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Don’t Confuse The Pointing Finger With What’s Being Pointed At — On Understanding Words

    Introduction: Fetch Me The Moon—A Short Zen Story

    The Zen teacher’s dog loved his evening romp with his master. The dog would bound ahead to fetch a stick, then run back, wag his tail, and wait for the next game. On this particular evening, the teacher invited one of his brightest students to join him—a boy so intelligent that he became troubled by the contradictions in Buddhist doctrine.

    Read More »Don’t Confuse The Pointing Finger With What’s Being Pointed At — On Understanding Words

    Jordan Peterson Quote on The Power of Vision and Direction for Personal Development

      “Don’t underestimate the power of vision and direction.  These are irresistible forces, able to transform what might appear to be unconquerable obstacles into traversable pathways and expanding opportunities.  Strengthen the individual.  Start with yourself.  Take care with yourself.  Define who you are.  Refine your personality.  Choose your destination and articulate your Being.”

      Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 63)

      Beyond the Quote (141/365)

      Maps are incredibly useful tools. They chart the unknown territory for us. They show us the way forward. They help us get to where we want to go. And usually, that’s one of the first things we think about when we grab a map—where they can take us. Thinking up where we want to go is easy. New York City! Yellowstone National Park! Australia! We might say. Or, if we’re thinking about where we want to go in life, we might say, “The top of the corporate ladder!” “Until I get a blue checkmark on Instagram!” “To a beautiful mansion with a white picket fence!” But, where they can take us means nothing if we don’t know where we are. And this is the imperative first question to consider—where are you?

      Read More »Jordan Peterson Quote on The Power of Vision and Direction for Personal Development

        We’re all on journeys, and sometimes we spend so much time on and invest so much energy in heading in one direction that the idea of any other direction is both foreign and frightening.  Our journeys themselves become comfort zones, and sometimes hopping off one rainbow and onto the next is exactly what we need.  Other times we may realize that the path we were on helped reveal the path we should be on, and that adventure of twists and turns will last our lifetime, and that’s okay.  No one needs to have everything figured out, and honestly, nobody really does, even if their social media posts present a different picture.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 115)

          “Focusing on the rainbow instead of the pot of gold isn’t just one of many philosophies we can adapt—it’s the most sustainable way for us to keep going.  The present is all we have, and we can promise ourselves only so much contentment before we realize that the story doesn’t end until we take our last breath.  Once we accept that, we can enjoy the journey, celebrating every baby step we take, not toward a treasure on a map, but in a direction that steadily improves the way we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 95)

            “The past is fixed, but the future—it could be better.  It could be better, some precise amount—the amount that can be achieved, perhaps, in a day, with some minimal engagement.  The present is eternally flawed.  But where you start might not be as important as the direction you are heading.  Perhaps happiness is always to be found in the journey uphill, and not in the fleeting sense of satisfaction awaiting at the next peak.  Much of happiness is hope, no matter how deep the underworld in which that hope was conceived.” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 94)

              “Those who are truly enlightened know what they want out of life, emotionally, materially, physically and spiritually.  Clearly defined priorities and goals for every aspect of your life will serve a role similar to that played by a lighthouse, offering you guidance and refuge when the seas become rough.  You see, anyone can revolutionize their lives once they revolutionize the direction in which they are moving.  But if you don’t even know where you are going, how will you ever know when you get there?”

              Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

                “The direction we’re heading is more important than individual results.” ~ Anthony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within

                  “Though you cannot go back and make a brand-new start, my friend, you can start now, and make a brand-new end.” ~ John C. Maxwell, Today Matters

                    “If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.” ~ Proverb

                      “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

                        “It is difficult to spread the contagion of excitement without having a sense of purpose and direction.” ~ Daniel Goleman

                          “‘Tis the set of the sail that decides the goal, and not the storm of life.” ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox