🤔 Morning thoughts (June 10 - 16)
Every Sunday I share a quote and a reflection on it for each day of the week.
Themes of the week: Values, standards, fundamentals, responsibility, self-mastery, discipline, process.
Sunday - June 16, 2024
"Some of us are afraid to be different. Most everyone is afraid to be *difficult.* But there is freedom in those traits. Freedom to fight, aggressively, repeatedly, for what we believe in. To insist on a higher standard. To not compromise. To not accept that the “matter has been settled.”"
Ryan Holiday, Courage Is Calling
Finding your values and keeping your standards are the goals. No milestone will even come close to how much impact these two have on your life and relationships.
Saturday - June 15, 2024
"Before you can inspire your players to “win,” you have to show them how not to lose."
Bob Knight, The Power of Negative Thinking
Master the fundamentals, and be the first one to embody them. Working at the root eliminates the noise and friction that the non-essential always introduces.
Friday - June 14, 2024
"There’s a saying in psychology that we have to take responsibility for what we’re not responsible for."
Robert Moore, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover
It’s counterintuitive but taking responsibility for what is not under your control, sets you free. You’re free from worrying about what’s outside your realm when you think of it as all your realm.
Thursday - June 13, 2024
"Self-mastery contemplates sufficient control over the appetites to enable one to feed them what they need and withhold food not needed."
Napoleon Hill, Outwitting the Devil
Self-control is self-mastery. You’re not born with it. Like with any skill, unless you practice it and fail at it over and over, you won’t acquire it. And as any skill, unless you keep putting it into practice, you’ll lose it.
Wednesday - June 12, 2024
Before it is too late we must wake up and realize that real power and success can come only through mastering a process, which in turn depends on a foundation of discipline that we are constantly keeping sharp.
Robert Greene, The 50th law
People think discipline is an extra, e nice to have. What if it was the foundation? You’re just choosing your own type of discipline at any given time, but you’re always following some kind of structured process. Learn to master the process that keeps you growing.
Tuesday - June 11, 2024
Discipline is recognizing what has to be done, doing it as well as you can do it, and doing it that way all the time.
Bob Knight, The power of negative thinking
Discipline requires clarity, quality, and consistency. You can’t fake intentionality.
Monday - June 10, 2024
"It is not so much what you are doing as how you are doing it. When we properly understand and live by this principle, while difficulties will arise—for they are part of the divine order too—inner peace will still be possible."
Epictetus, The Art of Living
When all you need to control is your attitude, life becomes simple. Think quality, not quantity. Purpose not pleasure. And process, not outcome.