Hat-tip to Rusty Kocian on this post. It was a cold spring night (2015) standing outside of Rusty’s house in Austin, and we were in the throws of important questions about our chosen theme, Sincerity Inside. I love how Steven Pressfield refers to a state of “thrashing”. Working through tedious details… sticking with a tough conversation. Working. Working hard, even when frustrated or stuck. It was a BFD session full of thrashing. Rusty prodded me with questions, and Eric listened intensely.
R: What does “Sincerity Inside” even mean to you, Adam? Talk it out.
Sin-cera (without wax)
Having not done my research, I had assumed (as many do) that the word “Sincerity” meant “without wax” — (in Spanish “sin” “cera” = “without wax”) — and of course the use of this word as a sign-off at the end of a letter made perfect sense, because it was surely communicating: this letter is signed in the open, “without wax”… with Sincerity. Apparently it is well documented that this is a myth. Let’s ignore that for a moment, and roll with the idea that (at least to me) it does mean “without wax”. What does a backpack called Sincerity Inside beg of its wearer then? Without wax, this is who I am. When you think about the adventure you really want to go on, and you’re busy filling your bag, what would you put inside?
Bring your full self
Bring your full self, the real one, not the one that we might be expecting. At the moment when you are ready to pack your bag, and take your first steps of your day — if you could take a moment to look past all of the expectations, ALL of them — could you smile for just a moment and then
Put Yourself Inside
“Put Yourself Inside” was a slogan for Badass Backpacks that Rusty created a long time ago. And it seems impossible for our team to talk about “Sincerity Inside” without also talking about what we mean when we ask our audience to “put themselves inside”. It’s a bold call to action — one that has been shouted from the mountain tops by many great teachers. This slogan was something that we latched onto long before we had settled on the theme of our first bag… which is why I said earlier on this blog that “Sincerity Inside” is the perfect place for us to start. If I’m asking you to put yourself inside, then doesn’t it make sense to start first with giving you permission to start with your most sincere self? The Badass Backpacks team wants to embrace you, as you truly are. And we want you, to do the same for yourself.
Thinking about your own self, and who you are can sometimes feel uncomfortable. It takes vulnerability. And that can feel scary.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? … Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. … It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” — Marianne Williamson
I love this quote by Marianne Williamson. It makes me smile.
The Badass Backpacks team has been thrashing with this concept, this THEME, “Sincerity Inside” — and we will thrash with it some more.