7 Simple Truths from Humble the Poet
lessons from UNLEARN by Humble the Poet
To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. -Lao Tzu
Humble the Poet, AKA Kanwer Singh, and I had a great conversation about his book, UNLEARN. This article is my take on 7 key ideas from Humble’s book. To see the conversation, check out the video below.
Circumstantial happiness is an addiction. When Humble was writing UNLEARN he noticed that his emotions centered around his past and future. Humble decided to focus on figuring out WHY he was experiencing these emotions. He realized that most of his feelings were just a response to projections. If we rely on our outcomes matching up with our projections to be happy, this creates dependence. Go too far down this path and you will be addicted.
Be like 50 Cent. Embrace realism. Humble devotes two chapters of his book to the teachings of 50 Cent. 50 has been shot nine times, he knows the harsh reality of life. This is his power. I used to train pilots to overcome visual illusions that impair their judgment while flying. The more they compared the illusions against reality, the better they could handle a tricky situation. Be like 50, get in touch with reality.
Self-pity is self-sabotage. Like eating potato chips and having too much to drink, self-pity feels good at first. Then it makes things worse. A few years ago, I had a problem with a contract. I believed that I had met my end of the contract, but I was up against an extremely influential legal team that wanted to keep me under the contract for several more years. I pulled out my bag of self-pity potato chips and began to snack. It nearly ruined me. This bad habit was hard to break. Humble explains that our relationship with ourself is extremely important and self-pity feels like it’s nurturing that relationship. Again, come back to reality and see that this is not helping you. Find the steps to actually make progress and follow those before self-pity weighs you down.
Assume the responsibility for your happiness. Everybody says they want to be happy. Are you actually doing the things necessary to be happy? It will show in your schedule. Robin Sharma said, “Don’t tell me your priorities, just show me your schedule.” Assume responsibility and adjust your schedule. There is no one to blame but yourself.
Forgiveness is a decision to not let things hold you down. Humble and I could’ve discussed this one for an extra hour after the podcast. Forgiveness is surprisingly hard. Revenge appears much more satisfying. In fact, my last podcast guest, Navy SEAL Jack Carr, wrote a whole book about revenge. It was gripping. Forgiveness just doesn’t have the same appeal. The problem is that revenge doesn’t get you where you want to go. As Humble said, “Hate doesn’t hurt the one you think it does.” Forgive. Don’t do it for the person you’re forgiving. Do it for yourself.
Your comfort zone is a worldview and it’s not helping you. Humble prides himself on being honest, but he realized he wasn’t always looking at the world in an honest way. He would accept things that sounded nice, but weren’t true, and get burned. As he explains, “Comforting lies are those fluffy pillows, while harsh realities are those cold showers.” Ditch the rose-colored glasses and check out what’s real.
Enjoy an ambitious hunger. Humble’s not looking to be happy all the time. Would it even be possible? We tend to only understand happiness by comparison to sadness. Learn to find happiness in pursuit.
For more, check out Humble’s book UNLEARN: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life
BONUS LESSON:
Every thought you have is a brushstroke on the world you see. -Humble the Poet