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look at what success has cost them.
Mostly? Freedom. Their work demands they wear a suit. Their success depends on attending certain parties, kissing up to people they don’t like.
Too many successful people are prisoners in jails of their own making.
SEEING THINGS AS THE PERSON AT FAULT DOES
“Whenever someone has done wrong by you, immediately consider what notion of good or evil they had in doing it. For when you see that, you’ll feel compassion, instead of astonishment or rage. For you may yourself have the same notions of good and evil,
Socrates, perhaps the wisest person to ever live, used to say that “nobody does wrong willingly.”
Meaning that no one is wrong on purpose either. Nobody thinks they’re wrong, even when they are.
Could it be that the slights you’ve experienced or the harm that others have done to you was not inflicted intentionally? What if they simply thought they were doing the right thing—for
How much more tolerant and understanding would you be today if you could see the actions of other people as attempts to do the right thing?
Whether you agree or not, how radically would this lens change your perspective on otherwise offensive or belligerent actions?
ONE DAY IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE
we’re so focused on our plan that we forget that there might be a bigger plan we don’t know about.
This sense of being wronged is a simple awareness problem. We need to remember that all things are guided by reason—but
SELF-DECEPTION IS OUR ENEMY
nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.”
Self-deception, delusions of grandeur—these aren’t just annoying personality traits. Ego is more than just off-putting and obnoxious. Instead, it’s the sworn enemy of our ability to learn and grow.
As Epictetus put it, “It is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
So we must meet ego with the hostility and contempt that it insidiously deploys against us—to
THE PRESENT IS ALL WE POSSESS
ever lives a life other than the one they are losing. The longest and the shortest life, then, amount to the same, for the present moment lasts the same for all and is all anyone possesses.
notice how often you look for more. That is, wanting the past to be more than what it was (different, better, still here, etc.) or wanting the future to unfold exactly as you expect (with hardly a thought as to how that might affect other people). When you do this, you’re neglecting the present
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” This present is in our possession—but it has an expiration date, a quickly approaching one.
THAT SACRED PART OF YOU
remember that you’re blessed with the capacity to use logic and reason to navigate situations and circumstances. This gives you unthinkable power to alter your circumstances and the circumstances of others. And remember that with power comes responsibility.
THE BEAUTY OF CHOICE
“You are not your body and hair-style, but your capacity for choosing well. If your choices are beautiful, so too will you be.”
It’s easy to confuse the image we present to the world for who we actually are,
A body built from hard work is admirable. A body built to impress gym rats is not.
IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT
On tough days we might say, “My work is overwhelming,”
If only we could understand that this is impossible. Someone can’t frustrate you, work can’t overwhelm you—these are external objects, and they have no access to your mind. Those emotions you feel, as
real as they are, come from the inside, n...
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What we assume, what we willingly generate in our mind, that’s on us. We can’t blame other people for making us feel stressed or frustrated any more than we can blame them for our jealousy. The cause is within us. They’re just the target.
TIMELESS WISDOM
“For there are two rules to keep at the ready—that there is nothing good or bad outside my own reasoned choice, and that we shouldn’t try to lead events but to follow them.”
“The cause of my irritation is not in this person but in me.”
Remember, each individual has a choice. You are always the one in control. The cause of irritation—or our notion that something is bad—that comes from us, from our labels or our expectations. Just as easily, we can change those labels; we can change our entitlement and decide to accept and love what’s happening around us.
READY AND AT HOME
“I may wish to be free from torture, but if the time comes for me to endure it, I’ll wish to bear it courageously with bravery and honor.
if I must suffer illness, I’ll wish to do nothing rash or dishonorable.
“Of course I deprecate war, but if it is brought to my door the bringer will find me at home.”
We’d be crazy to want to face difficulty in life. But we’d be equally crazy to pretend that it isn’t going to happen. Which is why when it knocks on our door—as it very well may this morning—let’s make sure we’re prepared to answer.
THE BEST RETREAT IS IN HERE, NOT OUT THERE
For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less busy retreat than in your own soul—especially if on close inspection it is filled with ease, which I say is nothing more than being well-ordered. Treat yourself often to this retreat and be renewed.”
Are you looking forward to the weekend so you can have some peace and quiet? Maybe, you think, after things settle down or after I get this over with. But how often has that ever actually worked?
We can find a retreat at any time by looking inward. We can sit with our eyes closed and feel our breath go in and out. We can turn on some music and tune out the world. We can turn off technology or shut off those rampant thoughts in our head. That will provide us peace. Nothing else.
THE SIGN OF TRUE EDUCATION
A degree on a wall means you’re educated as much as shoes on your feet mean you’re walking. It’s a start, but hardly sufficient.
Begin with awareness and reflection. Not just once, but every single second of every single day.
THE STRAITJACKETED SOUL
