September 27, 2025
Every day I like to pause, reflect, and wrestle with a new perspective. Today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day come together in an interesting way. One challenges us to stop searching so frantically and simply notice what’s already in front of us. The other nudges us to admit when we feel like the years might be catching up. Together, they paint a picture of clarity, acceptance, and maybe a little humor about how life sneaks up on us.
Thought of the Day: Cease to seek and you will see. (Zen saying)
There’s a tricky balance between effort and ease. Most of my life, I’ve been told to hustle, grind, and chase down answers. But Zen has a funny way of flipping that on its head. Cease to seek and you will see.
Think about the times you’ve tried way too hard to remember someone’s name. You press, you struggle, you get frustrated, and then, hours later while brushing your teeth, it just floats into your head uninvited. That’s the essence of this thought. Sometimes we’re so caught up in searching that we blind ourselves to the obvious.
I see this with my kids too. They’ll tear apart the living room looking for a toy, yelling that it’s gone forever, while it’s literally sitting on the couch. They’re so wrapped up in the seeking that the seeing doesn’t happen. Adults aren’t much better. We do this with our careers, our relationships, even our sense of purpose.
What if the answers we’re chasing aren’t in the next book, the next podcast, or the next productivity app? What if they’re right here, waiting for us to stop searching so aggressively and finally notice?
It makes me wonder, how many of the things I think I’m missing are already in my life, just hiding in plain sight because I’m too busy seeking?
Question of the Day: What is something you think you are too old to do?
I’ll go first: staying up past midnight on a work night. Once upon a time, I could burn through two episodes of Lost, polish off a bag of Doritos and 10 beers, and still function the next morning. Now? If I’m still awake at 12:01, my next day is shot. My body doesn’t negotiate with me anymore, it just issues penalties.
There are other things I quietly admit I’m too old for. Like trying to play a full-court basketball game without pulling something. Or eating Taco Bell at 1 a.m. and expecting my digestive system to cooperate. I’m also past the point where sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag is “fun.” That was fine in college. Today, it’s a three-day recovery plan.
But here’s the funny thing: some “too old” things are lies we tell ourselves. I know people who pick up new sports at 50, start painting at 60, or go back to school at 70. So while I’m probably too old to crowd-surf at a concert (and definitely too old to survive a mosh pit), I’m not too old to learn guitar, write more honestly, or chase down ideas that make life interesting.
Maybe the real trick is knowing the difference between things you’re truly too old for (like chugging Mountain Dew and pulling an all-nighter) and things where “too old” is just fear in disguise.
So I’ll throw it back to you: What’s your “too old” line in the sand? And what’s something you want to prove you’re not too old to do?
(If you’re curious how I’ve wrestled with similar themes, check out my post on why people want you to do well, but not better than them. It ties into this idea of limits—sometimes imposed by others, sometimes by ourselves.)
Final Thoughts and Invitation
The Thought of the Day and Question of the Day are meant to spark reflection—but they only come alive when you add your own perspective. So take a minute: pause the seeking, look around, and then tell me—what are you “too old” to do, and what are you not too old to try?
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