In the quiet moments between chaos and creation, reflection becomes both a luxury and a necessity...
It's been a crazy year, and things only feel to be ramping up.
Here's what 2024 has etched into my consciousness...
1. Authority Comes Through Action
The path to "mastery" over anything isn't in the planning—it's in the building, the sharing, the fucking up, the stumbling forward.
I've learned--sometimes painfully--that expertise in something (especially myself) doesn't precede action; it emerges through it.
And whether it's public or private, documenting that journey turns every mistake into a valuable lesson, every insight a stepping stone.
You don't need permission to be an authority in your own evolution.
2024 saw a lot less behind-the-scenes from me than in 2023. I plan on bringing it back in 2025.
2. The Non-Linear Dance
Progress rarely moves in a straight line.
Not that it's anything new, but this year has been a masterclass in accepting that sometimes moving forward means spiraling up—two steps forward, two steps back, but somehow still ascending.
It's less about the individual steps and more about the overall direction.
3. Business: It's Another Mirror
Fascinating how life works... There's no escaping yourself, no matter how much distraction you create for yourself.
This year showed me that business partnerships reflect our inner landscape just as intimately as romantic relationships do.
Team dynamics aren't about perfection—they're about complementary strengths creating something greater than our individual capabilities.
And the stress, resistance, triggers? More chances to learn about yourself.
Surrounding yourself with a team may not always be preferred (for a hermit like me), but where one member may lack, another excels… and this is a helpful tool in the scope of crafting the reality we want for ourselves.
4. Parenting: Presence, Not Performance
With children, I've realized that all the parenting books in the world can't replace pure, undiluted presence.
When I catch myself getting frustrated about their behavior, it's usually because I wasn't truly there with them in the first place... Head somewhere else entirely.
The math is simple: More genuine presence = less need for correction.
I've found the solution to be removing as much distraction as possible and focusing on being there as 100% as possible with the kids.
(And hey, removing distractions is helpful to carry over into all realms.)
5. The Fluid Nature of Structure
Routines are tools, not chains. A good routine leads to optimal performance and creative output.
However, it's a double-edged sword:
Yes, discipline compounds. Yes, good habits create momentum...
BUT.
Sometimes the highest form of discipline is knowing when to break the routine and settle into a state of peace.
And peace isn't found in rigid adherence—it's found in alignment.
Like they say...Ultimately, wealth = peace. True wealth is in the moments when your mind isn't racing about the future or replaying the past, and you are content in your own skin.
Remembering this has been key to staying on track when the kids wake up too early or life throws another curveball.
6. Creative Alchemy
Sexual energy is creative energy in disguise, and it's just waiting to be deployed.
"But Jordan, your hippie ass should have known this! You've got kids."
Yes, on some cognitive level, I have known this, heard about it, studied it, tried to force it... but this year really took my awareness of sexual energy to the next level, and it's begun integrating into my behaviors and decision-making.
It's something felt now.
This same force that creates children also writes novels, builds companies, and changes worlds. Powerful.
When we learn to channel it (rather than suppress or immediately act on it), it becomes fuel for whatever fire we're trying to build: professional, personal, relationships.
In Conclusion: Putting It All Together
Life works better when we stop forcing it and start flowing with it.
"Jordan, that sounds like some serious spiritual bypass shit."
From the new challenges (and deep fears) wrought from becoming a father, I've come full circle on this idea.
"Flowing" doesn't mean passive. It means taking aligned action from a place of presence & feeling rather than resistance & overthinking.
It means building and sharing and fucking up... but doing it because it feels like the right move, not because we think we "should."
(And to minimize the fucking up, do more research and preparation!)
It means showing up fully for our relationships (both business and personal)... but from authenticity rather than obligation.
It means creating structure... but holding it loosely enough to adapt when life has other plans (because it will).
If there's one meta-lesson from 2024, it's this:
The magic happens in the balance between doing and being, between structure and flow, between pushing forward and letting things breathe.
And maybe that's what true sovereignty of the self looks like—not controlling everything, but dancing skillfully with whatever life brings our way.
So yeah, this all may be ancient wisdom wearing 2024 clothes, but that's the beauty of it all: We don't learn through information; we learn through experience.
