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    “There is nothing you can ever do or attain that will get you closer to salvation than it is at this moment. This may be hard to grasp for a mind accustomed to thinking that everything worthwhile is in the future. Nor can anything that you ever did or that was done to you in the past prevent you from saying yes to what is and taking your attention deeply into the Now. You cannot do this in the future. You do it now or not at all.”

    Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 147)

    On Juneteenth, Opal Lee, and Breathing Oxygen Into A Movement For Change

      “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

      General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865

      Beyond the Quote (169/365)

      When Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued the above order, he had no idea that, in establishing the Union Army’s authority over the people of Texas, he was also establishing the basis for a holiday, “Juneteenth” (“June” plus “nineteenth”), today the most popular annual celebration of emancipation from slavery in the United States. 

      Read More »On Juneteenth, Opal Lee, and Breathing Oxygen Into A Movement For Change

      Paul Hogan Poem on Capturing Moments (and Maybe When Not To)

        “Camera loaded, the light

        near sundown blushes

        the grey, beat wood

        of the boathouse, flashes

        along arcs of the waves.

        Don’t photograph this. Don’t render it

        immutable now. Let it

        distort, let it unravel,

        reconstruct itself.

        This image will retell

        this here and now for years,

        without conclusion —

        It will never change,

        it will always be different,

        we will never agree. For now,

        let the light slip down

        around you. Don’t

        remember this yet.”

        Paul Hogan, Point of Departures (Page 37)

        Beyond the Quote (167/365)

        In a world where the camera on our phone takes better pictures than most DSLR cameras from just a few years ago, where 4K quality can be held in the palm of one hand and activated with the push of one thumb, where so much of what we see and hear in the world can be so vividly captured and contained within the confines of a memory chip that’s smaller than a penny and backed up by an imaginary cloud—the line between knowing when to be present in a moment and when to capture a moment can become incredibly blurred. Hell, if we wanted to, we could record every moment we ever wanted to and store it into a neat and tidy timeline of moments that could quite literally make up the story of our lives. Rather than our life “flashing before our eyes” at the end, we could playback our lives in a flash with just a few clicks on a computer screen.

        Read More »Paul Hogan Poem on Capturing Moments (and Maybe When Not To)

        Jocko Willink Quote on How Your Greatest Strength Can Also Be Your Greatest Weakness

          “As with many of the dichotomies of leadership, a person’s biggest strength can be his greatest weakness when he doesn’t know how to balance it.  A leader’s best quality might be her aggressiveness, but if she goes too far she becomes reckless.  A leader’s best quality might be his confidence, but when he becomes overconfident he doesn’t listen to others.”

          Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership (Page 281)

          Beyond the Quote (165/365)

          One of my greatest strengths, I believe, is my ability to empathetically connect to and listen to others. When somebody talks to me about how upset they are that their dog died, I feel the upset. When people call me to express their frustrations towards other people, I feel their frustrations. When the people around me get angry, I can feel their anger in me. Basically, I feel like I have an uncanny ability to put myself in other people’s shoes and feel what they’re feeling even if I’ve never been in their exact situation myself. This is something that I have noticed after many years of introspection and while it can certainly be a strength, it also comes with its fair share of drawbacks and challenges that can turn it into a weakness if left unchecked.

          Read More »Jocko Willink Quote on How Your Greatest Strength Can Also Be Your Greatest Weakness

            “most importantly love

            like it’s the only thing you know how

            at the end of the day all this

            means nothing

            this page

            where you’re sitting

            your degree

            your job

            the money

            nothing even matters

            except love and human connection

            who you loved

            and how deeply you loved them

            how you touched the people around you

            and how much you gave them”

            Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 194)

              “some people

              are so bitter

              to them

              you must be kindest”

              Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 190)

                “how you love yourself is

                how you teach others

                to love you”

                Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 186)

                  “i want to apologize to all the women

                  i have called pretty

                  before i’ve called them intelligent or brave

                  i am sorry i made it sound as though

                  something as simple as what you’re born with

                  is the most you have to be proud of when your

                  spirit has crushed mountains

                  from now on i will say things like

                  you are resilient or you are extraordinary

                  not because i don’t think you’re pretty

                  but because you are so much more than that”

                  Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 179)

                    “there is a difference between

                    someone telling you

                    they love you and

                    them actually

                    loving you”

                    Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 162)

                      “if you were born with

                      the weakness to fall

                      you were born with

                      the strength to rise”

                      Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 156)

                        “do not look for healing

                        at the feet of those

                        who broke you”

                        Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 155)

                          “loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself”

                          Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 153)

                            “you must enter a relationship

                            with yourself

                            before anyone else”

                            Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey (Page 150)

                            Mark Manson Quote on Experiences and How To Find The Ideal Balance Between Breadth and Depth

                              “Yes, breadth of experience is likely necessary and desirable when you’re young—after all, you have to go out there and discover what seems worth investing yourself in.  But depth is where the gold is buried.  And you have to stay committed to something and go deep to dig it up.  That’s true in relationships, in a career, in building a great lifestyle—in everything.”

                              Mark Mason, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

                              Beyond the Quote (163/365)

                              With every major category in life—relationships, career, lifestyle—we must choose how to optimally invest our time. With time being our most precious resource, this is no easy task. How much time should we spend with our family versus our friends? With our current friends versus new friends? On our career versus our vacations? On tasks related to our career versus tasks that might expand our career options? On consuming things produced versus producing things to be consumed? On acquiring more versus minimizing and using less? What Manson points to above, however, is a fundamental insight that can help guide you in this effort.

                              Read More »Mark Manson Quote on Experiences and How To Find The Ideal Balance Between Breadth and Depth