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Martin Luther King Jr. Quote on Taking Action and How There Is Such A Thing As Being Too Late

    “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

    Martin Luther King Jr.

    Beyond the Quote (Day 383)

    There is such a time as too late. Just as quickly as yesterday has already come and gone—so, too, will today soon fade away. Procrastination is a very real and deceitful combatant that is waging war on our most precious commodity—time. And if we continue to align with apathy and complacency—procrastination will surely win and leave us with nothing behind except a head full of ideas and regret.

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    Carl Jung Quote on How Confronting Darkness Can Show You To Your Light

      “To confront a person with his own shadow is to show him his own light.”

      Carl Jung, Sunbeams (Page 3)

      Beyond the Quote (Day 382)

      Like most, I can still vividly recall moments when I was caused a great deal of irritation, frustration, anger, and pain. Times when people didn’t follow through with their word, or when they would treat others unfairly, or when they did things that were irrational, nonsensical, or just plain malicious. And sometimes, those moments would get the best of me and cause an influx of negative, overpowering, blinding emotions. But what I didn’t realize then, that I can see more clearly now, is that the only reason I was able to see those shadows was because of my own light.

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      Abraham Lincoln Quote on The Future and How It Only Comes One Day At A Time

        “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”

        Abraham Lincoln, Sunbeams (Page 12)

        Beyond the Quote (Day 381)

        This is great news because it means you don’t have to have your whole life figured out right now. I think sometimes people forget that. The fear of not knowing how everything is going to play out in a year, five years, ten years, their lifetime—causes many people unnecessary anxiety and stress. And while it’s certainly beneficial to have a one year, five year, ten year, lifetime plan/ goal/ direction—it shouldn’t steal you away from what’s available to you now.

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        Ram Dass Quote on Moving Forward and How Your Next Message Is Always Right Where You Are

          “The next message you need is always right where you are.”

          Ram Dass, Sunbeams (Page 7)

          Beyond the Quote (Day 379)

          Did you read that right? The next message you need—not the next message you want. Most of us are pretty good at ignoring the messages we don’t want to hear. So much so that many of us, I suspect, become blind and deaf to their presence entirely. The problem, of course, is that those messages tends to be the very messages that we most need to hear. And how do we hear something that we’ve become deaf to? How can we see again the messages that we’ve become blind to? It’s actually quite simple really.

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          Meaning of the Quote: “Where There’s Hardship, There’s Ease”

            “Where there’s hardship, there’s ease.”

            Quran

            Beyond the Quote (Day 378)

            At first glance, this statement seems like a contradiction. Where there’s hardship—tension, angst, and unease, seem to be the more appropriate pairings, wouldn’t you think? And while, yes, those tend to be the default feelings in response to hardship, they certainly aren’t the mandatory responses. In fact, there are no mandatory responses to any situation in life. It’s one of the few things that is actually 100% within our control—how we choose to respond to given situations. This becomes increasingly evident when you see someone masterfully navigate hard situations with ease and grace.

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            Henry David Thoreau Quote on Keeping Your Spirit Up By Dealing With Brute Nature

              “Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snow in the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold and hungry and weary.”

              Henry David Thoreau, Sunbeams (Page 8)

              Beyond the Quote (Day 377)

              For when you are warm, satiated, and fresh again—you can truly be thankful. Hard to be truly thankful for warmth until you’ve felt cold. Hard to appreciate the satisfaction of a full stomach if your stomach never empties. Hard to understand the blessing of feeling fresh when sleeping in and lack of responsibility are your everyday norms. If you would like to keep your spirits up, it helps to remind your spirit of what’s below.

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              C. S. Lewis Quote on How You Are Never Too Old To Give Direction To Your Life

                “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.”

                C. S. Lewis

                Beyond the Quote (Day 376)

                I might even take it one step further and say it is precisely when you stop setting goals and dreaming new dreams that you become old. Goals and dreams give direction. Direction gives reason and purpose for movement; progress; growth. Without direction, you become directionless; stagnant; immobile. Movement is the essence of life. Stagnation is the essence of death.

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                Would You Rip The Wings Off A Butterfly For An All-Expenses-Paid Vacation?

                  Would You Rip The Wings Off A Butterfly For An All-Expenses-Paid Vacation?

                  “For an all-expenses-paid, one-week vacation anywhere in the world, would you be willing to tear the wings off a beautiful butterfly?  If so, would you be troubled enough to enjoy your trip any less?  What about stepping on a cockroach? …Does a beautiful creature merit more compassion than an ugly one?  If so, why?   Do you injure yourself psychologically by destroying something you find beautiful?  Is there a meaningful difference between pulling the wings off an insect and stepping on it?  How much would it take to induce you to rip the wings off a hummingbird or dove?”

                  Gregory Stock, The Book of Questions

                  Beyond the Quote (Day 375)

                  I finished reading The Book of Questions in February of 2015 and for some reason, the above question is one that left a deep imprint on my mind. I noticed, especially as of late, that since I read it, for no obvious or connected reason, it has been randomly popping into my head—would I tear the wings off a butterfly for an all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere in the world? And every time, I work through the same answer I always do. But what strikes me is that, if I answer the same way every time, why then does it keep recurring?

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                  Seneca Quote on Philosophy and How Only Those Who Prioritize It, Truly Live.

                    “Of all people only those are at leisure who make time for philosophy, only they truly live. Not satisfied to merely keep good watch over their own days, they annex every age to their own. All the harvest of the past is added to their store. Only an ingrate would fail to see that these great architects of venerable thoughts were born for us and have designed a way of life for us.”

                    Seneca, via The Daily Stoic

                    Beyond the Quote (Day 373)

                    “Philosophia” is the Ancient Greek word for the “love of wisdom.” Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. It can be thought then, that those who make time for Philosophy are those who make time for better living. For, what is better living composed of but better experience, better knowledge, and better judgement?

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                    Chögyam Trungpa Quote on Managing Desire and Being Able To Afford To Relax

                      “When there is no desire to satisfy yourself, there is no aggression or speed… Because there is no rush to achieve, you can afford to relax. Because you can afford to relax, you can afford to keep company with yourself, you can afford to make love with yourself, to be friends with yourself.”

                      Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, via Sunbeams (Page 3)

                      Beyond the Quote (Day 372)

                      If you feel like you can’t afford to relax, you should reevaluate what it is exactly that you’re trying to afford. Hustle culture has us working from the minute we get up until the minute we go to bed—and leaves many of us feeling like we STILL didn’t do enough. We stress about the things we didn’t finish, the things we have yet to start, and how we’re going to close the gap between where we are and where we want to be—so that we can finally… relax.

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                      Ryan Holiday Quote on Time Commitments and Learning To Say “No” To Wasteful Uses of Time

                        “One of the hardest things to do in life is to say ‘No.’ To invitations, to requests, to obligations, to the stuff that everyone else is doing. Even harder is saying no to certain time-consuming emotions: anger, excitement, distraction, obsession, lust. None of these impulses feels like a big deal by itself, but run amok, they become a commitment like anything else.”

                        Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 11)

                        Beyond the Quote (Day 371)

                        How many time commitments do you have that you don’t even realize you have? I just recently started tracking my screen time on my iPhone and was shocked to see the results. Imagine if your mind had a “use-time” breakdown and showed you in a pie chart how much time you spent thinking about all of the things you think about every day. Would you be just as shocked as I was when I saw my screen time? I suspect even more so.

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                        Simone Biles Quote on Work Ethic and How Greatness Requires More Of You

                          “Everything I do is in the gym so I’m always in gym clothes.”

                          Simone Biles

                          Beyond the Quote (Day 370)

                          Gymnasts perform some of the most incredible feats humanly possible. The ability to hold an iron cross; to twist multiple times through the air as they leap from a high bar to a low bar; to flip multiple times on floor routines and to watch them stick insane landings—they truly are some of the most impressive athletes in the world. And you better believe that every flip, twist, and landing is hard earned—never given.

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                          Melody Beattie Quote on New Year Resolutions and What My Goals Are For 2021

                            “The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.”

                            Melody Beattie

                            Beyond the Quote (Day 369)

                            My goals for 2021:

                            1) On writing: Continue to write daily, but be more concise and deliberate in what I write. I’m limiting myself to a max of 3 paragraphs per reflection.

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                            Chris Guillebeau Quote on Adventure and How I Spontaneously Prioritized Adventure Into My Life

                              “If you want to make every day an adventure, all you have to do is prioritize adventure.  It has to become more important than routine.”

                              Chris Guillebeau, The Happiness of Pursuit

                              Beyond the Quote (Day 368)

                              Reflections from my spontaneous holiday road trip, now that I’m home:

                              • 11 Days on the road
                              • 11 State lines crossed
                              • ~ 5485 miles driven
                              • ~ 68.3 miles hiked
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                              Bruce Kirby Quote on How Adventure is Curiosity

                                “Adventure is curiosity, the willingness to embrace uncertainty, wondering about the possibility of doing just one thing differently than before.”

                                Bruce Kirby

                                Beyond the Quote (Day 367)

                                One beautiful thing about exploring is that it connects you to the present. For a few wonderful moments you forget about your problems and future concerns. Curiosity leads you. Intuition kicks in. You notice details and sounds and smells that might otherwise get overlooked and unheard and disregarded.

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                                Neil Gaiman Quote on the New Year and How He Hopes You Make Mistakes

                                  “I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.”

                                  Neil Gaiman

                                  Beyond the Quote (Day 366)

                                  With a new year comes an opportunity for a fresh start.  Of course, we can choose to start fresh whenever we want—the opportunity is always only one decision away. But, when the clock strikes midnight and the year switches over, it feels only natural to begin anew with the great reset of time on our calendars. And if you can align yourself with this great renewing, like a surfer aligning themselves with the coming of a great wave, then you may be able to enjoy a great ride of momentum heading into your new year.

                                  Read More »Neil Gaiman Quote on the New Year and How He Hopes You Make Mistakes