🤔 Morning thoughts (August 26 -September 1)
Every Sunday I share a quote and a reflection on it for each day of the week.
Themes of the week: Self-control, excellence, mindfulness, ego, fear, possibilities, self-awareness.
Sunday - September 1, 2024
"Freedom is being able to do what will bring you happiness-and that takes constant self-control."
Dennis Prager, Happiness Is a Serious Problem
The life of the self controlled individual is a life of constant invisible work without attachment to the outcome. But the work no one sees is the steps most are missing.
Saturday - August 31, 2024
"It is a lifetime accumulation of deliberate practice that again and again ends up explaining excellence."
Newport, Cal, So Good They Can't Ignore You
Excelling doesn’t necessarily mean being the best, but being the best you can be. And you cannot leave that up to chance.
Friday - August 30, 2024
"Musashi was silent. "You accomplished something today, but it was not well done, not by a long shot. Since you're still young, I can't really blame you, but it's a grave error to think the Way of the Samurai consists of nothing but a show of strength.”
Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi
In any skill there’s what you have to master and what masters you. Until you get rid of what’s holding you back from being flexible, you’ll still only be an apprentice. And most of it is ego.
Thursday - August 29, 2024
“it’s technically not possible to be emotionally manipulated by another person. On some level, only you can emotionally manipulate yourself. And if you deeply understand this reality, then you will never allow anyone to hold power over you again.”
Orion Taraban, The value of others
insulate your mind by gaining complete control of it. It’s hard work but it’s the only true work required.
Wednesday - August 28, 2024
Before anything else you must lose your fear—of death, of the consequences of a bold maneuver, of other people’s opinion of you. That single moment will suddenly open up vistas of possibilities. And in the end whichever side has more possibilities for positive action has greater control.
Robert Greene, The 33 strategies of war
Learn to differentiate between a positive and a negative fear. Often you have to lean into what you’re afraid of to unveil your next move. Ask: why do I fear this?
Tuesday - August 27, 2024
"This is cognitive self-command, the ability to monitor and then adjust your own thinking from an external vantage point. You see your thoughts as independent of you, mechanisms unto themselves, singular, almost touchable entities just like any of the other external system mechanisms under your direction."
Sam Carpenter, Work the System
To be in control you have to learn to think differently and to see your thoughts differently. It starts with creating space between stimulus and response.
Monday - August 26, 2024
"You have to stalk your own reactions; you have to work with yourself every moment. It takes a lot of time and courage, because it’s easier to take things personally and react the way you always react."
Don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love
Become a student of yourself. Self observation leads to self mastery. It’s the unseen work that opens up the way to the real deep work.