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Ryan Holiday Quote on Producing Good Work—Despite The Challenges

    “Work is finding yourself alone at the track when the weather kept everyone else indoors.  Work is pushing through the pain and crappy first drafts and prototypes.  It is ignoring whatever plaudits others are getting, and more importantly, ignoring whatever plaudits you may be getting.  Because there is work to be done.  Work doesn’t want to be good.  It is made so, despite the headwind.”

    Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

    Beyond the Quote (69/365)

    Why do all of this work at all?  Why show up when it’s raining and cold?  Why push through writing tasks when Netflix is one click away?  Why keep working when you’re getting praised and approved of for what you’ve already done?  Why not stay indoors, become complacent, relax, and soak in the compliments you’ve already received?  …Well, because that’s not how your best work comes to life—that’s why.  And that task of bringing to life your best work, may be your most important calling on this earth. 

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    Quote About Showing Up For Life—On Collecting Scars Not Avoiding Bruises

      “Maybe life isn’t about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it’s about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it.”

      Unknown

      Beyond the Quote (67/365)

      Good judgement comes from bad judgement remembered.  Bad judgement happens when we interact with the world in a way that doesn’t align with the nature of reality.  The only way we can ever know if our judgement is “good” or “bad” is by interacting with the world.  Reality is the judge and the jury.  By avoiding reality, we avoid finding out.  By not finding out, we avoid getting bruised, yes, but we also avoid the deeply felt lessons that only those bruises can ever deliver—the lessons that only reality can teach us.

      Read More »Quote About Showing Up For Life—On Collecting Scars Not Avoiding Bruises

        “We never really get over our traumas, and as much as we heal, scars will remain.  That doesn’t mean we need to view those scars as reminders of our injuries; instead, we can see them as proof of our resilience.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 30)

          “The people we have won’t always be here, so let’s not deprive ourselves of their presence simply because we’re too caught up in wanting more of some other stuff.  That other stuff won’t last either—nothing does.  So let’s appreciate who and what we have while we still have it.  If we’re not happy with what we have, we won’t be very happy with all that we get.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 22)

            “Remembering that the people in our lives won’t be here forever is the best way to motivate us to be as wonderful to them as possible, while they’re still here.  It’s tricky, since we’re not really wired to remember this fact, but when we make the active effort to keep it in mind, beautiful choices come from that effort.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 22)

              “I decided that if someone wasn’t helping me get to where I needed to be, then that person most likely was getting in my way.  I didn’t make any proclamations or write anybody a Dear John letter, thus liberating myself from their harmful clutches.  I didn’t say a thing to anybody; I just stopped engaging with people who I felt were standing in my way rather than helping me and I began to focus more on myself.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 16)

                “Nothing lasts forever, and that’s both tragic and comic, depending on how we look at it—so how we look at it, our perspective, is the thing we can, and should, control.  We can give ourselves a facepalm when we look at that old outfit, or we can try it on and dance around the room summoning up the spirits and smiles of yesterday—a beautiful reminder of how far we’ve come.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 15)

                  “The fact that life is temporary—the happiness, the joy, the hope, the fear, the pain, the sorrow, the victories, the defeats—is the most comforting and terrifying fact of existence.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 13)

                  Don Miguel Ruiz Quote on Creating the Perfect Relationships—Starting With The One You Have With Yourself

                    “When you make it your goal to create the perfect relationship between you and your body, you are learning to have a perfect relationship with anyone you are with, including your mother, your friends, your lover, your children, your dog.  When you have the perfect relationship between you and your body, in that moment your half of any relationship outside you is completely fulfilled.  You no longer depend upon the success of a relationship from the outside.”

                    Don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love

                    Beyond the Quote (66/365)

                    The most you can ever contribute to the success of a relationship is 50%.  The fact that it’s a relationship implies that there are two and 100% of one out of two is 50%.  This isn’t to say that the most effort you can ever put forth is 50%.  You can undoubtedly give your 100%, but it’s only ever going to add up to 50% as a part of the whole relationship.  This is one of the key mindsets to understand in order to maintain a healthy relationship.  Let’s take a look at an example.

                    Read More »Don Miguel Ruiz Quote on Creating the Perfect Relationships—Starting With The One You Have With Yourself

                      “All the experiences we go through in life are our lessons, all the people we meet are our teachers.  What we learn is what we earn from those experiences.  See, discover, and create the silver lining that’s always been there so you don’t discard the unpleasant moments as things you want to forget.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 7)

                        “The more deeply we dive into our own stories, the more we feel like we’re going through it alone.  But I’m here to remind you that you’re not alone, even though we each have to do the work ourselves.  The deeper we dive, the more beauty we can discover as well.  No on else shares our unique experiences, and therefore no one else can show us the light at the end of the tunnels we dig; we can only share our stories and remind ourselves that we already have everything we need to find that light.  These are the things no one else can teach us.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 6)

                          “We see ourselves in the stories of others and can free ourselves by writing the story of our own lives.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 5)

                          Albert Camus Quote on The Invincible Summer Inside

                            “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

                            Albert Camus, via Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 5)

                            Beyond the Quote (65/365)

                            Our world can be cold, harsh, and barren—there’s no doubt about that.  Yet, even in the depth of winter when things feel like they’re at their worst there’s still one place that the outside world can’t touch—our inside world.  The people around us might be despicable, we might be in an incredibly harsh and barren situation, and we might even be without a clear way out, but unless we let it, our inner world is ours only for the making.  This is not to say that the outside world won’t have an influence over our inside world—because it certainly can—but the absolute most it can have is an influence. It has no direct access or authoritative power over our inner world.  And what a profound revelation that is.

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                            Stephen Cope Quote on Engaging With Life Rather Than Retreating—On Doing What’s Meaningful Rather Than Fun

                              “At the end of life, most of us will find that we have felt most filled up by the challenges and successful struggles for mastery, creativity, and full expression of our dharma in the world.  Fulfillment happens not in retreat from the world, but in advance – and profound engagement.”

                              Stephen Cope, The Great Work Of Your Life

                              Beyond the Quote (64/365)

                              After receiving a thunderous round of applause for a speech he gave, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson was asked if he was having fun giving speeches and talking about important intellectual topics.  When he replied, “No,” I was caught off guard.  I couldn’t understand how he could so eloquently CRUSH an hour and a half long speech, do it in a way that was so well received by the audience, laugh and joke throughout, and admit that he didn’t have fun while doing it?

                              Read More »Stephen Cope Quote on Engaging With Life Rather Than Retreating—On Doing What’s Meaningful Rather Than Fun

                              Steve Carlton Quote on Getting Out Of Your Own Way

                                “You’ve gotta find a way to get out of your own way, so you can progress in life.”

                                Steve Carlton

                                Beyond the Quote (63/365)

                                The ideal way to go from thought to end destination is through appropriate action.  Simple enough, right?  That’s the way you bring entrepreneurial ventures from thoughts to life.  It’s how you incorporate healthy lifestyle habits into your daily routine.  It’s how go from grade school to high school to college to job to career to living your imagined lifestyle.  And it all happens through the appropriate actions that you take once the appropriate thoughts get confirmed in your head.  But, as I’m sure you’re aware, taking appropriate actions isn’t all that simple.  Before you can take an appropriate action, you have to have the appropriate thoughts in your head confirmed.  And THIS is where most everybody gets tripped up.

                                Read More »Steve Carlton Quote on Getting Out Of Your Own Way