🤔 Morning thoughts (August 12 -17)

Every Sunday I share a quote and a reflection on it for each day of the week.

Themes of the week: Responsibility, nature, acceptance, authenticity, perseverance, mindfulness, control.

Sunday - August 18. 2024

“While our desires may not entirely be our fault, they remain our responsibilities.”

Orion Taraban, The value of others

Either take care of the things you nurture or take a stand and stop nurturing them. It’s your duty.

Saturday - August 17, 2024

"The monk shook his head. "Sorry, Takezō. It's out of my hands. It's the law of nature. You can't do things over again. That's life. Everything in it is for keeps. Everything! You can't put your head back on after the enemy's cut it off. That's the way it is. Of course, I feel sorry for you, but I can't undo that rope, because it wasn't me who tied it. It was you. All I can do is give you some advice. Face death bravely and quietly. Say a prayer and hope someone bothers to listen. And for the sake of your ancestors, Takezō, have the decency to die with a peaceful look on your face!"" 

Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi

Extreme ownership means embracing every single thing that ever happened to you, good and bad, and acknowledging the part you played in it. The deeper your go, the more you accept, the freer you’ll be.

Friday - August 16, 2024

"your actions can prove your worth. They tell people who you are. You must imagine that you are continually being challenged to show that you deserve the position you occupy. In a culture full of fakery and hype, you will stand out as someone authentic and worthy of respect." 

Robert Greene, The 50th Law

You shouldn’t prove anything to anytime, but your work should speak for yourself. Make quality, integrity, and attention to detail your top priorities in anything you do. 

Thursday - August 15, 2024

"When you are always in the grind, you think there will come a time when the rough road, blitzed with potholes and littered with blown tires, will smooth out, but that is never the case. In fact, if you go through life expecting that smooth road, you won’t be prepared when a pothole opens up on freshly laid blacktop and rocks you sideways one warm and pleasant evening." 

David Goggins, Never Finished

The only way to be prepared when adversity strikes is to never stop doing the work. And to keep telling yourself that there’s no reward but the process itself. 

Wednesday - August 14, 2024

"Closing their eyes, steadying their breathing, and focusing their attention on the center of spiritual consciousness, the wise master their senses, mind, and intellect through meditation. Self-realization is their only goal. Freed from selfish desire, fear, and anger, they live in freedom always." 

The Bhagavad Gita

True freedom is found within first and actualized in the outside world once you mastered yourself. You can’t create your own reality out there unless you learn to control what’s going on inside first.

Tuesday - August 13, 2024

"Failure is a man-made circumstance. It is never real until it has been accepted by man as permanent. Stating it another way, failure is a state of mind; therefore, it is something an individual can control until he neglects to exercise this privilege." 

Napoleon Hill, Outwitting the Devil

Many things including failure are mental constructs. We build them up as part of our hero’s journey. They give us and our circumstances meaning and importance. Detach and clearly evaluate what you can and cannot control. 

Monday - August 12, 2024

The key is to get your personal physical world—with all its boring and base considerations—straightened out first, so you’ll have the time and energy to focus on what is beyond it.

Sam Carpenter, Work the system 

It all starts with the body. Every moment you communicate through your senses and react accordingly. Unless the physical is under control, you can’t keep the mental in check. Action spurs momentum outside and inside yourself. 

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