🤔 Morning thoughts (May 26 - June 1)
Every Sunday I share a quote and a reflection on it for each day of the week.
Themes of the week: Gratitude, Persistence, Mindset, Presence, Process, Self-reliance, Meaning
Sunday - June 1, 2025
"”A wanderer with no ideal, no sense of gratitude for his independence, is no more than a beggar! The difference between a beggar and the great wandering priest Saigyō lies inside the heart!""
Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi
Life can give you everything you ever wanted but unless you recognize and appreciate it from the heart it wont feel meaningful. Progress comes from gratitude.
Saturday - May 31, 2025
The Warrior of the Light knows the value of persistence and of courage. Often, during combat, he receives blows that he was not expecting. And he realizes that, during war, his enemy is bound to win some of the battles. When this happens, he weeps bitter tears and rests in order to recover his energy a little. But he immediately resumes his battle for his dreams.
Paulo Coelho, The warrior of the light
Persistence and courage are about recovery as much as they’re about action. Treat rest with the respect it deserves, so you can give it all when the time is right.
Friday - May 30, 2025
"Life is a mind game, and if you don’t have the skill, you won’t be able to continue playing."
Dan Koe, The Art of Focus
There’s really no such things as a positive or negative mindset. There’s only the mindset that works for you and the one that works against you. It all depends on your path. What matters is, controlling your mind has power.
Thursday - May 29, 2025
"Pain is the doorway to the here and now. Physical or emotional pain is an ultimate form of ground, saying, to each of us, in effect, there is no other place than this place, no other body than this body, no other limb or joint or pang or sharpness or heartbreak but this searing presence, refusing to go away."
David Whyte, Consolations
Stay present for the pain, and the pain will reward you with more presence. Pain is awareness meeting acceptance at every moment.
Wednesday - May 28, 2025
"The desire for outcome is deeply ingrained, and for some, this is the moment where they give up. They simply can’t bear a process that willingly ignores the outcome."
Seth Godin, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work
When you can make perfecting and mastering your process the desirable only outcome, you’re in control. That’s where unlimited reserves of energy lie.
Tuesday - May 27, 2025
“What the superior man seeks, is in himself; what the ordinary man seeks, is in others.”
Confucius, Analects
Solitude reveals a man to himself, especially in those moments when we seek external validation or support. Dare to look inside yourself when it’s most painful and trust you’ll find what you need.
Monday - May 26, 2025
"life in general has no meaning whatsoever. But you can assign meaning to that life. And you are the only one who can assign meaning to your life."
Ichiro Kishimi, The Courage to Be Disliked
Life is objectively simple when you realize your grand vision is simply your best attempt at ascribing meaning to it. Finding a path you can navigate but that also pushes you to get better, is your responsibility only.