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    “When things are going bad, there’s going to be some good that will come from it. Oh, mission got canceled? Good. We can focus on another one. Didn’t get the new high-speed gear we wanted? Good. We can keep it simple. Didn’t get promoted? Good. More time to get better. Didn’t get funded? Good. We own more of the company. Didn’t get the job you wanted? Good. Go out, gain more experience, and build a better resume. Got injured? Good. Needed a break from training. Got tapped out? Good. It’s better to tap out in training that to tap out on the street. Got beat? Good. We learned. Unexpected problems? Good we have the opportunity to figure out a solution.”

    Jocko Willink, Discipline Equals Freedom (Page 59)

      “The degree of freedom from unwanted thoughts and the degree of concentration on a single thought are the measures to gauge spiritual progress.”

      Ramana Maharshi, via Sunbeams (Page 130)

        “Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”

        Joseph Campbell, The Hero’s Journey

          “If a friend betrays us, our reverse clause is to learn from how this happened and how to forgive this person’s mistake. If we’re thrown in prison, our reverse clause is that we can refuse to be broken by this change of events and try to be of service to our fellow prisoners. When a technical glitch erases our work, our reverse clause is that we can start fresh and do it better this time. Our progress can be impeded or disrupted, but the mind can always be changed—it retains the power to redirect the path.”

          Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 167)

            “True light that makes true vision possible is not the light the body’s eyes behold. It is a state of mind that has been so unified that darkness cannot be perceived.”

            A Course In Miracles, via Sunbeams (Page 96)

              “How much harder is it to do the right thing when you’re surrounded by people with low standards? How much harder is it to be positive and empathetic inside the negativity bubble of television chatter? How much harder is it to focus on your own issues when you’re distracted with other people’s drama and conflict? We’ll inevitably be exposed to these influences at some point, no matter how much we try to avoid them. But when we are, there is nothing that says we have to allow those influences to penetrate our minds. We have the ability to put our guard up and decide what we actually allow in.”

              Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 104)

                “A dog that’s allowed to chase cars will chase cars. A child who is never given any boundaries will become spoiled. An investor without discipline is not an investor—he’s a gambler. A mind that isn’t in control of itself, that doesn’t understand its power to regulate itself, will be jerked around by external events and unquestioned impulses.”

                Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 101)

                  “If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you no shame in that?”

                  Epictetus, via The Daily Stoic (Page 78)

                    “You can’t think your way into acting better but you can act your way into thinking better.”

                    Russell Brand, Recovery (Page 160)

                      “Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?”

                      Epictetus, The Daily Stoic (Page 52)