’m still in the process of testing and learning, so I greatly appreciate your advice. I know it takes guts to provide constructive feedback, and I’m grateful that you were willing to do that for me. Thank you for being here on this journey with me.
With gratitude, Jen
Great work, i enjoyed reading. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Marcus!
I loved reading this! Really liked the illustrations, a great visual for helping to understand the spectrum of how we see our problems. Also completely agree that our problems are much more complex than one internal/ external factor, at any one time 😊
Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback, Charlotte! I appreciate you 🤗
Thanks Jen. Really great stuff and love the visuals
Thank you so much, Meg! 🤗
Thanks Jen, great stuff.
I appreciate you, James 🤗
And I appreciate your writing, Jen.