🤔 Morning thoughts (May 20 - 26)
Every Sunday I share a quote and a reflection on it for each day of the week.
Themes of the week: Freedom, evolution, play, beliefs, presence, discipline, conflict.
Saunday - May 26, 2024
"Freedom is fundamentally qualitative and internal. You must choose it and embrace it. No one can give it to you or take it away"
Dan Sullivan, 10x Is Easier Than 2x
Freedom is both a gift and a responsibility. Protect it, value it, never take it for granted, but also take ownership of it.
Saturday - May 25, 2024
"The known is nothing other than the prison of past conditioning. There’s no evolution in that — absolutely none at all. And when there is no evolution, there is stagnation, entropy, disorder, and decay."
Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Embrace what you don’t know. Accept what others don’t know, too. Live in the present no matter how uncertain it may feel.
Friday - May 24, 2024
"We’re not playing to win, we’re playing to play. And ultimately, playing is fun."
Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
Question your reason for staying in the game. Is it ego, selfishness, greed, neediness? Or passion, purpose, and unattached service to a higher cause? Stop questioning, start losing.
Thursday - May 23, 2024
You can do as much as you think you can,
But you'll never accomplish more;
If you're afraid of yourself, young man,
There's little for you in store.
Robert Collier, The Secret of the Ages
Your level of execution and attainment is the product of your beliefs. Get used to acting when you’re not ready and without expecting an immediate payoff. Your biggest obstacle is the attachment to your self image. Get over yourself.
Wednesday - May 22, 2024
"The masculine error is to think that eventually things will be different in some fundamental way. They won’t. It never ends. As long as life continues, the creative challenge is to tussle, play, and make love with the present moment while giving your unique gift."
David Deida, The Way of the Superior Man
Engaging with the present moment not enduring it, is the key to a life well lived. There’s nothing to wait for. Live here and now.
Tuesday - May 21, 2024
"The obligation of a champion is to act like a champion . . . while working as hard as somebody with something to prove."
Ryan Holiday, Discipline Is Destiny
Never forget what got you where you are. The moment you neglect the work is the moment you realize that the promise of you not needing it is just a mirage. Earn your better self.
Monday - May 20, 2024
"If someone confronts you over ideas or ideals, step up and accept the fight, because conflict is present in every moment of our lives and sometimes it needs to show itself in the broad light of day. But do not fight in order to prove that you are right or to impose your ideas or ideals on someone else. Only accept the fight as a way of keeping your spirit clean and your will spotless.”
Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found in Accra
Don’t run away from conflict, embrace it, live through it, turn it into a story to tell. Character is built not in spite of your fights but because of them.