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Think you're special? That just proves you're normal | Oliver Burkeman
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We are predictable
Most of us are more normal and far less special than we'd like to believe.
Thinking you are different is just one more way in which you're normal.
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Illusory superiority
Your intelligence, your creativity, the degree to which the world has mistreated you are all normal and less quirky than you think.
Most people think they're above average drivers or they are...
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Normal is good
Don't feel repelled by the normal. The ordinary is what shapes you. To dislike the normal means disdain for most of what happens in your life. But that is normal too. However, it's a recipe f...
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Meditation for People Who Don't
One of the good things about social distancing and lockdown is that everyone is trying to come out of this healthier, more grounded, saner, more connected and more empathetic.
One of the key ways to do that is to meditate, and it is something most of us know the benefits, but it is practiced by few and mastered by only a handful.
The Most Difficult, Easy Thing
Meditation requires no equipment, can be done indoors, and is extremely beneficial to cultivate calm, balance, focus, and emotional resilience in these times of uncertainty.
It helps us live, work and sleep better. It is an immediate remedy to lessen your anxiety and provide clarity of mind.
Meditation Is an Internal Skill
The main stumbling block for most people is the mastery of the skill of meditation. Meditation cannot be compared to any form of exercise or hobby as it is an internal skill.
Most people get some benefits out of meditation, but it is not transformative. We have to learn it by ourselves, without having images or ideas in our minds, of what it is, how it is done by others and how it would feel.
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Customizing your coffee
Coffee is worldwide famous for its flavor, smell and energetic effect. According to experts, however, the real coffee has only one flavor, without any added cream or sugar and, above all, without be reheated in the microwave.
On the other hand, farmers, roasters and so on will invite you in the universe of various flavors, that could make anybody fall in love with at least one coffee kind.
The true meaning of coffee
Coffee is, for most of us, a synonym for starting our day, getting the energy in order to work hard, being able to think, to dream.
Coffee is so much more than just a hot or warm drink. Coffee is for the adults who do their best to be efficient at work, but also a drink that runs in the family and connects individuals.
The power of coffee
Throughout your life, you tried, at some point or another, coffee. And you came, undoubtedly, to the conclusion that coffee is miraculous.
And it is indeed: coffee enables you to start over again and to carry on, no matter how old or tired you are. After all, this is coffee we are talking about.
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Coping with life struggles
When we struggle with something that most people don’t seem to struggle with, we start to think there's something wrong with us. And we tend to live in ways that avoid making our struggles obvious: we avoid the situations in which we feel like we don’t fit and that prevents us from ever learning what exactly is happening.
Nobody can assess ease and difficulty objectively
We get to know the world and its challenges through a unique, personal experience, which nobody else can see, so nobody has a direct view of what’s easy or hard in the experience of others. We piece together what’s “normal” by observing how others, on the whole, seem to be doing at the same challenges.
Perception and experience
Two people’s experiences of the same challenge differ wildly, beyond any desire, effort, and perseverance. But most of the messages we get about success (at school, at work, in the media) minimize everything else. Nobody can ever tell you how hard or easy something should be for you. They don’t have enough information.