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Marianna Williamson Quote on How All Human Behavior Is Either Love Or A Call For Love

    “The way of the miracle-worker is to see all human behavior as one of two things: either love or a call for love.”

    Marianna Williamson

    Beyond the Quote (Day 405)

    I have been a Martial Arts Instructor for my entire professional life and have had the privilege of working with thousands of students of all ages and from all different backgrounds. Based on all of the human behavior that I have experienced, I see it as the same: either as acts of love or as calls for love. And usually, it’s the students who are acting out the most who are calling for love the loudest.

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    Ryan Holiday Quote on How Love Is Best Spelled T-I-M-E

      “A French journalist once told me that love is best spelled T-I-M-E. I don’t think I’ve heard anything truer or more important in my role as a husband or father.”

      Ryan Holiday, Medium

      Beyond the Quote (Day 404)

      Without T-I-M-E there can be no L-O-V-E. And while time isn’t the only thing needed for love to flourish, it is undoubtedly the universal preliminary requirement. It is only with the shared gift of time that all other actions, experiences, and conversations can take form. It is as though time is the bridge that connects the island of one person’s energy to another’s. And without that bridge, a person’s energy can only remain stranded and alone.

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      Russell Brand Quote on Pain and How It’s A Signal To Be Addressed; Not A Problem To Be Ignored

        “Pain is a signal, it’s some aspect of us that’s beyond our somewhat narrow conception of ‘self,’ communicating. A pain in the leg means ‘don’t put pressure on this leg’; a pain in the mind means ‘change the way you live.'”

        Russell Brand, Recovery (Page 28)

        Beyond the Quote (Day 402)

        Imagine the chaos that would ensue if we didn’t follow the signals of the world. If we ignored traffic signals; disregarded conversational signals; paid no mind to vehicular signals. The world would be a much scarier, dangerous, and erratic place. It would skyrocket fear, confusion, and anxiety—and rightfully so! The signals of our world are in place to serve as an antidote to chaos. To provide a sense of order, certainty, and security. And what most people don’t realize is that our inner worlds have a signal system in place all the same and for the very same reasons.

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        Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quote on Making Committed Decisions and How “Luke Warm” Isn’t Good Enough

          “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness… the moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred… boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

          Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sunbeams (Page 29)

          Beyond the Quote (Day 401)

          The problem with staying in an uncommitted place is that it splits your mental resources. One avenue focuses on opportunity while the other focuses on risks. One avenue on possibility while the other focuses on failure. One focuses on reasons for “yes” while the other focuses on reasons for “no.” This is no way to succeed—in anything. It’s a “luke-warm” approach to achieving goals when what’s needed is heat—passion, boldness, enthusiasm! What’s needed is a full commitment of mental resources.

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          Rumi Quote on Gifts and How Nothing Seems Right

            “You have no idea how hard I have looked for a gift to bring you. Nothing seemed right. What’s the point of bringing gold to a gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It’s no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I’ve brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.”

            Rumi

            Beyond the Quote (Day 400)

            Read these words and remember your mirror. You are not without the gold that you so desperately seek; it is already within you. You are not without a source to quench the thirst of your desire; for you are the source itself. The gifts that you so longingly crave do not come from others; they come from inside you.

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            Love should never bind you; love should set you free.

              “A soulmate isn’t someone who completes you. No, a soulmate is someone who inspires you to complete yourself. A soulmate is someone who loves you with so much conviction, and so much heart, that it is nearly impossible to doubt just how capable you are of becoming exactly who you have always wanted to be.”

              Unknown

              Beyond the Quote (Day 399)

              Chains, handcuffs, prisons—are things that confine. If we were to pick emotions that most matched these confining forces we might pick dependency, jealousy, insecurity. Each of these emotions are thrust from one person to another in an emotional attempt to keep them bound. So that one doesn’t leave the other; so that one doesn’t hurt the other; so that their expectations and conditions can remain in tact over the other—this is not love.

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              Hard Work Doesn’t Always Pay Off

                “Work hard,

                and you will earn good rewards.

                Work smart,

                and you will earn great rewards.

                Work hard and work smart,

                and you will earn extraordinary rewards.”

                Matshona Dhliwayo

                Beyond the Quote (Day 398)

                I remember learning this lesson in college when, after giving a big presentation, I found out a classmate of mine—who did far less work than me—got a better grade than me. I vaguely remember the details of the project, but the feelings are as fresh as they were 10 years ago. I was heated. I felt cheated. I kept replaying the thought that I did 10x the work and ending up with nothing to show for it. And I didn’t want to just let all of my hard work go to waste—I wanted to prove that those hours counted for something!

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                David Goggins Quote on Preparing Properly For Our Journey and Understanding Our “Why”

                  “Life is not going to pick us up when we fall.  There will be forks in the road, knives in your f*cking back, mountains to climb, and we are only capable of living up to the image we create for ourselves.  Prepare yourself!”

                  David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

                  Beyond the Quote (Day 397)

                  Before you take your car on a road trip, you get the engine checked. It wouldn’t be wise to drive a car that needed an oil change, fluids replenished, and parts replaced. Mostly because a road trip is an adventure and with adventure comes unknown setbacks, challenges, obstacles, etc. Having an unchecked engine would only contribute to the number of issues that might arise. And the goal isn’t to maximize the number of issues—the goal is to minimize them so you can focus your attention elsewhere—say, on the scenery of the drive. Well, your “why” is the engine for the journey of your life.

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                  Epictetus Quote on Learning and How Our Willingness To Appear Clueless Is Key To Maintaining Curiosity

                    “If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable.”

                    Epictetus, The Daily Stoic (Page 38)

                    Beyond the Quote (Day 395)

                    The moment you believe yourself to be knowledgable is the moment you kill curiosity. After all, if you know, you know. What more is there to be curious about? You can only be curious about things you don’t already know. Or, maybe better said, if you think you already know, then there’s no more “know” to add. The problem with believing you know is that it implies the task is completed. It’s a statement of being done. But, acquiring knowledge/ learning is lifelong—never something that is completed. Which is precisely why you shouldn’t even wish to seem knowledgable in any area of your life.

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                    Tara Westover Quote on How Education Is About More Than Making A Living

                      “An education is not so much about making a living as making a person.”

                      Tara Westover, Educated

                      Beyond the Quote (Day 394)

                      We don’t come into this world already made—we come into this world ready to be made. We are not finished when we are born, we are born so that we can start. We are not a masterpiece that is revealed once born—we are a pile of puzzle pieces which reveal a masterpiece once assembled. If we truly want to understand who we are, this is the reality of our situation. Our identity is not just given—it’s a reward that has to be earned. And the process of assembling this puzzle isn’t simple nor is it easy.

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                      Seneca Quote on Using Rulers To Make What’s Crooked, Straight.

                        “Without a ruler to do it against, you can’t make crooked straight.”

                        Seneca, The Daily Stoic (Page 36)

                        Beyond the Quote (Day 393)

                        Role models serve as rulers for our lives. Without role models, there’s no reference to compare the line of our lives against. How to know which direction is “straight” and which is “crooked?” It’s like when you’re lost at sea. Having a reference point like the North Star or a compass to guide your direction is everything. Otherwise, who knows which direction leads to land? All direction is arbitrary without a guide. This is how it is in our lives, too.

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                        Taking Care of Yourself IS Productive

                          “How can you think of yourself as a caring person if you don’t take care of yourself? If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll stop thinking of yourself as someone who has a lot to give. Instead you’ll feel deprived. And you’ll hate your life. How can you give others joy if you can’t give yourself joy?”

                          Mira Kirshenbaum, The Gift of a Year (Page 9)

                          Beyond the Quote (Day 392)

                          Isn’t it strange to think how so many of us act like self-care isn’t a productive use of time? Like sleeping for 8 hours in a night is somehow costly? Or skipping a workout to do more office work is somehow admirable? Or spending time to take a break and recover is somehow wasteful? When in reality, it’s often the opposite that is the case.

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                          Marcus Aurelius Quote on Remembering Our Natural Born Power To Choose Between Good and Evil

                            “Erase the false impressions from your mind by constantly saying to yourself, I have it in my soul to keep out any evil, desire or any kind of disturbance—instead, seeing the true nature of things, I will give them only their due. Always remember this power that nature gave you.”

                            Marcus Aurelius, The Daily Stoic (Page 34)

                            Beyond the Quote (Day 391)

                            Your current ability to utilize the power nature gave you to keep out evil, desire, and disturbance is largely dependent on your track record. Your track record contains within it all of the successes and failures you’ve accumulated throughout your lifetime. And confidence—the confidence you have in your ability to act—is a result of nothing more than your remembered successes (or lack thereof).

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                            John Dewey Quote on Education and How The Process and The Goal Are One And The Same

                              “I believe finally, that education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of education are one and the same thing.”

                              John Dewey, Educated

                              Beyond the Quote (Day 390)

                              Becoming educated and getting a degree are two different goals. What most of us have been taught to aspire to isn’t education—it’s accreditation. We’re taught that what’s most important isn’t what you learn along the way, but what paper you receive at the end—the one that says you’ve been “educated” by this College or that University. Which isn’t exactly unreasonable as those educational institutions are supposed to represent a certain standard of education. But, at the end of the day, after all of the “accreditations” have been handed out, what matters most isn’t the paper in and of itself—it’s the person behind the paper.

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                              Alan Watts Quote on The Present and How It’s Not A Result Of The Past

                                “Everyone automatically assumes that the present is the result of the past. Turn it around, and consider whether the past may not be a result of the present. The past may be streaming back from the now, like the country as seen from an airplane.”

                                Alan Watts, Sunbeams (Page 14)

                                Beyond the Quote (Day 388)

                                Seeing the past as being the cause of your present steals from you the accountability that’s needed to take ownership of your future. For, you can’t change the outcome of your future if you’re busy blaming what happened in the past. You have to realize, as Watts outlines above, that it’s the present that caused the past, not the past that caused the present.

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                                R. Buckminster Fuller Quote on Truth and How It’s Completely Spontaneous

                                  “Truth is completely spontaneous. Lies have to be taught.”

                                  R. Buckminster Fuller, Sunbeams (Page 23)

                                  Beyond the Quote (Day 387)

                                  I suspect that most people overthink the act of being—and it’s easy to see why. Think about everything that we’re exposed to on a daily basis. All of the advertisements, the images, the messages, the conversations—and think about how each of them communicate a different way of being. You can be the person who does this; who buys that; who believes this; who supports that; who interacts here; who chooses to go there; who speaks up about this; who follows people like that; who dresses like this; who spends their time doing that… the possibilities for becoming are, quite literally, endless.

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                                  Alicia Keys Quote on Perfection and Being Okay With Our Imperfect Reality

                                    “I tend to want every person to embody the best of humanity—for all of us to be givers and builders and dreamers. That’s not reality. At different seasons in life, we each fall into various categories. Even still, every one of us also has a strong behavioral tendency, and that is okay. I’m coming to terms with the fact that so-called perfection—this idea that everything should be beautiful and in order at all times—is just not going to happen.”

                                    Alicia Keys, More Myself (Page 254)

                                    Beyond the Quote (Day 386)

                                    And as she says in her song, Authors of Forever, “Wherever you are, it’s alright / Whoever you are, it’s alright.” It’s okay to be who you are, where you are on your journey. None of us are perfect and we all lead imperfect lives. Expect perfection from someone—anyone—and you’ll always end up disappointed. Expect imperfection and you’ll at least be able to meet people where they are. Disappointment leads to emotional distancing and separation. Understanding leads to emotional advancing and connection.

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                                    C. Day Lewis Quote on Writing and How We Write To Understand; Not To Share What We Already Know

                                      “I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it… We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”

                                      C. Day Lewis, The Poetic Image, via Sunbeams (Page 15)

                                      Beyond the Quote (385/365)

                                      It starts out as a feeling. An inquisition. A hunch. A curiosity. A reoccurring thought. An observation. An idea. A single line of text.

                                      It proceeds as an exploration into the unknown. A navigating of unclear roads. A charting of unexplored territory. An unraveling of knotted up mental yarn. A sorting through of an unorganized desk. As trains of thought.

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