The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

- Rudyard Kipling -

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You're an individual; you're you and can't be anything other that that. You can change your thoughts, attitudes, behaviours, actions and even your habits, but no matter what you do, all you can ever be is yourself. That's kind of cool right? It makes you responsible for your progression in life and what you get out of it; You, me and everyone we know has the chance and choice to create our ideal lives, it's cool to be human and have that ability.

Having said that, you're sort of an acorn also.

𝕐𝕠𝕦❜𝕣𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕟

Inside an acorn is a super solid massive oak tree...it just hasn't happened yet.

Add quality soil, nutrients, water and sunshine and out it comes growing, developing and basically doing what oak trees do. You're like that and so am I. We just need the right start, some of the right elements consistently and the will to make of ourselves what we wish ourselves to be and, like Mr. Kipling says above, "no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

I've used the acorn and oak tree analogy in my coaching, training and mentoring roles. We can stay in that little acorn safe and sound, or do what's required to get the fuck out of it and make something of ourselves. I've never seen a person make themselves into an oak tree of course, but I've seen people create amazing lives around themselves, take ownership and responsibility and show the discipline to make it so...and we all have that opportunity.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕖

I'm not actually sure if there is a relation between these two things at all, but like an acorn, oak tree and coffee which are all individual to each other, so are we and, like I said in a post yesterday, we should embrace that.

Today I was sitting in a café sipping a coffee thinking about the type of coffee I drink and how it's changed over the years with the changes in myself, and how each of us prefers a certain way to have it, or to not have it at all.

Espresso, ristretto, long black, doppio, short macchiato, cappuccino, long macchiato, americano, piccolo, caffe latte, flat white, iced coffee, mocha, cold drip, cold brew, dirty chai...there's others also...there's so many different ways to have coffee.

I usually have a long black (basically an americano) with a dash of milk, long or short macchiato, espresso and sometimes a flat white. It usually depends on the available time, whether I'm sitting or on the move, having a meeting or by myself, and various other factors. When drinking flat white and americano coffee I only ever order small cups rather than medium, large or extra large and rarely will I ask for anything but normal milk. But that's just me.

We're all different, sort of like oak trees and acorns, and have the ability to make individual choices.

𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕟

I've found the best way to be me is through displaying those three traits I mention above: Ownership, responsibility and discipline. It works for others too.

Getting out of your acorn means moving outside the convenient paradigms we bound ourselves with, pushing through the comfort zones and getting a little uncomfortable, doing difficult things, and to being present in one's life rather than a passenger; understanding that our time in life is finite. I don't know, call me crazy, but that seems to be the best use of a life that has an ending point; waiting for things to happen seems a little lazy and I'm the actively work towards making things happen guy. It's paid dividends.

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It's amazing what thoungs one can have over a cup of coffee huh? Anyway, enough about acorns, oak trees and you being the best version of yourself at any given point of your life. I want to ask you a serious question.

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕔𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕖

If you're interested in joining the conversation please do so below. Tell me about how you drink coffee the types, styles and quantities...or tea, mate, hot chocolate or any other beverage besides. Maybe comment on how you live your best life and actively work towards creating it. Maybe you're an acorn-lover and want to talk about fucken acorns...it doesn't matter, just get involved in the comments section if you're so inclined.