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Quote about Ubuntu and How We Are All Connected

    Ubuntu

    Beyond the Quote (103/365)

    Once, an anthropologist proposed a game to kids in an African tribe.  He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first would win the entire basket.  When he gave them the signal to run, they all took each other’s hands and ran together.  Once they arrived at the tree, they sat in a circle and enjoyed the fruits together.  When he asked them why they chose to run as a group when they could have raced against each other for the whole basket, one child spoke up and said, “UBUNTU—how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”

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    Pico Iyer Quote on Rethinking Travel and Exploring ‘Nowhere’

      “In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating that going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still. You can go on vacation to Hawaii or New Orleans three months from now, and you’ll have a tremendous time, I’m sure. But if you want to come back feeling new – alive and full of fresh hope and in love with the world – I think the place to visit may be Nowhere.”

      Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness

      Beyond the Quote (101/365)

      In his book, The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer writes about an unconventional approach to adventure that involves, not traveling to New Orleans or Hawaii, but to “Nowhere.”  And yes, that’s exactly what he means.  Rather than taking the time to venture off to far and distant lands, he makes an argument for the opposite—adventuring to nowhere in particular and taking that time to turn inward.  This idea may not be what people want to hear—after all, who would want to give up the idea of going to Hawaii… to go Nowhere?  But, when you look a little closer at the dynamics of far and distant travel, the notion of “Nowhere” may begin to make more sense.

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      Epictetus Quote on Prioritizing What’s Important

        “If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters.”

        Epictetus, via Stillness is the Key (Page 31)

        Beyond the Quote (100/365)

        In a world of 24/7 news coverage across hundreds of thousands of news coverage sources, it’s impossible to consume everything that is being broadcasted—it’s never ending.  And because it’s always a race between news coverage organizations to be the first to broadcast, so much of what’s shown is speculative, shallow, incomplete, and, well, excessive.  If you always want to know everything that’s going on in the world at all times, then turn on the news and scroll through your never ending social media timelines for every waking minute of your day.  The crazy part is that you will be able to do it. 

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          “Don’t reject a difficult or boring moment because it is not exactly what you want.  Don’t waste a beautiful moment because you are insecure or shy.  Make what you can of what you have been given.  Live what can be lived.  That’s what excellence is.  That’s what presence makes possible.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 28)

            “We want to learn to see the world like an artist: While other people are oblivious to what surrounds them, the artist really sees.  Their mind, fully engaged, notices the way a bird flies or the way a stranger holds their fork or a mother looks at her child.  They have no thoughts of the morrow.  All they are thinking about is how to capture and communicate their experience.  An artist is present.  And from this stillness comes brilliance.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 28)

              “Who is so talented that they can afford to bring only part of themselves to bear on a problem or opportunity?  Whose relationships are so strong that they can get away with not showing up?  Who is so certain that they’ll get another moment that they can confidently skip over this one?  The less energy we waste regretting the past or worrying about the future, the more energy we will have for what’s in front of us.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 27)

                “There’s no greatness in the future.  Or clarity.  Or insight.  Or happiness.  Or peace.  There is only this moment.  Not that we mean literally sixty seconds.  The real present moment is what we choose to exist in, instead of lingering on the past or fretting about the future.  It’s however long we can push away the impressions of what’s happened before and what we worry or hope might occur at some other time.  Right now can be a few minutes or a morning or a year—if you can stay in it that long.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 27)

                  “Being present demands all of us.  It’s not nothing.  It may be the hardest thing in the world.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 25)

                  James Allen Quote on Strengthening the Mind

                    “As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.”

                    James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

                    Beyond the Quote (98/365)

                    The connection between careful and patient training and physical improvements is, in my estimation, much more firm than the connection with training and mental or emotional improvements. One of the main reasons for this might be that physical improvements are tangible—we can see the them, feel them, and are constantly being reminded of them.  Every time we look in a mirror or take a selfie on our phone or see pictures that were posted—we are reminded. 

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                    Ryan Holiday Quote on Cultivating Mental Stillness To Succeed In Life

                      “Each of us will, in our own lives, face crisis.  A business on the brink of collapse.  An acrimonious divorce.  A decision about the future of our career.  A moment where the whole game depends on us.  These situations will call upon all our mental resources.  An emotional, reactive response—an unthinking, half-baked response—will not cut it.  Not if we want to get it right.  Not if we want to perform at our best.  In these situations we must: be fully present; empty our mind of preconceptions; take our time; sit quietly and reflect; reject distraction; weight advice against the counsel of our convictions; deliberate without being paralyzed.  We must cultivate mental stillness to succeed in life and to successfully navigate the many crises it throws our way.”

                      Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 20)

                      Beyond the Quote (97/365)

                      It’s a fine line between reacting and responding; between acting then thinking versus thinking then acting; between needing to make a quick decision and not wanting to wait (or not having the self-control to wait) to make a decision.  Crisis situations are going to call upon the full extent of our mental resources if we are to handle the crisis properly and in a way that is in complete alignment with our best intentions.  The challenge, of course, is that most crisis situations have a strong sense of urgency attached to them that requires a quick decision to be made.

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                      Why is Consistency the Key? Because It Beats Talent, Good Intentions, Luck, and Even Quality.

                        “Consistency beats talent. Consistency beats good intentions. Consistency beats luck. Consistency even beats quality.”

                        Unknown

                        Beyond the Quote (96/365)

                        When does consistency beats talent?

                        Well, you have to be consistent enough to bridge the talent gap.  The fact that somebody is ‘talented’ in a certain area implies that they have innate aptitudes, abilities, or skills that start them ahead of you.  But just because somebody has a head start doesn’t mean that they are always going to win.  In fact, this is the basic premise for every underdog story you’ve ever heard.

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