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    “We will not simply think our way to peace. We can’t pray our soul into better condition. We’ve got to move and live our way there. It will take our body—our habits, our actions, our rituals, our self-care—to get our mind and our spirit in the right place, just as it takes our mind and spirit to get our body to the right place. It’s a trinity. A holy one. Each part dependent on the others.”

    Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 184)

      “To be self-compassionate is not to be self-indulgent or self-centered. A major component of self-compassion is to be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with love, care, dignity and make your wellbeing a priority. With self-compassion, we still hold ourselves accountable professionally and personally, but there are no toxic emotions inflicted upon and towards ourselves.”

      Christopher Dines

      Stillness Is The Key [Book]

        Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday

        By: Ryan Holiday

        From this Book:  66 Quotes

        Book Overview:  All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness–to be steady while the world spins around you.  In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history’s greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus.  More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.

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        Not enough time to read/listen to the whole book? Check out the 18 minute Blinkist version of Stillness Is The Key and get the key insights here for free.

        Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

          “There is no enlightened one.  There is only the one who is seeking further enlightenment.  Proper Being is process, not a state; a journey, not a destination.  It’s the continual transformation of what you know, through encounter with what you don’t know, rather than the desperate clinging to the certainty that is eternally insufficient in any case.  Always place your becoming above your current being.  That means it is necessary to recognize and accept your insufficiency, so that it can be continually rectified.  That’s painful, certainly—but, it’s a good deal.” ~ Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life (Page 362)

            “With any loss comes gain.  If things don’t work out my way, the consolation prize is a lesson I can keep close to me for the rest of my life.  Those lessons encourage more self-awareness, which in turn strengthens my most important relationship—the one with myself.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 273)

              “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)

              Leo Babauta Quote on Not Making Exceptions—Ever

                “Exceptions lead to more exceptions. It’s really easy to justify not doing [a] new habit (or doing an old habit you’re trying to quit) by saying, ‘Just one time won’t hurt.’ Except that it will, because now you think it’s OK to make exceptions. And now you don’t really trust yourself to stick to your promise to yourself. It’s much more effective to not make exceptions — catch yourself if you’re thinking about it and trying to justify it, and remember your motivations. When I quit smoking, I told myself Not One Puff Ever (NOPE).”

                Leo Babauta, Zen Habits

                Beyond the Quote (Day 6)

                The habit changes that I have had the most success with incorporating into my lifestyle have been the ones that I have been the most strict with myself about.  When I started drinking coffee black, I told myself No Cream or Sugar Ever.  When I cut out donuts from my diet, I told myself Not One Bite Ever.  When I stopped drinking alcohol, I told myself Not One Sip Ever.  When I committed to going vegan, I told myself No Meat or Dairy Ever.  Like Babauta, I made sure there were no exceptions or ‘gray-areas’ to these habit changes—and while that might sound harsh and intense, I actually feel like it made the habit change process easier.

                Read More »Leo Babauta Quote on Not Making Exceptions—Ever

                Stephen Cope Quote on Being Yourself and How You Can’t Be Anyone You Want To Be

                  “You cannot be anyone you want to be.  Your one and only shot at a fulfilled life is being yourself—whoever that is.  Furthermore, at a certain age it finally dawns on us that, shockingly, no one really cares what we’re doing with our life.  This is a most unsettling discovery to those of us who have lived someone else’s dream and eschewed our own: No one really cares except us.  When you scratch the surface, you finally discover that it doesn’t really matter a whit who else you disappoint if you’re disappointing yourself.  The only question that makes sense to ask is: Is your life working for you?”

                  Stephen Cope, The Great Work Of Your Life

                  Beyond the Quote (Day 4)

                  If your life isn’t working for you, then who is it working for?  Are you working to please yourself or someone else? Are you fulfilling dreams that are uniquely your own or dreams that were bestowed upon you by your parents? Do you feel a sense of growth and contribution when you work or do you feel a sense of dread and purposelessness?

                  Read More »Stephen Cope Quote on Being Yourself and How You Can’t Be Anyone You Want To Be

                  Proverb About Small Steps Versus Giant Leaps and Having An ‘All-Or-Something’ Mindset

                    “It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.”

                    Proverb

                    Beyond the Quote (Day 3)

                    When it comes to following through with new goals or resolutions, don’t be an all-or-nothing; be an all-or-something.  An all-or-nothing is the type of person who is either all-in or all-out.  Either everything they planned is unfolding perfectly and is being executed flawlessly, or it’s not and they place blame, come up with excuses, and quit.

                    Read More »Proverb About Small Steps Versus Giant Leaps and Having An ‘All-Or-Something’ Mindset

                      “Generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and wisdom keep turning our mind to enlightenment like a flower seeking sunlight.  This brings genuine delight.  The more awake we are, the more connected we feel with other sentient beings.  The more awake we are, the more we want to help others achieve the same freedom.” ~ Sakyong Mipham, Turning the Mind Into An Ally (Page 210)

                      The Power of Now [Book]

                        The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

                        By: Eckhart Tolle

                        From this Book: 50 Quotes

                        Book Overview: To make the journey into The Power of Now you need to leave your analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Access to the Now is everywhere – in the body, the silence, and the space all around you. These are the keys to enter a state of inner peace. They can be used to bring you into the Now, the present moment, where problems do not exist. It is here you find your joy and are able to embrace your true self. It is here you discover that you are already complete and perfect.  Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart Tolle offers simple language in a question and answer format. The words themselves are the signposts to guide you on your journey. There are new discoveries to be made along the way: you are not your mind, you can find your way out of psychological pain, authentic human power is found by surrendering to the Now. When you become fully present and accepting of what is, you open yourself to the transforming experience of The Power of Now.

                        Buy from Amazon! Listen on Audible!

                        Not enough time to read/listen to the whole book? Check out the 16 minute Blinkist version of The Power of Now and get the key insights here for free.

                        Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

                        Extreme Ownership [Book]

                          Extreme Ownership Book
                          By: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

                          From this Book: 22 Quotes

                          Book Overview: In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share hard-hitting, Navy SEAL combat stories that translate into lessons for business and life. With riveting first-hand accounts of making high-pressure decisions as Navy SEAL battlefield leaders, this book is equally gripping for leaders who seek to dominate other arenas. Jocko and Leif served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Their efforts contributed to the historic triumph for U.S. forces in Ramadi. Through those difficult months of sustained combat, Jocko, Leif and their SEAL brothers learned that leadership–at every level–is the most important thing on the battlefield. A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

                          Buy from Amazon! Listen on Audible!

                          Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.

                          Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

                          1.  18 Quotes from Extreme Ownership That Will Help You Lead and Win
                          2. A Navy SEAL’s Checklist for Planning—from Jocko Willink and Leif Babin [Excerpt]
                          3. Jocko Willink Quote on How Your Greatest Strength Can Also Be Your Greatest Weakness (Beyond the Quote 165/365)

                            “Don’t reorganize the state until you have ordered your own experience.  Have some humility.  If you cannot bring peace to your household, how dare you try to rule a city?” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 158)