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    “Time is always worth more than money.  You can make your money back.  But once time is spent, it’s gone for good.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 107)

    Humble the Poet Quote on Comparing Ourselves To Others (and Why That Can Be Dangerous)

      “I was comparing myself to everyone and anyone I encountered.  If I was making music and met a well-off stockbroker, my mind would ask, ‘Why aren’t you selling stocks?’ When money got better, but I met someone with a beautiful body, I’d ask, ‘Why aren’t you spending more time in the gym?’  I would identify all the gaps in my life on the basis of whomever I crossed paths with.  That’s a dangerous thing because everyone we meet will always have something we don’t have.”

      Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 121)

      Beyond the Quote (77/365)

      Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who somebody else is today.  As Humble mentions above, you’re going to meet people who have more money; who have more beautiful bodies; who are more popular; who are more intelligent than you.  What you can’t do when you meet them is compare where you are on your journey to where they are on their journey.

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      Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on Suffering and Having Compassion For Those Who Are In Pain

        “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over.  He does not need punishment; he needs help.  That’s the message he is sending.”

        Thich Nhat Hanh

        Beyond the Quote (76/365)

        Below, you will find an exchange between another person and I in regards to the quote above and the caption I put up for it.  It’s a good exchange and there are elements that I think are worth elaborating on and discussing.  Here is the exchange:

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          “All the inspirational quotes about hustling hard and pushing oneself beyond one’s limits have disappeared from my walls and from my life.  When speaking to friends and hearing about all the amazingly massive things they’re doing, I always reply by asking, ‘But are you having fun?’ The responses are a mix of yes and no, but the question stops everyone in their tracks and gets them thinking.  There’s no fun waiting for us after the work; there’s just more work.  More year-ends, more midterms, more tests, more projects, more patients, more students, more clients, more customers; it never ends, so the least we can do is enjoy it while we’re doing it.  That can come from either finding something we already enjoy or reprogramming what we’re already doing to add more fun to it.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 103)

            “Focusing on the rainbow instead of the pot of gold isn’t just one of many philosophies we can adapt—it’s the most sustainable way for us to keep going.  The present is all we have, and we can promise ourselves only so much contentment before we realize that the story doesn’t end until we take our last breath.  Once we accept that, we can enjoy the journey, celebrating every baby step we take, not toward a treasure on a map, but in a direction that steadily improves the way we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 95)

              “Loneliness can be quelled quickly as we develop the most important relationship we have in our lives: the one with ourselves.  Leaving the pack and going off script may reduce the number of people we have around us and limit the number of activities we participate in with others, but it’ll save us years of spinning our wheels finding no fulfillment in a cookie-cutter life.  People every day choose the red pill and embrace the discomforts that come with straying from the norm.  Spending time with other people who devote their lives to self-discovery will only enhance how far you can take your journey.  We are a vast and endless universe.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 87)

                “To live is to deal with challenges and setbacks.  No one is immune to the bullshit life flings our way; but our actions can make that bullshit better or worse.  If you look back at your life, the biggest lessons you learned didn’t come from a Tumblr quote or celebrity PSA; they came from harsh reality checks when the shit hit the fan.  That process isn’t going to get any more enjoyable as you grow, but if you anticipate the learning, then the moments you have in life end up being that much more enriched.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 84)

                  “None of us knows how strong we are until being strong is the only option we have left.  We spend so much of our lives avoiding discomfort that we don’t realize that in those uncomfortable situations, our best selves emerge.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 63)

                    “The world doesn’t stop for our tragedies; it keeps moving, and we have to keep moving with it.  Stop handling your tragedies like a child, and deal with them like an adult.  Adults show up for work, children stay in bed.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 62)

                      “You can’t be yourself if you don’t know who you are.  So how do you know who you are?  Everyone is a gooey batter of both nature and nurture, and every time shit hits the fan in our lives, we have an opportunity to get to know ourselves a bit better.  It’s an exhausting experience, but it’s enriching.  We learn about ourselves through all of our interactions with the world, both good and bad.  So with everything you do, think about how it shapes who you are, and think about how who you are shapes your experience of everything you do.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 57)

                      Rob Dyer Quote on Staying Focused On The Right Things—Things That Bring Us Together

                        “At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together.”

                        Rob Dyer

                        Beyond the Quote (74/365)

                        There is a lot happening right now that can make us feel like we’re being torn apart.  With the threat and spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), there is more and more happening each day that is moving us further and further apart and into smaller and smaller groups (even into isolation).  Everything from the biggest organizational gatherings in the world to the most remote meetings in our own backyard are being postponed and cancelled to prevent the spread of the virus.  During this time when we are being forced apart physically, we need to find ways to continue to come together mentally and emotionally.

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                        Albert Einstein Quote on Monotony and Solitude and How It Affects Creativity

                          “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”

                          Albert Einstein

                          Beyond the Quote (73/365)

                          In lieu of recent events, it seems as though many of us are going to be experiencing more monotony and solitude than we otherwise might have expected or wanted.  And while, yes, the unknowns associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) are certainly nerve-wracking and have been demanding our full attention, if you find yourself in a position of isolation or solitude—rather than looking at it as a prison from exploring the outside world, why not try looking at it as an opportunity to explore the depths of your inside world?

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                          Paul Hogan Quote on Dealing With A Mental Health Diagnosis

                            “The one quick comment I would make has to do with this idea that we who live day-to-day with whatever [mental health] diagnosis we have are acting courageously or are brave to face the world.  I don’t experience it as an act of courage or bravery; I experience it more as an act of defiance.  When I swing my legs over the edge of the bed to face the day, what drives me is a refusal to lay back down; a defiance of the diagnosis.  Defiance is often rooted in anger and I certainly feel and show that anger from time to time.  People sometimes feel the anger is directed towards them—but it isn’t.  Defiance is a strategy for engaging this thing.  Of course defiance takes huge amounts of energy to sustain and of course, since I never actually will overcome this thing, that means that from time-to-time I need to back down; move away; rest.  It’s like wrestling with a bear.  Sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you.  But that’s okay, because sometimes, you get the bear.”

                            Paul Hogan

                            Beyond the Quote (72/365)

                            I do not have a mental health diagnosis and I, therefore, have never had to confront the challenges associated with having one.  I have known people who have had them, my dad being one of them, and have witnessed the challenges first hand, but it has always been from the outside looking in.  I know that it is an entirely different world from the outside looking in than it is from the inside looking out.  But it is through our attempt to share, to the best of our ability, what the hell is going on from the inside looking out that we may ever gain insight and move forward in our own lives.  After all, what is insight other than thoughts of value that are gained from peering into each other’s inner worlds?  Insight is what illuminates the way.

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                            Seth Godin Quote on Quitting—Quitting More So You Can Focus More On What Matters [Plus 30 Things to Consider Quitting]

                              “Sticking things out is overrated, particularly if you stick out the wrong things.  In fact, I think you’d be much better off quitting most of what you do so you have the resources to get through the hard slog I call the Dip.  The challenge, then, is to not quit in the Dip, but instead to quit everything else so you have the focus to get through the slog of what matters.”

                              Seth Godin, Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck?

                              Beyond the Quote (71/365)

                              What should we stick out and what should we quit?  I can tell you that the list of things we should stick out is far smaller than the list of things we should quit.  And after some reflection, what you might find is that your list of things that you’ve been sticking out is WAY bigger than you might have imagined it to be and the things you SHOULD be sticking out might not even be making it to your daily to-do list at all.  My instinct tells me that the follow 6 things are worth sticking out without explaination: Reading, Writing, Exercising, Meditating, Learning, and Connecting. 

                              Read More »Seth Godin Quote on Quitting—Quitting More So You Can Focus More On What Matters [Plus 30 Things to Consider Quitting]